Juan Soto rumors: Best, most absurd trade packages for every NL East team
By Tim Boyle
Juan Soto rumors are topping the charts this week in baseball and this is what it would take for each National League East team to land him.
The Juan Soto rumors are flowing like champagne on New Year’s Eve. For baseball fans, the next few days could feel like the end-of-the-year holiday. The MLB trade deadline will be what everyone is talking about regardless of where your favorite team is in the standings.
No topic is hotter than the Juan Soto rumors. Where will the Washington Nationals superstar land? Could he possibly stay in the National League East?
As unlikely as some teams within the division are to acquire him, everyone has their best trade package to land him. What will it take for the other four clubs in the NL East to land Soto?
Juan Soto rumors: The best trade package from the Atlanta Braves
What is it that the Atlanta Braves would have to give up for Juan Soto? Let’s put together a nice big package to bring him to Atlanta.
The full trade would not only include Juan Soto and Patrick Corbin going to Atlanta but end up with Kyle Muller, Bryce, Elder, Vaughn Grissom, Jesse Franklin, William Contreras, and Ian Anderson all heading to the Nationals.
In this trade, the Braves give up their number one (Kyle Muller), two (Bryce Elder), four (Vaugh Grissom), and eight (Jesse Franklin) prospects along with 2022 All-Star William Contreras and starting pitcher Ian Anderson. It’s quite a haul for the Nationals who gain two minor league pitchers, a future shortstop, and two guys they can immediately build with on the big league roster.
None of the Braves prospects are considered top 100 guys but Contreras and Anderson are two young players that should entice the Nationals. They are young enough to fall into a similar class as some of the best prospects in baseball.
And because the Nationals aren’t getting any top 100 guys, the Braves have to take on Patrick Corbin’s contract.
The Braves can replace Contreras with a more defensive-focused catcher to go behind Travis d’Arnaud. They should already be in the market to upgrade over Anderson for this season so they’d solve that hole in a separate trade.
The Braves outfield would become some combination of Soto, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Michael Harris. It’ll be hard to find a better young trio in the game.
If that return seems like a lot, keep in mind the Nats would be dealing Soto in the division, to a team that will dominate them for years to come. Now does it make more sense?