Giants would be forced to trade this top prospect for Juan Soto

If the San Francisco Giants want to acquire outfielder Juan Soto, they will reportedly have to trade this prospect.

The baseball world is wondering if outfielder Juan Soto will actually be traded by the Washington Nationals by the Aug. 2 deadline. A 15-year, $440 million offer was declined by Soto, and it has reportedly given the Nationals motivation to listen to trade offers from interested teams.

One of the seven teams who have reportedly had trade discussions with the Nationals was the San Francisco Giants. But what would it take for Washington to agree to a trade?

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Nationals would want prospect pitcher Kyle Harrison in any deal that would send Soto to the Giants.

Nationals would want Kyle Harrison from Giants in Juan Soto trade

Harrison is San Francisco’s second-ranked prospect in the entire farm system and 25th in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. The team selected him in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft.

This season, Harrison split time between San Francisco’s High-A and Double-A affiliates. In seven High-A Eugene appearances, the left-hander recorded a 1.55 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, 59 strikeouts, and 10 walks in 29.0 innings. With Double-A Richmond, Harrison posted a 2.98 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, 69 strikeouts and 23 walks over 45.1 innings.

On July 23, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on MLB on FOX that the Nationals are looking for a return of four-to-five young players, which is a combination of prospects and major leaguers with low service time, in exchange for Soto. So this report of the Nationals wanting Harrison fits the bill.

Even if the Nationals opt against trading Soto at the deadline, the team can revisit during the offseason, as he does not become an unrestricted free agent until the conclusion of the 2024 campaign.