Juan Soto's Landing Place

Even though I've been in Oregon ensconced in track & field for the past week, I've still been paying attention to what's going on in baseball.  (For the record, there's no day session today, so that's why I have the time to blog.)  And one of the biggest stories in baseball heading into the All*Star Break was Juan Soto rejecting the Nationals' 15-year, $440 million offer, leading the team to listen to trade offers for the superstar.  And this was before he won the Home Run Derby!

Washington's been in rebuild mode for the past couple seasons, but they were unwilling to part with Soto, instead planning to build around him.  Now that Soto has shown no interest in being a part of that, though, it makes sense that they'll want to at least get something out of it.  And there will be plenty of teams willing to meet Washington's asking price for Soto, so the chances of him still being a National after the trade deadline are slim to none.

What I wonder is if we'll have a situation like Manny Machado to the Dodgers or Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs (or even Scherzer to the Dodgers last year), making the short-term splurge only to see him leave as a free agent after the season.  Or, will Soto and his new team try to figure out the details of a long-term deal right away?  My guess is it'll depend on the team.  Because only a handful of potential landing places will have the money to give Soto the type of deal he's looking for.

Some places also make a lot more sense than others for Juan Soto's services.  It's easy to say he'd be a fit on any team because he's such a dynamic player and an obvious upgrade on whoever they currently have in right field (with a handful of exceptions).  But that's not exactly true.  There are definitely places where he'd fit better than others.  Although, I'm sure every contender will inquire, so the Nationals will have multiple options and will be able to hold out for the best deal.

The two most obvious fits for Soto are both in the AL East.  The Yankees have had a Joey Gallo problem all season.  Soto would be an easy solution.  They obviously have plenty of prospects for the Nationals to choose from, too (Estevan Florial, J.P. Sears, Ron Marinaccio, Anthony Volpe).  However, they likely wouldn't want to part with those guys for a rental, and do they have enough to pay both Soto and Aaron Judge AND stay under the luxury tax threshold?

Toronto's got a pretty solid outfield with Lourdes Gurriel, George Springer and Teoscar Hernandez, but I don't think it's a stretch to see them adding Soto to that mix.  The Blue Jays could easily rotate the DH spot between the four outfielders (or just make Hernandez the primary DH).  I'm not sure they have the type of prospect haul Washington would be looking for, but if they can make it work, Soto makes their lineup that much deeper and that much more dangerous.

It seems highly unlikely that they'll trade him within the division, but if they do, the Mets would be the obvious candidate.  And Steve Cohen has no problem spending money, so you know he'll put a long-term offer on the table.  The Mets have a number of guys who can be slotted anywhere, too, so they can just move around if you put Soto in right field every day (and move Marte over to center).

While this one may seem out of left field (or right field), San Diego needs something if they're gonna hang with the Dodgers.  So, do the Padres pull the trigger?  The only problem is that their outfield is set with Jurickson Profar, Trent Grisham and Wil Myers, but they've also gotten disappointing production from their two first basemen, one of whom is usually the DH (Eric Hosmer and Luke Voit).  Putting Soto in right and Myers at DH solves that problem.

Out of nowhere, Minnesota ended up being the team that signed Carlos Correa after the lockout, so I can see them being a player in the Soto Sweepstakes.  The Twins have a pretty comfortable lead in the AL Central, but definitely need at least one more piece before their inevitable playoff defeat.  They're also one of the few teams that can immediately insert Soto into the middle of the lineup without having to figure out what to do with their current starter.  (Minnesota has no DH at the moment with Miguel Sano on the 60-day IL.)

Going out and getting Juan Soto also sounds like something the Angels would do.  They're working on yet another wasted, playoff-less season with the two best players in the game.  The fact that a lack of pitching is their problem still hasn't gotten through.  So, adding another bat to the lineup and trying to win 10-8 instead of 9-7 seems right up their alley!

With their current roster, the Red Sox aren't catching the Yankees in the AL East.  Thanks to the extra wild card, there's still a pretty good chance they'll make the playoffs, though, and Juan Soto would certainly upgrade both their outfield and their lineup.  Alex Verdugo in left is the only Boston outfield spot that's currently 100 percent locked up, so they can easily find a place for him.  (They had freakin' Kyle Schwarber playing first base last year and have Franchy Cordero playing first this season!)

In the NL Central, we've got our typical two-horse race between Milwaukee and St. Louis.  Trading for Soto could be what gives the Brewers the upper hand in that battle.  Milwaukee's lineup is already incredibly left-handed, but that's a minor problem that they can certainly deal with.  And having both Yelich and Soto in the middle of your lineup is a fun thing to think about.

He probably won't end up in Cleveland.  Not as a short-term rental and definitely not long-term.  But I wouldn't be surprised to see the Guardians at least inquire.  They're only two games behind the Twins in the AL Central and right in the middle of that muddled wild card mix.  They'd have to give up a lot to have Juan Soto for three months, but he'd immediately make them so much better that it might be worth it.

Regardless of where he ends up, whether it's on one of these nine teams or somewhere else, Juan Soto is, by far, the highest-impact player who stands to get traded in the coming days.  And, with the extra wild card keeping that many more teams in contention, there will be more potential buyers and fewer sellers at the deadline.  Which makes a player of Soto's caliber that much more valuable.