Hours before Washington Nationals all-star Juan Soto participated in the Home Run Derby, he had to field questions about his much-discussed status with his team on Monday.
"A couple weeks ago they were saying they would never trade me, and now all these things came out," Soto said. "It feels really uncomfortable. You don't know what to trust. At the end of the day, it's out of my hands, what decision they make."
On the weekend, it was reported that the 23-year-old outfielder turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to stay with the Nationals. Talk then shifted to which teams would trade for the Dominican player and what it would take to get him.
Soto was caught off guard by the leaked report and spoke about it on Monday.
Soto is not due to be a free agent until after the 2024 season, so any team trading for him will get at least two and a half seasons before he potentially leaves.
One thing that was in Soto's control was the Home Run Derby. The young slugger defeated fellow Dominican Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners 19-18 to claim the title.
"For me right now, I'm just concentrating on baseball," Soto said beforehand. "I can't do anything about it, I have my hands tied. I just go out and play as hard as I can and play baseball.
"If they want to make the decision, I gotta pack my stuff and go."
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