The Morning Briefing: November 1, 2024

Good Morning, Washington Nationals Fans.

Here are the latest headlines and analysis around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, Friday, November 1, 2024.

Welcome to our Morning Briefing, and welcome to November! Where did the year go?

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Leading this Morning's Briefing: Let the Juan Soto Sweepstakes begin.

Now that the World Series is over and we are officially in the offseason, all eyes now turn toward former Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankee outfielder Juan Soto's impending free agency and where the slugger will be signed for the long term. Soto was asked about his mindset going into the offseason after Wednesday's Game 5 and didn't close the door on any teams.

"I feel like every team has the same opportunities when I go into free agency," Soto told reporters after the Yankees were defeated.

Soto was also specifically asked about the New York Mets and said, "I don't know what's the teams that are going to come after me. Definitely, I'll be open to this and every single team. I don't have any doors closed. I'm gonna be available for all 30 teams."

Could a reunion with the only team he won a World Series with could be possible? There are a lot of if's here, from Are the Learners ready to spend big time on a Washington Nationals fan favorite? Does Soto want to return to the Nationals because he has seen the bright lights of being a New York Yankee?

"I feel like every team has the same opportunities when I go into free agency."

-Juan Soto on if the Yankees have an advantage in his free agency

(via @snyyankees)pic.twitter.com/1seUmYOibH
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 31, 2024

There are many factors that Soto might consider as he enters his first-ever free agency. One of the biggest questions I think will be interesting to answer is whether winning or receiving a record-breaking contract is important to the already one-time World Series Champion outfielder.

Could the lore of being with the same organization as his younger brother give the Nationals an edge over the other teams competing for his services for the long term? Could the fact that Soto understands, knows, and has gone on record saying that he enjoyed his time in Washington, D.C., be another factor that gives the Nationals an edge in signing him?

Whether as a cornerstone of a championship team, a recruiter for top talent, or a mentor to young players, Soto has the potential to impact the franchise significantly we already know that. The Athletic has an interesting piece about the different tiers where Soto could end up. They do place the Nationals on Tier 3:

In these types of negotiations, Boras wants to engage teams at the ownership level, pitching the free agent as an overwhelming economic force while also gathering information to share with the star player about how the franchise intends to build around him. Boras enjoyed particularly close relationships with Nationals owner Ted Lerner and Padres owner Peter Seidler, who both died in 2023, and their succession plans created new uncertainty.

Boras recently told USA Today that he was “knee-deep” in Soto negotiations before Seidler’s death, predicting that Soto never would have been traded to the Yankees if Seidler was still alive. The Nationals had traded Soto to San Diego after he rejected a 15-year, $440 million extension offer, which showed a willingness to make him the highest-paid player in baseball history. One AL executive said he’d place the Nationals among the top tiers of this exercise.

You can read the full article here

Upcoming Important Dates on the MLB Calendar for the 2024 Offseason

Now that the World Series is officially over, it's time to start the Offseason. Here are some big dates on the calendar to keep you busy until Spring Training. Don't worry, the Nats Report will be here with you to the start of Spring Training.