After declining a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Washington Nationals, star outfielder Juan Soto is one of the top available players currently on the Major League Baseball trade market ahead of the league’s Aug. 2 trade deadline.
While most title-contending teams across the league will likely be interested in trading for the All-Star, two teams, in particular, have emerged as the most likely candidates to land Soto ahead of the trade deadline, according to ESPN’s baseball insider Buster Olney.
On Thursday’s edition of ESPN’s Get Up, Olney singled out the San Diego Padres and the Toronto Blue Jays as the most likely contenders to trade for Soto.
“The expectation of rival executives is the Nationals are going to trade Soto,” Olney said. “The two most, I think, invested teams in this chase might turn out to be the San Diego Padres, who are a win-now team. How much fun would (Fernando) Tatís (Jr.) and Soto and (Manny) Machado be in their lineup? And the Toronto Blue Jays, who desperately need a left-handed hitter in the middle of that very right-handed lineup.”
The New York Mets reportedly also have a strong interest in trading for Soto, but according to MLB Insider Jon Heyman, the Mets are not a frontrunner to land Soto.
“The Mets, not too likely, in the same division, Heyman said. “They don’t want to see Soto there for at least another two-and-a-half years, and with Steve Cohen there probably another 15 years. I don’t think they’re too likely.”
Wherever Soto does end up, it will undeniably be one of the biggest moves in baseball this trade deadline.
[ESPN, NESN, Jon Heyman]
