The Washington Nationals stole all the headlines throughout the All-Star break. Juan Soto turning down a 15-year, $ 440 million offer was quite shocking, as no one expected him to be on the trade block just yet.
Needless to say, his potential availability will dictate how contending teams operate ahead of the trade deadline.
They Have Two Weeks To Work Things Out
While some analysts predicted the Nationals would hold on to Soto until the end of the season and move him in the winter, ESPN's Buster Olney claims that they could find him a new home by the trade deadline if they don't convince him to sign in the next two weeks:
"He is going to be traded — unless he works on a deal in the next fifteen days — before this year's trade deadline," Olney said.Olney Says The Contract Leak Could Help Both Parties
Soto's situation left the league in shambles, especially given how massive the contract offer was. Nonetheless, Olney believes leaking that info will be a blessing in disguise for everybody involved:
"As rival execs have noted: The leak of the Soto contract offer serves both the team and player. For Soto/Boras: It sets a negotiation floor that is already record-breaking. For the Nationals, it frames for other teams what his potential trade cost could be," Olney tweeted.Soto Says He's Uncomfortable
Soto reportedly didn't shut down the door on signing a new contract. However, he's now mad at the fact that the front office changed their stance on potentially moving on from him:
"A couple weeks ago, they were saying they will never trade me," Soto said. "And now all these things come out. It feels really uncomfortable. You don't know what to trust. At the end of the day, it's out of my hands what decision they make."Who Can Trade For Him?
While everybody in the league will look to win his sweepstakes, it's unlikely that the Nationals will trade him in the same division, which is why we should rule out the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets immediately.
That leaves the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers as likely destinations. They have the money, the glaring need, and the desire to compete.
Then, we could take a look at the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers, but whether they'll be willing to part ways with what it takes to land him remains to be seen.
]]>The Inquisitr
