The trade winds are swirling around Juan Soto as it remains unclear whether the Nationals will acquire the superstar outfielder before Tuesday’s trade deadline at 5:00 PM CT. The market continues to change on an hourly basis based on other trades and certainly based on countless private discussions happening between front office executives around baseball, and yet Soto (MLBTR’s top offseason trade candidate) looms large above all. Of course, some clubs will want to explore all options for acquiring Soto, but waiting too long could leave the team empty-handed for other trade options if Soto goes elsewhere.
The Padres are considered one of the top contenders to land Soto and are apparently willing to give up the huge package of prospects it would take to get Washington’s attention. According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Padres are “willing to discuss” names like CJ Abrams, Robert Hassell III and Adrian Morejon with the Nationals. All three are or have been staples on top prospect lists over the past few years, though Morejon has “graduated” most prospect lists due to his MLB experience, and MLB Pipeline also removed Abrams from its list due to his 43 majors league matches played earlier this season.
With the Nationals known to target younger, controllable players either already in the majors or on the cusp of their big league debuts, the Padres’ trio looks to check those boxes. That said, it’s very likely the Nats will want even more from the top tier of San Diego’s farm system (or the active roster) to part with Soto, and the Padres may have to raise their offer to outbid other suitors.
For example, the Cardinals also have a stockpile of young talent and have also been mentioned as one of the favorites to land Soto. Dylan Carlson has been a name on Washington’s radar since Derrick Gould of St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Nats “love” the outfielder.
Karlsson is only 23 and has already made a mark on the Show, providing above-average performance at the plate and strong defense (both as a center fielder and right fielder). The Nationals may look to Karlsson as the next cornerstone in the outfield, as the team will now be pretty confident that he can contribute right away, while players like Abrams, Hassell or Moreyon are yet to be proven at the MLB level.
On paper, it looks like the Cardinals would have the depth to move Karlsson as part of a Soto deal, but that would leave the Cards without a reliable center fielder. Harrison Bader is still on the 10-day disabled list with plantar fasciitis, and a setback would extend his absence at least a couple more weeks, manager Oliver Marmol told Gould and other reporters. Bader won’t even come out of a safety righty boot for another week or two, so while Karlsson successfully fills the middle, St. Louis may also have to turn around to bring in a center fielder in another deal if Karlsson is moved. A makeshift combination of Lars Nutbaar and Tommy Edman in the center, for example, would not be an ideal option for a future contender.
As mentioned, other trades could dramatically change the situation for multiple teams, and it appears that two other potential candidates for Soto are no longer involved. The Rays would have been something of an eyebrow-raising team if they had landed Soto, but the Nationals’ demands were “out of their tolerance,” Joel Sherman of The New York Post wrote. Thus, the Rays avoided the blockbuster route and instead picked up David Peralta from the Diamondbacks earlier today. Yesterday’s acquisition of Luis Castillo also appears to take the Mariners out of the running for Soto, as Seattle gave away a significant chunk of their prospect capital to get Castillo from the Reds.
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