hypothetically, if you are the Nats, you are paying him before Crews and Wood, Herz and Irvin maybe, and House get expensive. That's about the only way the Nats can bid on Soto.
We have a thread for this, but three seasons would be PERFECT for the Nats. Crews, Wood, and Abrams don't have to try and develop while being the primary target for opposing pitchers. You have a ton of young, cost controlled talent. If you convince Soto to DH instead of insisting playing RF, you can keep a good defensive OF, play Lipscomb at third base, and make House the centerpiece of a deal for a pitcher. That would leave you with enough money leftover to get a first baseman and a quality reliver, and still not crack 150 million in the payroll until 2027.
There is a long list of guys who have broken down a couple of years into huge contracts
That's a fair point, but it seems unlikely with a guy who is currently 26. Yea, its a gamble. But its literally the only way a team like the Nationals, Tigers, D-Backs, Padres, or Mariners are going to be able to afford him.
