With the All-Star break upon us, reports have surfaced that after rejecting the Nationals’ latest extension offer for Juan Soto — reportedly worth $440 million — that Washington may be willing to deals with his prized star outfielder, and with that, hell begins.
Now, the first thing to note is that this doesn’t mean the Nationals will actually trade Soto by the deadline. However, this is the first report that the organization would be open to the idea of trading him if their offer falls through.
From an idealistic standpoint, virtually every organization should get on the phone and check out one of the top five talents in the game — a guy who has amassed 21 career WAR at just 23 years old and will benefit in free agency only in 2024 -25 off-season. But understanding the nuances of the sport, the Yankees may be one of the few teams properly positioned to handle a superstar like Juan Soto.
The Yankees’ farm system also has the depth to consider the move. The minor league talent pool is currently led by Anthony Volpe, one of the best prospects in the game, and he’s pretty much part of that hypothetical package for Soto. Volpe represents just a tiny bit of the depth that an organization like the Nationals sorely lacks right now.
While Soto’s future contract will be record-breaking, his 2022 salary won’t break the bank for the Yankees, as he’s due to make $17.1 million this year. Although the organization already has payroll above the luxury tax, it could try to shed Joey Gallo’s contract before the end of the year.
It’s hard to determine what kind of package would be enough to acquire Soto. This situation doesn’t have much precedent beyond the Miguel Cabrera trade, in which the Marlins picked up two of the top ten prospects in all of baseball (Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin) and four other young players from the Tigers’ organization in exchange for the 24-year-old future member of the Hall of Famer and contract dump Dontrell Willis. It was also 2007, when front offices in sports in general were very different. All reports indicate that the Nationals would likely have to be overwhelmed to consider accepting an offer right now (the offseason seems more likely). But working under the assumption that they do trade him, the Yankees have one of the best chances to acquire him.
The Yankees’ biggest opponent right now, and the likely team to get a second bye in the American League, is the Houston Astros. In this recent run, the Astros have been pretty aggressive in acquiring talent for a playoff run, from the Justin Verlander days through the Zack Greinke trade.
However, the Astros’ system is not the same as it was in the past. Despite the emergence of Hunter Brown as one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in the game, the Astros don’t really have the farm system to make a realistic matchup against Juan Soto, and while the desire organizationally may be there, the fit just isn’t .
One can almost rule out the AL Central as things stand right now, and as far as the Boston Red Sox go, it’s a bit of the opposite of the Houston Astros. The Red Sox farm system was properly overhauled after their 2018 championship season, with the likes of Triston Casas, Brian Bello and 2021 No. 4 pick Marcelo Meyer flourishing.
However, even looking past Xander Bogaert’s impending free agency and the need to re-sign Rafael Devers, the Red Sox have a number of tough decisions to make. And just focusing on the production black hole that is Boston right field right now, the Red Sox haven’t shown the organizational aggressiveness to make this type of move. Remember, this is the same regime that failed to come to an agreement with Mookie Betts and dealt him a year before free agency. While it’s possible, it’s unrealistic to expect them to move to Soto with an eye on an extension.
The Blue Jays may have the least likely chances of the bunch, given Alejandro Kirk’s first half in the All-Star Game and some desire to move Gabriel Moreno in combination with other intriguing names on the farm, but even that move seems unlikely.
It takes a very specific set of requirements to pursue Juan Soto, and the Yankees meet those requirements better than any other team in the American League. What this pursuit would mean for Aaron Judge’s upcoming free agency is unknown; however, this raises two different points. First and foremost, trading Soto does not and should not change the team’s stance on bringing back Judge. Soto’s free agency will come after the 2024 season, and by then the Yankees will have some players coming off the books.
Second, if nothing else, this trade would give the Yankees some insurance in case Judge ends up with another team for some reason. Even if the Yankees make every effort to bring him back, that’s a reality one has to acknowledge with any impending free agent.
Soto is the kind of all-world player that a star-studded team like the Yankees should never shy away from. As much as they love their prospects, Soto’s combination of youth and talent makes him a unicorn in this sport. It won’t be easy by any means to land the winning bid to pry Soto away from the Nationals, but if Washington is even remotely interested in the possibilities of the Yankees’ farm system, then Brian Cashman should be on the phone non-stop for Soto, essentially offering anything and everything.
Add Comment