It seems a new report about the possibility of Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto being traded surfaces every hour. The constant headlines and chatter have taken a toll on the 23-year old, two-time All-Star.
“I just want to get it over with and see what’s going to happen,” Soto said, per MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato. “I mean, just go over that day and start over here or wherever I’m at.”
Unfortunately, Soto will have to continue hearing the speculation of his MLB future until Tuesday’s trade deadline at 6:00 p.m.
The Nationals have been fielding trade offers for Soto ever since he turned down a massive contract extension offer of $440 million over 15 years. Given he is one of the league’s marquee young players, all attention has been focused on his potential trade.
Soto’s name dominated the headlines during the All-Star break. Even after he won the Home Run Derby, Soto was faced with a question about his future.
It’s not often a player at the age and caliber of Soto is made available for a trade.
Teams lined up over the past couple of weeks. However, according to the Athletic’s Jim Bowden, the race for Soto has been narrowed to three teams — the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals were in Washington over the weekend playing the Nationals. During the early innings of Sunday’s game, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo and Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak exchanged a handshake and sat together in Rizzo’s suite.
The trade rumors have seemingly taken a toll on Soto’s performance. Despite hitting .315 with a 1.111 OPS, six home runs and 13 RBI in the month of July, Soto has struggled out the gate following the All-Star break. He is hitting .172/.385/.241 through the first nine games of the second half.
The Nationals’ asking price is reportedly a substantial amount of prospects and young MLB players. If Soto is moved before Tuesday’s deadline, it will take a major haul. If not, the situation will simmer for the rest of the season. He’s under team control for the next two seasons. But without an agreement on a contract extension with the Nationals, Soto’s name will headline the winter all over again.
