What Would it Take for New York Mets to Land Juan Soto?

What would it take for New York Mets to land Juan Soto?

This would be the ultimate catch.

Superstar Juan Soto rejected the Washington Nationals' recent 15-year, $440 million extension offer. Now, general manager Mike Rizzo is listening to trade offers. 

Although it's extremely unlikely that Rizzo trades Soto to the Mets or any other team in the National League East, It's certainly worth a check-in conversation with the Nats' GM.

Soto is expected to draw a "Herschel Walker type haul," which would be the biggest trade return the sport has ever seen. 

So here's a potential package that the Mets could present to the Nationals in a blockbuster trade offer for Soto. 

Nationals Receive: 

- Catcher Francisco Alvarez (No. 2 prospect on MLB Pipeline Top 100)

- Third baseman Brett Baty (No. 20 prospect on Top 100)

- Shortstop Ronny Mauricio (No. 52 prospect on Top 100)

- Outfielder Alex Ramirez (No. 87 prospect on Top 100)

- Left-handed starter David Peterson (young controllable asset)

Mets Receive: 

- Soto 

- First baseman Josh Bell (rental bat)

- Lefty Starter Patrick Corbin (owed $59 million from 2023-2024)

- Lefty starter Mitchell Parker (No. 15 prospect in Nationals' system, High A ball)

Conclusion

This is the best trade offer the Mets could put together, which would annihilate an already thin farm system.

General manager Billy Eppler has stated multiple times that the team is trying to increase both their short and long term World Series odds. A trade for Soto, specifically ahead of the deadline, would make the Mets the favorites to win a title in 2022, but would hurt their chances of building a sustainable winner, given the amount of young talent they'd have to surrender. Not to mention, they'd be sending the top four prospects in their system to a division rival. 

The Mets have also made it abundantly clear that Alvarez and Baty are untouchable. But in a trade for Soto, they'd have to include both players.

For all these reasons, the idea of the Mets landing Soto in a trade is unrealistic. 

Teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Padres and Mariners have enough prospect capital to potentially acquire Soto in what would be a historic trade. The Mets, who have a deep-pocketed owner in Steve Cohen, will have their best chance of drawing Soto to Queens after the 2024 season when he becomes a free agent. That is, if he even hits the open market. Whichever team trades for him will try to lock him up long-term. However, Soto is represented by super agent Scott Boras, whose clients typically bet on themselves in free agency, as opposed to signing deals before testing the waters. 

Since making his debut in 2018, Soto, the game's best young star at 23 years old, has made the All-Star team twice, won two Silver Slugger Awards and finished in the top 10 for NL MVP three times. In 554 games, Soto has cranked 117 home runs, driven in 354 RBI, posted a .293/.427/.540 triple slash, a .968 OPS, and has a 20.9 WAR. He also helped the Nationals win a World Series title back in 2019. 

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