Elian Soto, the younger brother of Washington's All-Star slugger Juan Soto, is expected to sign with those same Nationals once he's eligible in 2023, Byron Kerr of Washington City Paper reports. The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli confirmed Kerr's report. The younger Soto turned 16 years of age on Monday, which means that the native of the Dominican Republic isn't eligible to sign as an international free agent until January of 2023.
This presents something of a reversal since Elian Soto was recently reported to be in line to sign with the Mets, the Nationals' NL East rivals. Per Ghiroli, Soto's older brother was not surprisingly a factor in his decision to sign with the Nats.
As for Soto's future outlook, power is his calling card, and he's already earning favorable comparisons. Via Ken Davidoff of the New York Post:
"An industry talent evaluator offered that Elian Soto's best tool was his power, with the other tools (hit, running, arm and defense) not ranking as high. Nevertheless, there is respect for the bloodlines and any player so young carries considerable room for growth. Blue Jays All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., boasting of some excellent bloodlines himself, told Gomez of Elian Soto, 'He hit harder than Juan Soto when he was 15 years old.'"
Here's a recent look at his taking cuts, fittingly in Nationals garb:
Leading up to the 2023 international signing period, Elian Soto is being advised by Scott Boras, per the New York Post. Boras also serves as the agent for Juan Soto.
