As the trade deadline is approaching, teams striving to make the postseason will be hungry to buy, and teams heading towards mediocrity or a rebuild will be looking to sell. With that in mind, one player that should be a hot commodity is outfielder Juan Soto. As you probably know, Soto turned down a 15-year $440 million extension from the Nationals which is why there are even rumblings that Soto could be on the move. If the Nationals and Soto aren’t able to agree to anything long-term quickly, there is no better time to trade him as the Nationals are absolutely horrible and Soto’s 2.5 years left of team controllable are extremely valuable. With all of this in mind, here are four teams that should be interested in Soto along with mock trades.
St. Louis Cardinals
If the St. Louis Cardinals decide they want to trade for Juan Soto, he could easily be theirs. With a loaded farm system and numerous young big leaguers, they are probably the most equipped team to have an elite Major League team while retaining a good farm system. By adding Juan Soto to an already loaded lineup, the Cardinals would pose a huge threat to the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Central crown and could solidify themselves as one of the favorites to win the World Series.
| 1. | Tommy Edman SS |
| 2. | Juan Soto RF |
| 3. | Paul Goldschmidt 1B |
| 4. | Nolan Arenado 3B |
| 5. | Tyler O’Neill LF |
| 6. | Nolan Gorman 2B |
| 7. | Juan Yepez DH |
| 8. | Harrison Bader CF |
| 9. | Yadier Molina C |
Mock trade:
Cardinals receive: Juan Soto, Patrick Corbin
Nationals receive: Dylan Carlson, Brendan Donovan, Jordan Walker, Gordon Graceffo
Package details:
- Dylan Carlson (OF) (Former top prospect in the organization, former top 15 overall prospect, 60 FV, .255/.328/.421 (107 wRC+) and 4.5 fWAR in first 262 MLB games, team controlled through 2026)
- Brendan Donovan (UTL) (7th best prospect in the organization entering 2022 via FanGraphs, 45 FV, .280/.393/.378 (128 wRC+) and 1.2 fWAR in 72 MLB games, team controlled through 2027)
- Jordan Walker (3B) (Best prospect in the organization via MLB.com and FanGraphs, 7th overall prospect via MLB.com, 8th overall prospect via FanGraphs, 60 FV)
- Gordon Graceffo (5th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com and FanGraphs, 100th overall prospect via MLB.com, 98th overall prospect via FanGraphs, 50 FV)
San Diego Padres
During his tenure as the Padres’ general manager, A.J. Preller has shown that he is one of the most active executives when it comes to wheeling and dealing players. Even though they’ve been without Fernando Tatis Jr. for the entire season, the Padres are currently settled into the second NL Wild Card spot. Once Tatis returns from injury and if they add Soto, the Padres could have the best lineup in the National League to go with their already brilliant starting rotation.
| 1. | Jurickson Profar LF |
| 2. | Juan Soto RF |
| 3. | Fernando Tatis Jr. SS |
| 4. | Manny Machado 3B |
| 5. | Jake Cronenworth 2B |
| 6. | Luke Voit DH |
| 7. | Eric Hosmer 1B |
| 8. | Wil Myers CF |
| 9. | Austin Nola C |
Mock trade:
Padres receive: Juan Soto
Nationals receive: Trent Grisham, MacKenzie Gore, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III, James Wood, Jackson Merrill
Package details:
- Trent Grisham (OF) (.229/.322/.401 (100 wRC+), 18 OAA, 5.8 fWAR, 2.6 fWAR/150 in 336 MLB games, team controlled through 2025)
- MacKenzie Gore (LHP) (4th best prospect in the organization entering 2022 via FanGraphs, 77th overall prospect entering 2022 via FanGraphs, 50 FV, 4.50 ERA/4.13 FIP/4.42 xFIP in 70.0 MLB innings)
- C.J. Abrams (SS) (best prospect in the organization entering 2022 via FanGraphs, 14th overall prospect entering 2022 via FanGraphs, 60 FV, .231/.280/.322 (74 wRC+), -0.1 fWAR in 43 MLB games)
- Robert Hassell III (OF) (best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 3rd best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 23rd overall prospect via MLB.com, 43rd overall prospect via FanGraphs, 50 FV)
- James Wood (OF) (3rd best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 4th best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 90th overall prospect via MLB.com, 69th overall prospect via FanGraphs, 50 FV)
- Jackson Merrill (SS) (4th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 6th best prospect in the organization, 45 FV)
New York Yankees
Up to this point in the season, the Yankees have been the best team in baseball. Their pitching staff has been absolutely fantastic and their lineup has been even better. DJ LeMahieu has returned to 2019-2020 form, Anthony Rizzo is having his best offensive season since 2019, Matt Carpenter has turned into Barry Bonds, and most importantly Aaron Judge is looking like he should be the AL MVP. Imagine adding Juan Soto to that already ridiculous lineup. The chase for 28 is already on, but adding Soto would cement the Yankees as the clear World Series favorites.
| 1. | DJ LeMahieu 2B |
| 2. | Juan Soto RF |
| 3. | Aaron Judge CF |
| 4. | Anthony Rizzo 1B |
| 5. | Giancarlo Stanton LF |
| 6. | Matt Carpenter DH |
| 7. | Josh Donaldson 3B |
| 8. | Jose Trevino C |
| 9. | Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS |
Mock trade:
Yankees receive: Juan Soto, Patrick Corbin
Nationals receive: Gleyber Torres, Nestor Cortes Jr., Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez, Ken Waldichuk
Package details:
- Gleyber Torres (2B) (.268,.335/.460 (115 wRC+), 9.4 fWAR, 2.7 fWAR/150 in 521 MLB games, team controlled through 2024)
- Nestor Cortes Jr. (LHP) (2.68 ERA, 3.59 FIP, 3.90 xFIP, 3.8 fWAR in 194.2 innings since 2021, team controlled through 2025)
- Anthony Volpe (SS) (Best prospect in the organization via MLB.com and FanGraphs, 8th overall prospect via MLB.com, 27th overall prospect via FanGraphs, 55 FV)
- Jasson Dominguez (OF) (3rd best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 5th best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 39th overall prospect via MLB.com, 70th overall prospect via FanGraphs, 50 FV)
- Ken Waldichuk (LHP) (5th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com, 3rd best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs, 72nd overall prospect via MLB.com, 37th overall prospect via FanGraphs, 50 FV)
Los Angeles Dodgers
Year in and year out, the Los Angeles Dodgers always seem to be a powerhouse. Through their great player development, (mostly) good trading, and being in a big market, the Dodgers have seemingly unlimited talent throughout their organization. Like the Cardinals, the Dodgers will have an elite Major League team while retaining a good farm system if they were to acquire Juan Soto. By trading for Soto, the Dodgers would better position themselves to win their second World Series in the last three years.
| 1. | Mookie Betts RF |
| 2. | Juan Soto LF |
| 3. | Trea Turner SS |
| 4. | Freddie Freeman 1B |
| 5. | Will Smith C |
| 6. | Max Muncy DH |
| 7. | Justin Turner 3B |
| 8. | Cody Bellinger CF |
| 9. | Chris Taylor 2B |
Mock trade:
Dodgers receive: Juan Soto, Patrick Corbin
Nationals receive: Gavin Lux, Dustin May, Bobby Miller, Andy Pages
Package details:
- Gavin Lux (UTL) (best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs entering 2020, 2nd overall prospect entering 2020 via FanGraphs, .298/.375/.425 (130 wRC+), 2.6 fWAR in 87 games this season)
- Dustin May (RHP) (2nd best prospect in the organization via FanGraphs entering 2020, 13th overall prospect entering 2020 via FanGraphs, 2.93 ERA/3.83 FIP/3.45 xFIP in 113.2 MLB innings)
- Bobby Miller (RHP) (2nd best prospect in the organization via MLB.com and FanGraphs, 26th overall prospect via MLB.com, 47th overall prospect via FanGraphs, 50 FV)
- Andy Pages (OF) (4th best prospect in the organization via MLB.com and FanGraphs, 47th overall prospect via MLB.com, 77th overall prospect via FanGraphs, 50 FV)
I am a freshman studying magazine, news and digital journalism at the Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications
