The Los Angeles Dodgers are known for bringing in some the best talent Major League Baseball has to offer, whether that be by trade or free-agent signing, they have made it a priority to fill Dodger Stadium with the top-tier players.
In recent weeks one name that has been circulating in trade rumors is Washington Nationals All-Star Juan Soto. In just five seasons, Soto is already thought of as one of the most feared offensive players in the league at the young age of 23.
His trophy case is filling up after winning the 2020 batting title, two Silver Slugger Awards, and being a key contributor during the Nationals’ 2019 World Series title run in which he posted a 1.020 on-base plus slugging percentage during the postseason.
After the Nationals traded away Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers at the deadline last season, Soto was left without key pieces around him that he had played with since making his MLB debut.
Turner spoke recently and expressed his interest in playing with Soto again, but Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo shot down recent trade rumors, via The Sports Junkies Radio Show:
“We are not trading Juan Soto. We’ve made it clear to his agent and to the player. I understand these journalists have to fill a blank sheet of paper every day. It’s a good thing to get some attention on a story, but we have every intention of building this team around Juan Soto, and we’ve spoken to his agent many, many times. Recently sat with him when he was in Washington, D.C., and made it clear to him that we are not interested in trading him. I guess the rest of the world just doesn’t believe it, but that’s our position.”
Soto is still under team control for two more seasons, and any team interested in acquiring one of the best hitters of this generation should expect to send the Nationals a historic trade package.
His production this year is down from career averages, but the lineup around him doesn’t lend much protection for opposing teams to account for. Unfortunately for Dodgers fans who wish to see Soto in L.A., those expectations will need to be put on ice.
Who would the Dodgers trade for Soto?
If the Dodgers were to throw their disdain for overpaying, this would be the time. Soto is a generational talent that could become available for a near $500 million contract in a few years, or for the largest prospect haul in history.
The Dodgers would need to first analyze what the Nationals’ timeline would look like in terms of when they plan to compete and then both teams could put together a massive package. Theoretically, the Dodgers could start with Diego Cartaya, Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot, Nick Nastrini and Jose Ramos.
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