Juan Soto and the Washington Nationals: Could a reunion be in the works?

The Washington Nationals are almost done with the rebuild. The one remaining need: an outfielder. Like, say, a Juan Soto.

Soto is back in town this week with the New York Yankees, who won a three-game series opener on Monday, 5-2.

The home crowd at Nats Park gave Soto, who was traded to San Diego in 2022 for a package of prospects that included shortstop CJ Abrams, leftfielder James Wood and starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, a standing ovation before his first at-bat, to which Soto responded with an ear-to-ear grin.

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Soto, who turned down a $440 million extension ahead of being traded, has made it clear since that he was heartbroken over being traded, though it was a move of necessity on both sides – Soto stands to get a lot more than the $440 million he was offered in 2022, and the Nats used the trade to hasten the rebuild, which now appears to have the franchise ready to be a contender again in 2025.

Nats GM Mike Rizzo, of course, can’t comment on any possible interest in making a run at Soto, since Soto is still under contract with the Yankees through the end of the 2024 season.

But the money is there: the expiring contract of lefty Patrick Corbin leaves the Nats with around $60 million in salaries on the books for 2025, meaning, yes, the proverbial Brinks truck could be engaged in a pursuit of a superstar the likes of Soto.

And from a fit standpoint, well, this is Juan Soto we’re talking about here, a cornerstone of the 2019 World Series team that he still holds near and dear to his heart.

Asked Monday in DC about the Yankees’ pursuit of a world title in 2024, Soto answered that “nothing is gonna be like what we have with the Nationals in 2019, but definitely this is really close to what we have back then.”

Soto, as the standing ovation would seem to indicate, is still beloved by DC fans, and he would be a perfect fit age-wise with the new Nats core – Abrams, an All-Star in 2024, is 23; Wood is 21; #2 overall pick from 2023 Dylan Crews, who made his MLB debut on Monday, is 22; second baseman Luis Garcia, who is hitting .292 with a .783 OPS, 15 homers and 20 steals in 2024, is 24.

The old guy in the new core is catcher Keibert Ruiz, who is still just 25.

Manager Davey Martinez said on Monday that he’d had opportunities to manage elsewhere before he signed a two-year extension late last season, but he wants to be in DC because he thinks the Nats’ window for contending again is about to open back up.

“We’re trying to contend again. It’s going to happen,” Martinez said. “With this core group, it’s going to happen. We’re heading in the right direction. The next step is that I don’t want to be close anymore. I want to be there. We’re getting there.”

The Yankees and New York Mets are sure to be big players in the upcoming Soto Sweepstakes, but with the Nats being ready to get back into contention, just a big piece or two away, hey, wouldn’t it be something, trading Soto two summers ago to get guys like Abrams, Wood and Gore, and then bringing Soto back to make another run at it?

“I’ve always said before, nothing has changed, I love the kid,” Martinez said. “You knew what you were getting out of him every day. He’s going to play hard, put the bat on the ball and do everything he can to help you win. He’s still doing that. He’s a good one. He’s one of the best. He’s been phenomenal.”