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Juan Soto's signing with the New York Mets has been the talk of the sports world. In a moment of reflection, Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez personally thanked Soto on the Hot Stove show for what he provided to the organization, despite being a part of another AL East rivalry.
“These kids are getting better… I could thank Juan Soto too for some of these players we’ve got because we got a lot of these guys in the trade with San Diego,” Martinez said. “They’re all doing really well, some of the guys that are not in the big leagues yet are doing really well. Hassell just had a great Fall league. Susana, a young pitcher of ours, has come a long way in the few years we had him. These are the guys that potentially gonna help us win another championship as well.”
Martinez was referring to Soto's initial departure when he left the Nation's Capital for the San Diego Padres. They acquired rookies CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore, in addition to Robert Hassell III, James Wood, Jarlin Susana, and veteran slugger Luke Voit. Even though the latter of those struggled during his time with the Nationals, they built a nice farm system.
Juan Soto helped Dave Martinez and the Nationals with a good farm system
For instance, Abrams 2024 made the National League All-Star Team with the Nationals, hitting 20 home runs, 65 RBI, and 31 stolen bases last season. Also, MacKenzie Gore finished last season 10 – 12 with a 3.90 ERA, and in 2023 with the Nationals 7 – 10 with a 4.42 ERA. In regards to their prospects, James Woods was considered the Nationals' top prospect in 2023 after being traded, while Jarlin Susana was one of their top pitching prospects.
The Nationals acquired six players from the initial Soto trade. Although they're in a rebuild, Washington has some true promise. They have two prospects that could grace the MLB next season. Outfielder Dylan Crews and third baseman Brady House. While the latter is an AAA prospect, he's likely to make the roster at some point. The 71-91 Nationals proved they could play some tough games, most notably against their division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.
Now, they'll have to play Soto 13 times next season now that he's returned to the NL East. He'll cause his former opponents some problems, as he always has. However, Washington might have an advantage that other teams don't. While Soto's game has evolved, they still understand some tendencies and can capitalize on those. Either way, Martinez will remain grateful as long as his young players continue to emerge.
