With less than a week until the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 2, all eyes continue to be on the Washington Nationals as they consider offers for Juan Soto after he declined a 15-year, $440 million contract extension.
Given that Soto is only 23 and still under team control through the 2024 season, the Nationals are said to be seeking a historic haul for their superstar outfielder. A recent report indicated the club is looking for a trade package that includes four to five young and talented players.
Some around baseball have wondered whether the Nationals would be willing to come down on their asking price if a team agrees to absorb Patrick Corbin’s contract, who still has two years remaining on the six-year deal he signed after the 2018 season. Stephen Strasburg has been speculated as another possibility.
Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo shot down that possibility during a recent interview with 106.7 the Fan, stating the team would not lower Soto’s value by trading him with a bad contract:
“We’ve never contacted a team and talked about Juan Soto and attaching any contract to any player. We’re not going to dilute a return for any player by adding a bad contract. That’s not where we’re at in our organization at this time. We want to get the most for each and every trade that we do. So we’re certainly not going to tack on anyone’s contract to anybody’s deal, including Juan Soto or Josh Bell or anybody’s.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and New York Yankees have been among the teams connected to a potential Soto trade over the past week.
The Padres are viewed as the frontrunner to trade for the generational talent, while there have been reports the Mets and Yankees are against parting with the necessary prospects in a deal.
Trea Turner: Juan Soto learning ‘business side’
The Nationals have a history of making blockbuster trades, as just last summer, the team dealt Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers for a package of prospects.
Turner, who not too long ago was in the same position, believes Soto is learning MLB has a business component to it.
Are you following Dodger Blue on Instagram? It’s the best way to see exclusive coverage from games and events, get your questions answered, and more!
