5:16PM: The Nationals need “4 to 5 high younger gamers” for Soto, Ken Rosenthal mentioned throughout a FOX Sports interview at the moment. This “monstrous ask” consists of star prospects and/or gamers who’ve solely lately made their MLB debuts, and thus are underneath management for a number of years. Given the dimensions of this anticipated commerce bundle, “at this level….it’s probably not a negotiation. The Nationals are saying ’both you categorical a willingness to satisfy our worth, or we simply go to the following membership,’ ” Rosenthal mentioned.
For example, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reviews that if the Giants had been to bid for Soto, the Nats would need left-handed pitching prospect Kyle Harrison again as a part of the return. Harrison was the Giants’ third-round choose within the 2020 draft, and his nice 2022 numbers have elevated him in midseason prospect rankings — Baseball America has Harrison rated twenty second on their newest listing of baseball’s high 100 minor leaguers, whereas MLB Pipeline has him twenty fifth.
11:20AM: The opportunity of a Juan Soto commerce has dominated MLB headlines for the previous week, however the Nationals haven’t been impressed with the provides they’ve seen to this point, per the Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli. Discovering an appropriate commerce bundle for a well-decorated 23-year-old celebrity is difficult sufficient, however the Nationals’ possession scenario provides one other confounding wrinkle.
With present house owners, the Lerner household, trying more and more more likely to promote the membership, the needs of any new potential proprietor must be thought of in any Soto deal, as effectively. Based on Jon Heyman of the New York Post, some potential consumers would favor to have Soto on the roster. On condition that Soto is by far the Nats’ finest baseball asset, it’s not stunning {that a} new possession group would need him within the group.
It’s arduous to think about that the membership could be extra engaging to potential consumers with out Soto on the roster. There may be the potential of a brand new possession group preferring a clear slate whereas letting the Lerners take the general public relations hit that can include dealing the staff’s hottest star. Nonetheless, regardless of all of the commerce hubbub, it will in no way be stunning to see Soto nonetheless on the payroll when the Lerners discover a purchaser. A brand new proprietor would nonetheless be capable of commerce Soto with two full years of staff management remaining, even when that sale doesn’t occur till the offseason.
As long as the potential of a deal stays viable, groups will proceed to test in with Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo. The Yankees are Mets are two of the foremost contenders for Soto. The Yankees are the extra doubtless vacation spot, nevertheless, given the Nats’ comprehensible reticence to deal Soto to a division contender, notes Andy Martino of sny.tv. The Nationals already must reside with former stars Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer in the identical division. Nationals followers will surely not be thrilled to face off with Harper and Soto inside the division for the following decade. The Mets can’t be crossed off the listing, however they need to be counted as long-shots for now.
