MLB rumors: Yankees, Mets start battle of New York over Juan Soto

According to one baseball insider, both the New York Yankees and New York Mets are going to be battling it out for the services of Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto.

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto has reportedly rejected a 15-year, $440 million extension with the team, making it much more likely that the Nats trade him to a different team, either before the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline or the upcoming offseason. Two teams that are going to battle it out for Soto are going to be the New York Yankees and New York Mets, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post. 

Seemingly, the New York Yankees and the New York Mets are both going to battle each other to try to trade for Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto, according to baseball insider Jon Heyman.

Juan Soto rumors: The Yankees and Mets are going to try to trade for Juan Soto

Heyman says that the speculation is that the Nats would “request a team’s top four prospects and/or young major leaguers and perhaps a willingness to take Patrick Corbin’s bloated contract.”

If that is the case, the Yankees would likely have the early upper hand on the Mets. The Yankees have five prospects in MLB.com’s Top 100 rankings, including three in the top 40. The Mets only have four prospects in the top 100 and only two in the top 50.

Also, if he is traded at the trade deadline this year, the acquiring team would have 2+ years of control with him. The Nationals probably wouldn’t want Soto to be in their division for the next two years, as he would with the Mets so that is another point in favor of the Yankees.

Soto, 23, is hitting .250/.406/.490 with an OPS+ of 160 in 90 games this season. The 2022 All-Star and Home Run Derby participant has 19 home runs, 42 RBI, leads the majors in walks with 79, and has 17 doubles. He has been in the top 10 in NL MVP voting in each of the last three seasons, including a second place last season, despite being on a team that lost 97 games.