Nats’ Juan Soto wins Home Run Derby, powering past rookie Julio Rodríguez
LOS ANGELES — That Juan Soto arrived Monday for the MLB All-Star Game at the center of his sport’s swirl was obvious. Turning down a 15-year, $440 million contract offer — and having that information become public — has a way of shifting the spotlight in your direction. That is more money than anyone has ever signed for, so he has to take it. It’s not nearly enough on a yearly basis for a 23-year-old who’s impossibly precocious. Pick a side.
The questions, though, are far more obvious than the answers. Trade Juan Soto? Well, if he said no to that, it’s your only option. But … trade Juan Soto?! Mike Rizzo, the Nationals’ longtime general manager, would have to get in front of a mic and say, “I traded him.”
Swallow hard. It’s all so emotional, which is inconvenient and inevitable. Take the emotion out of sports, and you’re probably making smarter business decisions. But take the emotion out of sports, and what’s left for the fans?
