The Juan Soto sweepstakes are nearing the end with the trade deadline approaching at 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday, and the Los Angeles Dodgers appear to be in a good spot to acquire the superstar from the Washington Nationals.
L.A. is reportedly among the finalists for Soto, along with the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. And while there is no guarantee he is traded, it has been reported there is a growing belief the Nationals will get a deal done.
Soto still has two and a half seasons of control remaining, which means an acquiring team would be getting him for three postseason runs, and at just 23 years old, he already compares to some of the game’s all-time great hitters.
Because of those factors, the cost to acquire his services will be unprecedented, but that has not stopped the Dodgers from making a strong push for him. There has even been a growing belief in the organization that they can pull off a trade despite multiple reports the Padres and Cardinals are the frontrunners, according to Jack Harris of the LA Times:
Nonetheless, optimism of getting Soto has been growing among some in the Dodgers organization in recent days, as other contenders around the league such as the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners have seemingly dropped out of the running.
The Nationals have reportedly been asking teams for anywhere from four to six top assets, which could end up including a combination of Major League players with low service time, such as Gavin Lux, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin; and top prospects, which the Dodgers have plenty of, including Diego Cartaya, Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot, Andy Pages, Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch.
The Dodgers could also try to take back the contract of Patrick Corbin, who the Nationals would surely love to move on from, but Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo shot down that possibility as he would rather not take away some of Soto’s value by attaching a bad contract.
But regardless of the cost, the Dodgers have the unique opportunity to add one of the game’s most talented players before he even enters his prime years, and they will be opportunistic about getting a deal done.
Ian Happ emerging as potential fallback option for Dodgers
The Dodgers have additionally been connected to Miami Marlins pitchers Pablo López and Anthony Bass, along with Cincinnati Reds utilityman Brandon Drury and the Kansas City Royals Whit Merrifield.
However, if they can’t get a deal done for Soto, Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs is another player they have checked in on ahead of the deadline.
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