Juan Soto is a player that all teams should be interested in acquiring. Here is what the Washington Nationals could get from the NL Central teams.
The 2022 MLB trade deadline is headlined by the Washington Nationals and outfielder Juan Soto. Despite the fact that Soto is under contract until the end of the 2024 season, the two sides convened for a discussion about an extension. After being offered a 15-year deal worth a total of $440 million, Soto declined. Now, the Nationals are open to trading him, possibly by the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
Acquiring Soto will not be easy, as the Nationals have a high asking price, and understandably so. They want the best return they can get for trading away one of the league’s bright young stars. Now, there is a bit more clarity of their asking price.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on July 23 that the Nationals are looking for four-to-five young players, which is a combination of top prospects and major leaguers with low service time, in a Soto trade. If the demands are not met, Rosenthal notes that the Nationals will move onto the next team.
Given that Soto is only 23 years old and a face of a franchise, any and all teams should be interested in him. That includes those who are out of postseason contention.
If Washington wants to move on from Soto by the Aug. 2 deadline, here are the best packages they can get from an NL Central teams.
Juan Soto rumors: Milwaukee Brewers best trade package
Let’s start off with the Milwaukee Brewers. They are in contention to compete for the NL Central title this season, and would continue to do so for the foreseeable future if they were to acquire Soto.
Milwaukee entered the season with the 25th-ranked farm system by MLB.com. With that, they will have to surrender five of their top prospects. Their top three prospects are outfielders Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, and Joey Weimer. While not exactly ideal to get players of the same position, the Nationals can always move some in future deals once they are out of their rebuild.
The Brewers can also add middle infielder Brice Turang and catcher Jeferson Quero to sweeten the deal.
Juan Soto rumors: Cincinnati Reds best trade package
Stop laughing. Seriously, stop laughing.
The Cincinnati Reds indicated that they were far from devoted to compete this season. Their main departures were trading Jesse Winker to the Seattle Mariners and allowing Nicholas Castellanos to enter free agency, where he ultimately signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. At this trade deadline, they are likely to deal pitcher Luis Castillo and potentially Tyler Mahle.
But what if they decide they want to use their funds on signing Juan Soto to a record-breaking deal? Again, stop laughing.
If the Reds were actually thinking about pulling off a trade for the Reds, they would have to part ways with their top prospects in the farm. So, that includes Nick Lodolo, Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, and Brandon Williamson, all of whom rank as Top 75 prospects by MLB Pipeline.
Juan Soto rumors: Pittsburgh Pirates best trade package
The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent time building up their farm system, and they are already over halfway to their 2021 win total of 61. They do have the depth in the pipeline to make a potential big splash move for Soto, but it will not be cheap.
They have the prospects to offer in catcher Henry Davis, second baseman Nick Gonzales and right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester. While that is a strong offer, it is hard to envision the Nationals not asking for 23-year-old shortstop Oneil Cruz.
This is not to say the Pirates will actually consider trading Cruz, but they may have to if they want Soto badly enough.
Juan Soto rumors: Chicago Cubs best trade package
The Chicago Cubs embraced the rebuild last year at the trade deadline. After contending for the NL Central early in the 2021 campaign, they underwent a lengthy losing streak. That allowed Jed Hoyer to move on from franchise cornerstones in Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Kris Bryant at the deadline.
Even though they have prioritized building their farm system, what if the Cubs decided “hey, Soto is on the trade block, let’s make an offer?” What exactly would it look like. Well, they would have to part ways with their top four prospects. Brennan Davis is the 28th-ranked prospect in baseball and could fill the void left by Soto in Washington’s outfield.
Joining him would be the Cristian Hernandez, who could fill a spot on the left side of the infield. Also included will have to be outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kevin Alcantara, who arrived in Chicago last year in the Baez and Bryant trades, respectively.
Juan Soto rumors: St. Louis Cardinals best trade package
The St. Louis Cardinals have the star power to make a run to the postseason once again this year. Luckily for them, they also have a solid farm system that can help them makes trades for star players to truly put them over the edge.
For Soto, they would have to part ways with their top prospect in third baseman Jordan Walker, who is ranked seventh in all of baseball. It would be hard for the Cardinals to part ways with him, but let’s not forget that the third base position is currently occupied by Nolan Arenado.
Another player that Washington will no doubt want is Nolan Gorman, who was called up this season to occupy the second base position. Then there is left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore, who came over from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Randy Arozarena deal. Finally, throw in catcher Ivan Herrera to give Washington’s farm system some depth at all positions.
It’s a steep price to pay for the Cardinals, but if they want Soto, it is what they will likely have to do. After all, the Nationals won’t budge on their asking price.