The Juan Soto sweepstakes are almost at an end, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in the trade mix. There is also hope held by some in the Washington Nationals organization that the team will be able to convince Soto to sign long-term. Soto is not just the best trade target at this year's trade deadline, he is one of the best of all-time.
Juan Soto is a 23-year-old superstar who has been named to two All-Star teams in his five-year career. His potential is almost unlimited and any team that acquires him will have their newest star.
MLB insider Jon Heyman provided what will likely be the final update on these trade rumors via Twitter.
"“All 3 are in. It should be an exciting 24 hours.” — source on Padres, Dodgers and Cardinals pursuit of superstar Juan Soto" - Jon Heyman
Hector Gomez, another MLB insider, reported that the Nationals will make Soto another massive offer before they finalize a trade.
"Hearing that the #Nationals will make one last offer to Juan Soto before the MLB trade deadline" - Hector Gomez
This would indicate that the Nationals do not want to part with their superstar, but will do so if he intends to leave in free agency. Losing an asset as valuable as Soto without getting anything in return would be worst-case scenario for the Washington Nationals.
The Juan Soto trade will shift the landsape of the MLB
Few players are as impactful in the MLB as Soto. His top-tier level of play paired with his youth and contract situation make him extremely desirable. The team that leaves the trade deadline with Soto on their roster will have contract control for three more postseason runs.
Since the Dodgers, Padres, and Cardinals all have World Series aspirations, Soto could be the player to get them there.
Soto isn't letting these trade rumors affect his play, as he hit a monster homer against the New York Mets in what could be his last game as a National.
Soto is also no stranger to postseason success. This increases his value even further, because teams can be confident he can make big plays in clutch situations. This video of Juan Soto's postseason successes from the MLB on YouTube highlights just that.
24 hours from now we will know what team Soto will be playing with for the remainder of the season. With the Padres, Dodgers, and Cardinals all hoping to acquire the star, the Nationals hope to find a way to retain him.