"This is so f****d lol what ownership does that",  "The Nationals are a joke" - Washington Nationals owners under fire for asking Atlanta Braves to take Juan Soto and Davey Martinez on their team plane

The Washington Nationals asked division rival Atlanta Braves for a strange favor, to fly Juan Soto and Davey Martinez home from Los Angeles. The Nationals and Braves are playing a series against each other, so they were all traveling to the same place. The strangeness of the situation comes from the Nationals being seemingly unwilling to fly their All-Stars back themselves.

The Atlanta Braves declined the request, stating their plane was full. This story, however, has an added wrinkle. Soto recently turned down a contract offer from the Washington Nationals and is on the trade block. This was first reported by Jon Heyman via Twitter.

While the Braves made the wise decision to avoid any risk of tampering, fans were baffled by the Washington Nationals making the request.

If ownership does not go the extra mile for the players, how can the franchise ask players to go the extra mile for ownership? Juan Soto's contractual situation likely played a role in this, and fans believe this reflects very poorly on the Nationals.

Juan Soto will most likely be playing for a new franchise in just a few weeks. Actions like these certainly won't hinder the departure.

The Nationals certainly did not expect this kind of reaction. But they could have predicted it, since the Oakland Athletics had a very similar lead-up to the All-Star Game.

However, in that instance, the Houston Astros were proactive in offering assistance to the Athletics All-Stars. This is an important distinction that needs to be made.

The New York Mets, who have a reported interest in acquiring Juan Soto, would have loved the opportunity. Their owner, Steve Cohen, is never shy about spending money and an opportunity to learn more about Soto could have been invaluable.

If the Atlanta Braves were hoping to acquire the superstar outfielder, they missed a good opportunity to raise his interest.

Despite there being a multimillion-dollar difference, fans also saw this as a surprisingly relatable moment.