The MLB Trade Deadline is coming up fast and the Juan Soto trade talks continue to heat up. The 23-year-old superstar is the biggest name on the trade market in quite some time and the Washington Nationals are fielding offers for the outfielder.
MLB insider Jon Heyman discussed the Soto trade rumors and listed a few likely landing spots on Audacy’s Big Time Baseball podcast with Chris Decker.
“I think Cardinals, Padres, probably the Dodgers are probably the more likely candidates to land Soto,” Heyman said (8:30 in player above).
“The Mariners a possibility as well. I know the Yankees are going to be trying to get Soto, I’m not sure they have the right prospect mix. And of course the Mets in that same division, to me they’re a longshot at this point. But I see San Diego doing what it can. And San Diego does have the prospects.”
The Padres already have Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, adding Soto would give them a three-headed monster. And they have the prospects to get a deal done, Heyman said, listing off MacKenzie Gore, James Wood, and C.J. Abrams among their high-end prospects.
“I do think there’s a decent chance of that happening,” Heyman said of the Padres trading for Soto. “They were the first team that I thought of and wrote about when this became a possibility that Juan Soto was out there on the market. Obviously, (Padres general manager) A.J. Preller is aggressive.”
Preller identified Soto early on as an amateur player. “He loves Soto,” Heyman said. “He’s certainly going to give it a shot.”
“It may come down to San Diego’s higher-end guys versus St. Louis’ sure-things,” Heyman continued. He noted Dylan Carlson, Harrison Bader, and Nolan Gorman as three players that have already reached the majors, along with top prospects Masyn Wynn and Jordan Walker.
Heyman did note that there could be a small holdup in the market due to the Soto saga. The Padres, Dodgers, and Mets may be holding out hope for Soto before going after a guy like Josh Bell or Trey Mancini.
Nevertheless, the Nationals are rightfully asking for a huge return for Soto -- and they'll get it.
“I think it’s gonna be four or five top prospects or good young players at the major-league level. I don’t begrudge them asking anything,” Heyman said. “They should ask for a ton. There aren’t these type of players who are traded… I do think someone’s gonna pay the piper, pay four or five big-time young players for this guy, who is one of the best players in the game.”
“Right now, I’d say Soto, it’s probably more likely than not he gets traded, no guarantee” Heyman concluded.
Related
