LOS ANGELES — For nearly an hour on Monday, as Nationals right fielder Juan Soto perched behind a podium and described what he called a “tough,” “frustrating,” “really bad” situation that made it hard to “know who to trust” and caused “a lot of tension,” he barely stopped smiling.
This was eight hours before he won the Home Run Derby, besting Mariners rookie center fielder Julio Rodríguez with a 19-dinger final round. First Soto had to address his future.
The past few days, since The Athletic reported that Soto had rejected a 15-year, $440 million extension and Washington would explore trading him, have surely been a circus for the 23-year-old Soto.