Washington Nationals 'are not trading Juan Soto,' president and GM Mike Rizzo says

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The Washington Nationals will not trade Juan Soto, according to Mike Rizzo, the club's general manager.

During a radio interview on Wednesday morning, Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo directly addressed the long-term future of catchers.

We made it clear to the player and his agent that we were not going to trade him.

After the 2024 season, he is eligible to become a free agent. The former National League batting champion told ESPN earlier this year that he declined a 13-year, $350 million contract offered by the Nationals before this past winter.

The Nationals have finished last in the NL East in each of the past two seasons and are currently in the basement of the division, leading to widespread speculation that catcher Juan Francisco could be traded in a megadeal to help accelerate a rebuild.

The Nationals want to keep the All-Star outfielder as their centerpiece, according to the Nationals' general manager.

We made it clear to him that we were building this team around him, and we have spoken to his agent many, many times.

I guess the rest of the world doesn't believe it, but that's our position.

In 51 games this season, the Cubs catcher is batting.235 with nine home runs and 16 RBIs, but he still has a.379 on- base percentage thanks to his major league-leading 42 walks. One year after winning the NL batting crown with a.351 average, the left-handed hitter led the majors in on-base percentage and walks.

A potential ownership transition for the Nationals, who have been owned by the Lerner family since 2006, could have an impact on Soto's future. The family hired a firm earlier this year to find potential investors to buy part or all of the franchise, as they explore the possibility of selling the Nationals.