Juan Soto is one of the best players in Major League Baseball.
He’s also available with the Aug. 2 MLB trade deadline looming after rejecting a 15-year, $440 million contract offer from the Washington Nationals. Thus, the next few days could involve a bidding war unlike anything we’ve seen in recent years.
It’s rare someone of Soto’s stature hits the trade market, as he’s a multi-time All-Star who is just 23 years old and under club control for two more seasons after 2022. Yet Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo acknowledged this week the organization needs to explore all options. Washington has the worst record in baseball and can’t afford to let Soto eventually walk in free agency for nothing more than a draft pick.
So, where will Soto land? We asked several members of the NESN Digital team. Here are our predictions.
Lauren Campbell: San Diego Padres
A team with Fernando TatÃs Jr., Manny Machado and Soto? San Diego certainly would have the Dodgers looking over their shoulders in the National League West standings.
Mike Cole: San Diego Padres
It probably makes the most sense for the Nationals to hang on and hold a true auction in the winter when valuable big leaguers are up for grabs. But if the Nats just wanna be done with it, the Padres going all in might be the best, most intriguing option, with MacKenzie Gore and C.J. Abrams as the centerpieces. It would gut San Diego’s once-fertile farm system, but a core of Soto, Manny Machado and Fernando TatÃs Jr. would buy A.J. Preller a few years to replenish.
Ricky Doyle: San Diego Padres
A.J. Preller is the most aggressive GM in baseball, and the most aggressive move he could make right now would be to push in his chips for either Soto or Shohei Ohtani, another superstar said to be available. The Padres have the prospect capital — with MacKenzie Gore, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III and Luis Campusano, among others — and presumably the motivation to make a splash while still looking up at the Dodgers in the National League West.
Greg Dudek: New York Mets
The biggest stars seem to go to the biggest markets, so let’s have Soto landing in New York — but with the Mets and not the Yankees. Trading him within the division might be a tough pill to swallow, but the Mets could go all in this season by trading for the young superstar.
Adam London: San Diego Padres
Recent expensive moves suggest we need to start including San Diego among the typical heavy-hitters any time a superstar becomes available. The Padres have to be tired of playing little brother to the perennially great Dodgers, and a trade for Soto could lead to a changing of the guard in the NL West.
Sean McGuire: San Diego Padres
The Padres reportedly overtook the Cardinals in the Soto sweepstakes, and we can’t help but think how entertaining it would be to see San Diego roll out a healthy Fernando TatÃs Jr. and Soto. It also would allow the Dodgers and Padres rivalry to take yet another step in right direction.
Scott Neville: Stays with the Washington Nationals
While it’s fun for Dodgers and Yankees fans to envision their rosters with the addition of Soto, he’s too costly for any well-run organization to cough up enough value to swing a deal. Throwing five good-to-great players in a trade for one great player is not how to win baseball games. If it was, Mike Trout would have more than three playoff games in his career. Plus, I don’t believe the Nationals are totally giving up on the idea of keeping Soto long term seeing as they have 2 1/2 years left of team control to come up with a solution.
Jason Ounpraseuth: Seattle Mariners
An outfield with Soto and Julio RodrÃguez in it would be exciting to watch. The Mariners could feel the need to make a big splash to guarantee an end to their 20-year postseason drought, and Soto certainly would be key in putting Seattle ahead.
Keagan Stiefel: Los Angeles Dodgers
Of course it’s going to be the Dodgers. It’s literally always the Dodgers. They’re going to build an entire starting National League All-Star lineup.
Ben Watanabe: Minnesota Twins
Let’s get funky. Minnesota historically isn’t known for big spending, but Carlos Correa is widely expected to opt out of his sham three-year contract at the end of this season. Even if he doesn’t, however, Correa’s deal expires after 2024 — exactly the point when Soto is scheduled to hit free agency. Maybe the Twins build a massive package of prospects, including Royce Lewis and Spencer Steer, to entice the rebuilding Nationals to use the trade to build half their 2024 lineup in one swoop.
