Report: Yankees, Dodgers among seven teams in Juan Soto trade talks
The Washington Nationals are fielding calls for two-time All-Star outfielder Juan Soto, and there is no shortage of interested parties.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, seven teams have been involved in early talks with the Nationals, who began listening to preliminary trade offers after Soto reportedly turned down a $440 million extension offer.
Soto, 23, would likely be part of one of the largest trade packages in MLB history if he's moved ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline. In his first five seasons with the Nationals, Soto has led MLB in on-base percentage twice and has a chance to be the third player in the last 60 years to finish his first five seasons with an OBP above .400. Soto has joined historic company with the torrid start to his career.
In addition to the costly package of players, prospects, and/or draft picks it'll take to acquire Soto, any team hoping to land the outfielder will presumably need to be able to keep him with a massive contract extension. The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, and San Diego Padres have four of the top five largest payrolls in MLB. The St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, and Seattle Mariners rank 12th, 13th, and 22nd, respectively.
Six of the seven teams with reported interest are currently in line to reach the 2022 postseason with the exception of only the Giants, who are 0.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race.
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