Washington DC is the quintessential political city. But these days, in the offices on Connecticut Avenue, the bars on K Street, the pizzerias on Chevy Chase, and the receptions given by senators and ambassadors in Georgetown, there is no talk of Putin, or the Ukraine, or the homage of Joe Biden to the Saudis, nor the Supreme Court and abortion, nor Trump's plans. The big topic of conversation is a 23-year-old Dominican named Juan Soto.
What has Juan José Soto Pacheco done to be on everyone's lips in the hot and humid Washington summer? Apart from being the best hitter of his generation, and one of the most brilliant players in the Major Leagues, he has rejected a contract with the Nationals, the capital's baseball team, for fifteen years and 430 million euros, which would have beaten all records. To which the club has responded by declaring him transferable and opening up to offers, because in two years he will become a free agent and will be able to negotiate with whomever he wants, without his current owner receiving a dime.
It is the great discussion in the gay bars of Dupont Circle, the cafes of Capitol Heights and the restaurants of José Andrés: should the Nationals trade him now, as soon as possible, and try to receive in return a package of players with which to rebuild the team? ?, for how much?, to a direct rival of its division like the Yankees or the Red Sox (entities with money)?, or better to squeeze it, let the fans enjoy its excellence as much as possible and allow it to go to free?
Soto is angry that the organization has leaked his refusal to accept the offer ("it was a private matter"), and says the situation is affecting his game. His batting average (.250), his twenty home runs and his .497 slugging percentage (number of bases won divided by plate appearances) would be considered magnificent by almost anyone, but in his case they are the lowest. since it debuted. The Nationals have the worst record in Major League Baseball.
The right fielder's agent, Scott Boras, (who was also Alex Rodríguez's agent and prefers his clients to change teams) has no doubt that Soto has done well, although there is always the risk that an injury could cut short a player's career. athlete, and 430 million insured are no joke. First, because anyone will pay him a fortune, probably more than the Nationals. And second, because the Washington team is for sale and he doesn't want to be tied for life to an employer who doesn't know who he will be.
The Dominican, son of a salesman and amateur catcher who instilled in his two sons a passion for baseball, was selected by Washington in the international draft when he was a boy of sixteen, and he trained him in their lower teams. He has never played for any other team. In his first season he was second in the rookie of the year competition (behind Japan's Shohei Ohtani), in the following he was World Series champion, and in 2020 the best hitter. he has been an all star twice, and since he debuted he has hit 118 home runs, with a batting average of .293 and 355 RBIs.
Others hit the ball harder than he does, but his trademark is the discipline not to try to catch a ball the pitcher throws out of the strike zone. Every time that happens, he does a kind of dance by moving his hips and stares into the eyes of the pitcher. Some take it better, and others worse. It is a provocation, on another level, like those of Putin, Trump and the Saudi sheikhs. No wonder he has a fascination with Washington DC.
