Juan Soto with Home Run Derby title. Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Nationals slugger Juan Soto held off Mariners rookie Julio Rodríguez to win Monday night's Home Run Derby.
The backdrop: Soto's win came one day after reports surfaced that the Nationals are exploring trade possibilities for their generational superstar after he rejected a 15-year, $440 million extension.
- A drama-filled month for the cellar-dwelling Nationals — who are also exploring a sale of the franchise — was briefly put on hold Monday night to marvel at moonshots.
- But Soto ultimately wearing the crown certainly won't decrease the buzz surrounding him in Los Angeles, which he finds "uncomfortable."
Notes:
- 23 years old: Part of the reason why Soto is so valuable is that he's still just 23 somehow, which is the same age as some players in this year's Futures Game, which is designed to showcase elite prospects.
- 11,191 yards: Rodríguez put on a show with a total home run distance of 33,573 feet (~11,191 yards). That would make him the Seahawks all-time leading rusher, a title currently held by Shaun Alexander (9,429).
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