There are reportedly at least five World Series contenders prepared to make offers for Washington Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto.
The MLB trade deadline got much more interesting heading into the All-Star break when The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal broke the news that outfielder Juan Soto had turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract offer from the Washington Nationals, and that the team was open to trading him. Given that he is only 23-years-old and has a lengthy, bright future ahead of him, it is going to take a lot for the Nationals to willingly trade him, since he does not hit free agency until the end of the 2024 season. He has been linked to many teams, but who is willing to make the call to Washington’s front office to make an offer?
According to Mike Rodriguez of Univision, several teams are prepared to make offers to the Nationals for Soto. Some of those teams include the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago White Sox.
Juan Soto rumors: Several MLB contenders prepared to make offers to Nationals
Some of those names should not come as a shock, especially both New York teams and the Dodgers. But will they be able to pull off a deal?
ESPN’s Buster Olney did drop a bit of a bombshell the day prior to the All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Olney said that general managers believe that Soto will be traded prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline if he is unable to reach an agreement with the Nationals. In said video, he listed the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers as the two favorites, with the Yankees and Dodgers listed just behind them.
One of the main reasons Soto turned down the contract offer by the Nationals is due to the annual salary not being what he had in mind. After turning it down, Soto flew commercial to Los Angeles for the All-Star festivities after the team would not charter him a plane, and won the Home Run Derby despite arriving early that morning. That comes from his agent Scott Boras, via Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein.
Will one of the teams Rodriguez lists be able to convince the Nationals to trade them Soto? We will know that answer as we head closer to the trade deadline.