It is never an easy thing moving on from superstar players, which the Washington Nationals know firsthand. After trading Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021, they completed the signaling of their rebuild by trading Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres in another blockbuster.

The Home Run Derby is still weeks away, set for July 14 in Atlanta, and has no official entrants yet. “Would I like to see him do it?” Manager Dave Martinez said. “Yeah.”