Juan Soto’s days in D.C. appear to be numbered.
Soto has reportedly rejected a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Washington Nationals. The NL East ballclub is now open to fielding trade calls, per multiple reports.
One team has already emerged with having the best chance of landing Soto in a blockbuster trade.
That team just so happened to be the St. Louis Cardinals, per R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports.
This is almost certain to age poorly, but yes, we think the Cardinals have the clearest path of any team to acquiring Soto. They’ve won out on Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in recent seasons, and have taken swings on Francisco Lindor, among others, demonstrating that they have the appetite and willingness to make a blockbuster addition. The Cardinals also have the ability to offer a package that includes some combination of Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, Dylan Carlson, and Tyler O’Neill, among others. Additionally, they’ll have Goldschmidt’s contract coming off the books after the 2024 season … or right when Soto’s extension would crank up to cover his free-agent years. It’s possible Soto would prefer to play on a coast, but shy of that, Mike Rizzo should direct one of his first phone calls about Soto to the Cardinals.
It’d be quite the story if Soto became the Cardinals’ new Albert Pujols.
Will St. Louis trade for the star slugger?