The toothpaste might be out of the tube with respect to Juan Soto and the Washington Nationals.
Soto and the Nats have engaged in contract negotiations, but thus far Washington has been unable to present an offer that the megastar is willing to sign. He’s under team control through the 2024 season, however his rejection of a 15-year, $440 million offer kicked off rumors that the Nationals would listen on trade offers for him.
That doesn’t necessarily mean a trade is imminent. After all, the Aug. 2 trade deadline is about two weeks away, and trading for stars tends to be complicated transactions. But whether it’s this month, next, or some other point in the future, The Athletic’s MLB insider, Ken Rosenthal, said he thinks a trade is happening.
“I do (think he’ll be traded) because, generally speaking, once these things get started they’re hard to stop," Rosenthal said on "The Athletic Baseball Show". "Now, it’s possible the Nationals don’t get an offer they want and ultimately decide not to trade Juan Soto at this juncture. But as Britt Ghiroli wrote on Sunday, they’re going to trade him. It’s inevitable now. And if it’s not at this deadline, it’s during the offseason or next deadline. It’s going to happen, even though they have this year and two more years left.”
The Nationals’ situation at this point is beginning to look a whole lot like what the Boston Red Sox went through with Mookie Betts. Although the Red Sox made attempts to sign Betts, they ultimately traded him to the Dodgers so that they wouldn’t lose him for nothing.
The sooner the Nats move Soto, the better the return likely will be. They might not move him in the next two weeks, but only two outcomes will put a stop to all the chatter: an extension or a trade.
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