Juan Soto trade rumors: What a Mets-Nationals deal would look like

What would it take for the rival New York Mets to make the Washington Nationals comfortable to give them star outfielder Juan Soto.

The Washington Nationals have an issue on their hands, as star outfielder Juan Soto reportedly turned down a 15-year,  $440 million contract offer. Now, the team is listening to trade offers from teams interested in acquiring him.

It would have to take a lot for the Nationals to willingly part ways with Soto at this year’s trade deadline, considering he is not an unrestricted free agent until the end of the 2024 season. What would it take for a division rival to acquire Soto? We’re specifically referring to the New York Mets.

What a Mets-Nationals trade could look like for Juan Soto

Trading with a division rival is always going to be tough. No team wants to do it, but they would have to surrender a lot, and perhaps do a favor as well. What if the Mets took on the contract of prized 2018 free agent signing Patrick Corbin’s contract as a way to sweeten the deal?

The return would still have to be steep for the Nationals to give up. But what exactly would a deal look like? With a little help from Baseball Trade Values, here is the deal that would be equal value for both teams.

In all likelihood, the Mets will have to part ways with at least three of their top five prospects. Yes Mets fans, that includes catcher Francisco Alvarez. He is the top prospect in the pipeline and carries the most value.

Joining Alvarez would be No. 2 prospect and third baseman/outfielder Brett Baty and No. 4 prospect and outfielder Alex Ramirez. Hey, the Nationals are surrendering a generational outfielder, the Mets have to help them fill the void.

Considering they are taking on the contract of Corbin, the Mets won’t have to part ways with other top five prospects such as Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos. Im this deal, they can instead send Washington pitchers Dominic Hamel (No. 9 prospect) and Calvin Ziegler (No. 11 prospect).

Again, the Mets acquiring Soto from the Nationals is not going to be an easy task. Perhaps their best chance of landing him is if he hits free agency at the conclusion of the 2024 season. But, they should try to land him in a trade so they can get an advantage in contract negotiations.