The idea of the New York Mets trading for two-time All-Star Juan Soto had some cold water poured on it Thursday afternoon.
Andy Martino of SNY reports that "multiple high-ranking officials with direct knowledge of the situation believe it an extreme longshot that Soto lands in Queens."
The Mets -- per Bob Nightengale of USA Today -- are one of the seven teams that have reached out to the Washington Nationals to show interest in Soto, joining the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.
Martino suggests that Steve Cohen and the Mets may prefer to spread their ample resources around on multiple players -- Jacob deGrom, Edwin Díaz, Brandon Nimmo and Taijuan Walker can all become free agents this offseason -- rather than adding another megadeal on top of the already existing ones with Francisco Lindor and Max Scherzer.
Soto, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, rejected a 15-year/$440 million deal, so he's clearly seeking a record-setting deal, and will do very well in arbitration in the meantime. Additionally, Martino confirms the report that the Nationals would like to move Patrick Corbin with Soto, unloading the $59 million he's due over the next two seasons.
On top of the Mets potentially having a different plan in terms of their roster building, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo understandably would prefer to move Soto out of the National League East, Martino writes. Bryce Harper signed a 13-year/$330 million deal to join the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019. Scherzer returned to the NL East on a three-year/$130 million deal with the Mets this past offseason. There have already been whispers about Trea Turner potentially being a target of the Phillies in free agency this upcoming offseason. Rizzo has control of Soto's immediate future, and if it's not going to be with the Nationals, the least he could do for the team's fans is make sure he doesn't become the latest franchise icon to suit up for a division rival.
Even with the presence of Keibert Ruiz, if the Mets were willing to trade catcher Francisco Álvarez -- the No. 2 prospect in baseball -- the Nationals would have to consider trading Soto within their division. As things stand right now, though, the Mets don't seem to be the most likely destination for Soto.
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