Juan Soto, Padre

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

He's a choad and VGK kit is by far the ugliest in NHL history, even worse than the Canucks' banana suits.  They suit one another 

[Slateman]

You do realize that Vegas has tried for decades to get a pro sports team, right? By your logic, no one should have sported a Nats jersey in 2005.

freaking stupid.

[Natsinpwc]

If Harper stayed no one would care about rooting for Vegas. Just admit you would still be rooting for him.

[Five Banners]

You do realize that Vegas has tried for decades to get a pro sports team, right? By your logic, no one should have sported a Nats jersey in 2005.

One more time: someone asked why some in this fanbase might’ve had an issue with him, this came to mind. I seem to recall your talking about the issue of the support and self-respect of the fanbase here compared with some other markets. The Chicago example goes to the same thing. As far as logic, would a Boston star wearing a Cardinals jerseys at a box in Fenway Park during the 2004 World Series been treated like “so nobody should’ve worn a Cardinals jersey in 2004?”, either by the fan base nor by the media? Get real.

[Five Banners]

If Harper stayed no one would care about rooting for Vegas. Just admit you would still be rooting for him.

If the “you” you’re referring to is me, what is there to “admit”? I’ve been behind signing all of the young potential difference makers. None of them seemed like roid ragers or particular troublemakers. Once again, with not much feeling: someone mused why this fanbase wouldn’t be thrilled with Harper on a rival, and reasons came to mind. There were enough threads of people want to drop him because of heart qs, injury, supposed star complex, “you can sign X amount of players for that”, and so forth.

Anyone who is obsessed with how someone who left plays on another team is asking for disappointment. This goes back to Soto; it seems like a horribly-run situation and an epic waste of opportunity. That being said, it’s good to figure out that these are spectator sports that we don’t control, and have a corresponding perspective.

One other thing: when we heard from Zimmerman and Kendrick talking about what this fanbase meant to them, it resonated. If Harper ends up on a team that wins it and starts talking about how much the “fanbase“ means to him, he may well mean every word, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it brought to mind the above photo…

[Natsinpwc]

If the “you” you’re referring to is me, what is there to “admit”? I’ve been behind signing all of the young potential difference makers. None of them seemed like roid ragers or particular troublemakers. Once again, with not much feeling: someone mused why this fanbase wouldn’t be thrilled with Harper on a rival, and reasons came to mind. There were enough threads of people want to drop him because of heart qs, injury, supposed star complex, and so forth.

Anyone who is obsessed with how someone who left plays on another team is asking for disappointment. This goes back to Soto; it seems like a horribly-run situation and an epic waste of opportunity. That being said, it’s good to figure out that these are spectator sports that we don’t control, and have a corresponding perspective.

One other thing: when we heard from Zimmerman and Kendrick talking about what this fanbase meant to them, it resonated. If Harper ends up on a team that wins it and starts talking about how much the “fanbase“ means to him, he may well mean every word, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it brought to mind the above photo…

You’ve written like a book here. So you seem obsessed.

[Five Banners]

You’ve written like a book here. So you seem obsessed.

Oh please. Were we sitting at the red loft, what I said would’ve taken like a minute and a half for each post. It’s called conversation.

[Slateman]

If Harper stayed no one would care about rooting for Vegas. Just admit you would still be rooting for him.

Thats what this is. Its regret. Fans wanted to blame Harper for being greedy. But since then we've found out how backloaded and deferred the contract offers were. We also found out that Harper came back to the Nats multiple times that offseason. We found out that the Lerners have insisted on deferred money on a bunch of other contracts. And since that point, Bryce Harper has, frankly, been worth it.

Fans have deluded themselves into believing that we won it all in 2019 because he left, when, quite frankly, Harper and Lance Lynn would have been a significantly better team.

[Slateman]

One more time: someone asked why some in this fanbase might’ve had an issue with him, this came to mind. I seem to recall your talking about the issue of the support and self-respect of the fanbase here compared with some other markets. The Chicago example goes to the same thing. As far as logic, would a Boston star wearing a Cardinals jerseys at a box in Fenway Park during the 2004 World Series been treated like “so nobody should’ve worn a Cardinals jersey in 2004?”, either by the fan base nor by the media? Get real.

[Five Banners]

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

Again: “As far as logic, would a Boston star wearing a Cardinals jerseys at a box in Fenway Park during the 2004 World Series been treated like “so nobody should’ve worn a Cardinals jersey in 2004?”, either by the fan base nor by the media?”

How many of those pictures were during championship finals settings for teams that hadn’t gotten over the hump in a historically long period of time (or ever) and had historic playoff futility? How many of those cases were simultaneously verging on free agency who had been connected with his own team’s playoff futility, versus having won titles?

How many of those players might have read the room if they were at the finals in those situations and not have worn (and posted on social media about it) the jersey of a team that didn’t grow up with and and only came into existence that season, risking blowback from the crossover fan base and media? Would it be logical for some of the fanbase to see that in an unfavorable light?

[Slateman]

Dude. Kobe was an LA Laker, at a Lakers game, rocking Eagles gear. Just stop.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

And look at what happened to him 

Dude. Kobe was an LA Laker, at a Lakers game, rocking Eagles gear. Just stop.

[Slateman]

And look at what happened to him 

Five championships?

[Natsinpwc]

Dude. Kobe was an LA Laker, at a Lakers game, rocking Eagles gear. Just stop.

Everyone looks good in Eagles gear to be fair. 

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

[Natsinpwc]

He for sure would look much better in an Eagles jersey. The black one would make him look slim.

[blue911]

He for sure would look much better in an Eagles jersey. The black one would make him look slim.

Watch your pronouns, that’s Miss Philadelphia 2022

[imref]

1 hit in his last 6 games, including tonight (0-1, 2BB)

[Senatorswin]

1 hit in his last 6 games, including tonight (0-1, 2BB)

He finally got a hit after being 0 for 18.

[imref]

Soto got booed tonight in SD after flying out to CF.  He’s 0-3 tonight. Padres have managed just two hits, both by Profar, though 7 against AZ.

[Senatorswin]

In the 9th inning in the Padres game tonight Hader pitched the 9th with his 19.06 ERA with the Padres and gave up a run.
Soto batted in the bottom of the 9th with his .256 BA, 3 HR in 90 AB's, and 6 RBI since he's gone to the Padres and grounded out.
Bell batted in the bottom of the 9th with his .181 BA, 2 HR in 105 AB's, and 9 RBI since he's gone to the Padres and flew out.

To say things have not gone well for the Padres since the trades is an understatement.

[Natsinpwc]

They’re trying to finish in the third wild card so they play the Cards instead of the Mets or Braves.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

In the 9th inning in the Padres game tonight Hader pitched the 9th with his 19.06 ERA with the Padres and gave up a run.
Soto batted in the bottom of the 9th with his .256 BA, 3 HR in 90 AB's, and 6 RBI since he's gone to the Padres and grounded out.
Bell batted in the bottom of the 9th with his .181 BA, 2 HR in 105 AB's, and 9 RBI since he's gone to the Padres and flew out.

To say things have not gone well for the Padres since the trades is an understatement.

he's having the close to the same year as he had here.  Same batting average, same OBP.  Drop off in SLG from .485 to .364.  San Diego isn't a great power park.  You'd have thought that if there were such a thing as protection having Machado and Cronenworth, along with Bell, might have helped some.  IT looks like teams are still walking him, and he's still swinging with a bit of frustration trying to pull. He's even cut back on swinging at out of the strike zone pitches, so you'd think the contact might be harder.
https://www.fangraphs.com/players/juan-soto/20123/stats?position=OF
 

[HalfSmokes]

Soto got booed tonight in SD after flying out to CF.  He’s 0-3 tonight. Padres have managed just two hits, both by Profar, though 7 against AZ.

[nfotiu]

I don't get hating on Harper. He played really well for the Nationals for years, won an MVP here, and didn't badmouth the team or the fans on his way out. The Nationals didn't need to resign him because Soto had emerged and frankly did not have the money to resign him: they spent the money on assets that directly led to a World Series win. Meanwhile Harper got himself one of the largest FA deals of all time. It was a win-win situation. I understand hating anyone in a Phillies jersey, of course, but Harper should be the guy on the Phillies we hate the least not the guy we hate most.

I definitely don't get hating on Soto or cheering for him to do poorly. He won a World Series here and was the face of the franchise for years. He rejected a perfunctory extension that severely undervalued him and was designed to be rejected. Trading superstars is what rebuilding teams must do in this day and age and it looks like Soto will hit the FA market in a few years and the Nats could still make a run at him there.

Harper is just a guy that you love when he's on your side and hate when he isn't.   It annoyed me that he went to a bitter rival for marginally more money when we had a good thing going her, but I'm mostly indifferent to him now.

Soto seems like a likeable guy and watching him the first few years here was amazing.   I don't like Boras at all and think his approach is bad for the game, bad for the fans, and has his players convinced to take risks that don't really make sense at an individual level.   I don't see a 440 million offer as a severe undervalue, and should have been something that could have been a starting point for negotiation if Soto wanted to be here.  Rejecting 440 million to hold out for a possible 500 million just doesn't make sense when he's now needing to have a couple spectacular seasons if he hopes to get over 100 million for his next deal.   

I feel a bit bad for hoping for him to fail, but if he turns into a bit of a bust and we dealt him at the right time, then it looks like the Nats made the right call, and could serve as a big warning for current and perspective Boras clients.