The saga of Juan Soto took another strange turn on Monday evening.
The current-but-possibly-on-the-trade block outfielder for the Washington Nationals arrived less than 24 hours before the Home Run Derby after Soto flew commercially to Los Angeles following the team’s series against the Atlanta Braves to DC That drew the Irish. by Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, who pointed out how unfair it was that the Braves’ players were chartered on All-Star Weekend but the Nationals could not do the same for Soto.
“The Atlanta Braves arrived [in Los Angeles] five hours earlier than Juan Soto,” Boras said, according to Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein. “Do you know why? Because their team chartered a plane. Juan Soto had to fly on a commercial flight and wait two hours at an airport and arrive here at 1:30 in the morning and have to compete in the Home Run Derby. And that is something that Major League Baseball did not care about and that is something that the Washington Nationals did not care about.
Soto was the talk of the MLB after the news broke, the nationalities would discover the deal with him after he refused a 15-year, $ 440 million extension with the team. After winning the Home Run Derby over Julio Rodriguez, Soto conceded the freedom of his situation with Washington.
“A few weeks ago they said they would never exchange me, and now all of these things are coming out,” Soto said. “It feels really uncomfortable. You do not know what to trust. But at the end of the day it is out of my hands, with what decision they make.
Boras added that Soto wanted his talks with the Nationals to be private, but now that they are not, “he will take this into consideration as he goes along.”
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Another All-Star gets a solo chartered flight
While Soto was flying commercially, another All-Star jumped on a charter flight with a rival team. See the article : Premier League transfer newsletters: the business of the six big clubs so far, problems to be solved.
Oakland Athletics pitcher Paul Blackburn flew with the Houston Astros on a chartered flight to Los Angeles after completing a three-game series in Houston. The Astros offered the flight after hearing that Blackburn had originally planned to fly commercially. While Blackburn said the situation was a bit difficult at first, he enjoyed the whole experience.
“It was fun. I felt like they made me feel very welcome and comfortable,” said Blackburn, Fox’s Mark Berman. “We had some good conversations, some good laughs. It was fun. It was a good time … It’s great. It just shows that, in baseball, it’s a bit like a brotherhood. Everyone respects each other and tries to help each other. I really appreciate their organization and let me mark you over here. “
For what it’s worth, Soto and Blackburn were the only All-Stars on their team. But one is a 28-year-old pitcher, while the other is a 23-year-old slugger, trying to keep the Nationals on their roster for a long time. It also does not help that the Nationals are “almost certain to sell,” said Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Needless to say, the relationship between Soto and the Nationals continues to deteriorate.
The Washington Nationals are no longer rolling out the red carpet for Juan Soto. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)
