It’s been a wild last few days of news circulating about Juan Soto.
It all started with the Washington Nationals superstar reportedly declining a mammoth $440 million offer from the team over 15 years.
Amid the trade rumors, Soto managed to win the home run derby on Monday that featured two-time consecutive champ Pete Alonso of the New York Mets.
And now rumors are starting to pick back up – with the Mets one of the interested in parties.
Others believed to be interested include the San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees, according to ESPN insider Jeff Passan.
To get him now, teams will have to part with a ton of assets.
Soto is only 23 and has two and a half years of team control before he’s able to hit the free agency market.
While it’s not guaranteed he will be moved ahead of the August 2 trade deadline, it would create sense to trade him now if there’s no chance of re-signing him.
The Nationals are dead-last in their division and are likely far away from returning to contention.
So now could be a good time to cash in.
What a deal could look like
Live on SportsNet New York (SNY), contributor Anthony McCarron laid out the framework of what a trade could look like between the Mets and the Nationals.
According to the proposal, the Mets would be sending two roster players including second base all-star Jeff McNeil.
Additionally, the Mets would have to part ways with three-to-four of their top five prospects including number one ranked Francisco Álvarez.
While it’s unclear if the Nationals would be willing to do business with their National League East rivals, the Mets would likely have to pay a premium when compared to teams outside of the division.
That’s the price tag of having to watch a superstar torment your former team for potentially the next decade and a half.
But the good news for the Nationals is it does not have to make a decision now and can hold onto him past the deadline and deal with it later if no offers are appetizing enough.
It remains to be seen how aggressive teams will get and if he will wear a new uniform come just two weeks for now.
