Washington Nationals

Add New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole to the list of players who would like to see Juan Soto playing in the Big Apple.

The Washington Nationals outfielder reportedly has been made available in trade talks after turning down a 15-year, $440 million extension offer. Cole said Monday that he hopes Soto lands in New York.

"You know where I really don't want him going—I don't want him going up to Boston," Cole told reporters. "But if he's going to go, I want him to come to us."

Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge echoed Cole's sentiments, saying it "would be fun" to see Soto playing in New York.

The 23-year-old is set to play in his second All-Star Game after a stellar first half of the season that saw him bat .250/.405/.497 with 20 home runs and 43 RBI.

Soto was asked directly about potential landing spots, including New York, while speaking to reporters Monday, and he discussed his love for playing at Citi Field. He has a .350 batting average with 10 home runs and a 1.173 OPS in 30 career games at the stadium.

"Playing in New York against the Mets, I love it," Soto said. "I love to play against them, hit the ball hard. If you see my numbers at that field, it's just amazing. Against them, it's a great feeling."

Soto's lefty swing would also be tailor-made for the short porch at right field in Yankee Stadium. He has three homers in four career games in the Bronx.

"I've never hit the ball over there," said Soto, whose home runs against the Yankees went to the opposite field twice and right center once. "Playing against the Yankees is really cool, to hear the noise and shut it down."

While Soto reportedly expressed a desire to stay with the Nationals, he admitted that he's not thrilled to be the subject of trade speculation.

"A couple weeks ago, they were saying they would never trade me," Soto said. "Now all these things have come out. It feels really uncomfortable. You don't know what to trust. But at the end of the day, it's out of my hands what decision they make."

The New York Yankees lineup is already loaded with game-changing power hitters, but Aaron Judge wouldn't mind adding another one.

"He's gonna help whatever team he goes to win a lot of ball games," Judge told reporters when discussing Washington Nationals star Juan Soto. "I would hate to see him go to a team that we gotta play down the stretch. It would be fun to see him be in New York or be wherever he wants to be."

Soto's future with the Nationals is among the biggest storylines at MLB's All-Star break after The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Saturday that the team may look to trade him after he rejected a 15-year, $440 million contract offer.

Not only is the 23-year-old a generational talent who would immediately bolster the World Series chances of whichever team landed him, but he is also under team control through the 2024 season.

Washington has plenty of leverage and doesn't have to trade him. That could help the National League East club command quite the return package, be it from the Yankees or another contender.

For his part, Soto said this when talking about the trade rumors: "I can't do anything about it. I have my hands tied. I'm just going to play as hard as I can."

The two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger finished in the top 10 of National League MVP voting in each the last three seasons and helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series. He is slashing .250/.405/.497 with 20 home runs and 43 RBI this season.

Despite his individual success, Washington is in last place in the NL East at 31-63.

New York, by contrast, has the best record in baseball at 64-28 and would only become an even bigger favorite with the addition of Soto even if it cost a number of highly regarded prospects. It is already a championship-or-bust season for the Bronx Bombers, and teaming Soto with Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Co. would only amplify that reality.

For now, Soto remains with the Nationals as teams and MLB fans surely share Judge's sentiment that they would love to see him in their lineups.

The future of Juan Soto is one of the biggest stories in MLB, but the Washington Nationals star is trying to maintain distance from the swirl of rumors.

Asked Monday about the possibility of being traded, Soto told reporters: "I can't do anything about it. I have my hands tied."

"I can't do anything about it, I have my hands tied. I'm just going to play as hard as I can."

- Juan Soto on trade rumors pic.twitter.com/i6T0l39IAo

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 18, 2022

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Saturday that Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals and that Washington is open to trade offers for its best player.

Soto's long-term status in Washington was a topic of conversation prior to Rosenthal's report.

The 23-year-old is one of the best hitters in MLB and a generational talent. He's also due to hit free agency in 2025 and could feasibly be the first player in baseball history to sign a $500 million contract.

In the wake of Rosenthal's report, Soto finds himself in an unenviable position.

The two-time All-Star will inevitably be viewed as greedy by a subset of fans because he declined $440 million. Taking that position ignores how his $29.3 million annual salary would rank 15th now and fall lower down the list as bigger deals are handed out over the next decade and change.

In addition, Soto has to spend the next two weeks wondering if the Nationals will trade him before the Aug. 2 deadline. If he remains on the roster, the cycle will restart in the offseason in the absence of a multiyear extension.

Compounding matters, the Nats have the worst record (31-63) in baseball. Soto doesn't even have the excitement of a playoff race to take his mind off whether his team intends to keep him beyond the season.

As the decorated outfielder said, all he can focus on is his individual performance in order to drown out the outside noise.

Washington Nationals star Juan Soto and agent Scott Boras reportedly have high expectations for the outfielder's next contract.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Boras asked the Nationals for a deal with an average annual salary comparable to the $43.3 million that Max Scherzer received from the New York Mets.

Soto reportedly rejected a 15-year, $440 million contract that would have been the largest total payout in baseball history, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. However, the $29.33 million average would be only 20th in MLB history.

Boras also reportedly referenced the 10-year, $252 million contract Alex Rodriguez signed with the Texas Rangers in 2000 as a comparison. Not only was this the highest-ever deal at the time, it doubled the U.S. sports record for largest total payout and the $25.2 million average salary was 40 percent higher than the previous high of $15 million.

Based on this projection, Boras might want an average of about $60 million per year for Soto or about $850 million in total value.

Scherzer's current record-breaking contract is only a three-year deal, which changes the math compared to the long-term deal Soto is seeking. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo was willing to match Scherzer's deal for Soto, per Heyman, but Boras rejected it.

It will clearly take a large contract to eventually sign the 23-year-old, who still has two more full seasons after this one before hitting free agency.

The two-time All-Star already has a batting title, two Silver Slugger awards and a World Series title on his resume. He finished second in MVP voting last year after finishing fifth the year before.

If he does hit free agency after the 2024 season, Soto will still be in his prime with likely a lot more productive years ahead of him.

Rodriguez similarly became a free agent before his age-25 season and went on to win three MVP awards with the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, leading the league in home runs five times.

It seems if the Nationals or any other team want this level of production from Soto, they will have to pay a high price.

The Washington Nationals are betting on Elijah Green as their next superstar player after selecting the IMG Academy outfielder with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.

With the 5th pick in the 2022 @MLBDraft, the Washington Nationals select…

Elijah Green – OF (IMG Academy)#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/jzfOtZb7TE

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 17, 2022

In a draft class full of legacy players, including Druw Jones (son of Andruw Jones), Justin Crawford (son of Carl Crawford) and Jackson Holliday (son of Matt Holliday), Green also comes from a family of athletes. His father, Eric Green, had a 10-year NFL career as a tight end and made the Pro Bowl twice (1993, 1994).

Elijah has the frame to play football at 6'3" and 225 pounds, but he is one of the best athletes in the 2022 MLB draft class. The 18-year-old has been on the prospect radar for years, with his arrival really coming during the 2020 Area Code Games.

3️⃣-4️⃣ Elijah Green’s hits left the yard at #ACGames20 😳

...and he’s still only 16!

Excited to see what the 6-3, 215 @elijahgreen1204 does for an encore at #ACGames21 🤯 pic.twitter.com/l61gUqSfWi

— Area Code Baseball (@ACBaseballGames) August 25, 2020

Green does have a commitment to play college baseball at the University of Miami, but there's been no indication he will be a difficult sign.

MLB.com ranked Green as the No. 3 prospect in this year's draft class, behind Jones and Holliday. He has four plus tools, including plus-plus speed and terrific raw power.

According to MLB.com:

"Green is an elite-level runner who can steal bases and cover a ton of ground in the outfield, where he should be able to man center field, with a plus arm, for a very long time to come. His complete toolset doesn’t come around very often, so it’s likely someone in the top of the first round will call his name even if there are remaining questions about his hit tool."

Finding a true centerfielder who can potentially hit for power is a rare commodity. As long as Green can develop his hit tool in order to tap into that power potential, he could turn into a future All-Star.

The Nationals have completely fallen apart since winning the World Series in 2019. It's understandable because general manager Mike Rizzo was often aggressive in adding talent to the MLB team in an attempt to win, but the organization has been hit hard with losses recently.

Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner are no longer with the team. Stephen Strasburg hasn't pitched since June 2021 because of an injury that required surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.

On top of all that, Nationals fans have had to endure rumors that Juan Soto might get traded. Those rumors picked up steam on Saturday when Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the team will at least explore dealing the two-time All-Star after he turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract extension.

While there's still a lot of work for the Nationals to do to rebuild their farm system, adding Green to the mix is a great step in the right direction. He alone won't change their fortunes, but having a potential superstar is a nice starting point.

Both the New York Yankees and New York Mets will reportedly "look into a trade" for Washington Nationals star Juan Soto, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Soto reportedly rejected an extension offer from the Nats worth $440 million over 15 years, which will cause the team to "entertain trade offers" ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Heyman listed eight possible landing spots for Soto, including the Mets, Yankees, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers, although a lofty asking price could make it difficult to work out a trade.

"It's going to be like Kevin Durant," a top decision-maker with a rival team told Heyman.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported it would take "the biggest trade package ever" to land Soto.

The outfielder is only 23 years old and is already one of the most accomplished hitters in baseball. He was a key part of helping the Nationals win the World Series in 2019, won a batting title in 2020 with a .351 average and then finished second in MVP voting in 2021.

Even in a relatively down year in 2022, Soto has 20 home runs and a .901 OPS that ranks ninth in the majors, enough to earn his second straight All-Star selection.

His eighth-inning home run Sunday against the Atlanta Braves was the 118th of his career.

Considering he cannot become a free agent until after the 2024 season, Soto is one of the most valuable players in all of baseball.

An acquiring team might be concerned about affording Soto's next contract considering what he already turned down. Even the next two years in arbitration could get expensive after he agreed to a $17.1 million contract in 2022.

The Mets and Yankees might be among the few teams that could afford it, however, currently ranking second and third respectively in total payroll.

Even if Soto isn't moved before the deadline, it could be something for both teams to look into next offseason.

Juan Soto is available for trade after rejecting a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Washington Nationals, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, and at least one team is dreaming of possibly acquiring the superstar.

The San Diego Padres are interested in pairing Soto with star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

"An early favorite for Soto just might be the San Diego Padres, the former 'small' market team that’s been full of surprises and thrills the past few years under GM A.J. Preller, a young man who knows the game and loves a gamble," Heyman wrote.

The 23-year-old slugger will cost a huge package of prospects, draft picks and other pieces. Any team that wants him must also be open to the idea of potentially giving him a $500 million contract extension.

San Diego already has some pretty hefty contracts to pay and the fifth-highest payroll in baseball, according to Spotrac.

The team's two highest-paid players are Tatis, who is on a 14-year, $340 million deal, and Machado, who is on a 10-year, $300 million deal. Hosmer, meanwhile, is on an eight-year, $144 million deal, and Yu Darvish is on a six-year, $126 million contract.

Still, it's no surprise the Padres are at least thinking about the possibility of acquiring Soto.

The Dominican is one of the best players in the game and has a long, bright future ahead of him. He is a two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, a batting title winner and a World Series winner.

This season, he's slashing .247/.405/.490 with 19 home runs, 42 RBI and five stolen bases in 89 games.

In addition, the Padres have never been shy about acquiring star players to help them in their pursuit of a World Series title. They've done so in the past by signing Eric Hosmer, Manny Machado, Mike Clevinger and many more.

San Diego is currently second in the NL West with a 51-41 record, 9.5 games behind the first-place Dodgers. Having Tatis return from injury and adding Soto to the lineup could help the club close that gap.

However, Soto is under team control through the 2024 campaign with two more seasons of arbitration eligibility, so the Nationals don't need to trade him this year if they don't get an offer they believe is worthy.

So, it could be a long wait until we see Soto moved unless the Padres, or another club, comes up with the right package.

The Washington Nationals plan to entertain trade offers for superstar right fielder Juan Soto after he reportedly rejected their 15-year, $440 million proposal, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

As for what it would take to land him, ESPN's Jeff Passan provided an idea via an MLB general manager.

Front offices are already having the conversations: What is it going to take to acquire Juan Soto in the wake of him turning down a 15-year, $440 million contract offer from the Nationals? And the answer is: The biggest trade package ever. “A Herschel Walker deal,” one GM said.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 16, 2022

The "Herschel Walker deal" part is in reference to the Dallas Cowboys' trade of the star running back and three draft picks to the Minnesota Vikings in 1989 for four players and eight selections, including first-rounders in 1990, 1991 and 1992. That laid the foundation for the Cowboys' three Super Bowls from 1992 to 1995.

Soto could very well command a similar haul before the Aug. 2 trade deadline. He's just 23 years old with a five-year resume that includes two All-Star Game nods, two Silver Slugger Awards, a World Series title, the 2020 National League batting title and a runner-up finish in the 2021 NL MVP race.

This year, he's hitting .247 (.895 OPS) with 19 home runs and 42 RBI. Per FanGraphs, his .390 wOBA ranks seventh.

Naturally, one of the game's brightest young stars should merit a foundational package for the rebuilding Nats as the last-place team looks for brighter days. Soto is an on-base machine to boot.

Only one player in the Modern Era (Since 1900) has a better OBP through his age-23 season than Juan Soto (.427 OBP from 2018-22).

That player? Ted Williams (.481 OBP from 1939-42). pic.twitter.com/YYJgYIIynl

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 16, 2022

Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post gave an idea of what it might take to get Soto:

A text from someone from another org, speaking anonymously about putting together a package for Juan Soto: “Well we could offer close to a lineup of future big leaguers or our top three or four guys.”

— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) July 16, 2022

Passan did as well through a different lens, using the Los Angeles Dodgers as an example:

Every team has an algorithm that assigns a dollar value to a player. These numbers from @BaseballValues are one example of those. Cannot imagine the Dodgers would do a deal like this. But it gives you a sense of just how much talent the Nationals would look to reap for Juan Soto. pic.twitter.com/53GknQWV4b

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 16, 2022

Soto has two more arbitration years and won't become a free agent until the 2024-25 offseason.

At this juncture, however, it appears his days in Washington, D.C., are numbered and potentially coming to a rapid end. The question now is which team will emerge with the best offer for one of the game's greats.

Right fielder Juan Soto reportedly turned down a massive contract extension offer from the Washington Nationals, and the team is now open to trading him.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Soto rejected a 15-year, $440 million deal, marking the third time in recent months that he balked at an offer from the Nats.

Rosenthal noted that the contract would have made Soto the highest-paid player in baseball history in terms of total money, and he would have been the 20th-highest-paid player on an annual basis with a salary of $29.3 million.

Soto is under team control through 2024, but Rosenthal reported the Nationals plan to entertain trade offers for him leading up to the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

Per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post, Soto commented on the matter Saturday, saying he wasn't happy it got out to the media since he likes to keep things private.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted Soto turned down the offer for multiple reasons ranging from the structure of the contract to uncertainty regarding the future of the franchise.

Soto and agent Scott Boras reportedly viewed the backloaded offer as essentially equal to including deferred money, plus they felt the annual salary was too low.

Additionally, the Nationals are "likely to be sold."

ESPN's Jeff Passan commented on the news as well, noting that teams across Major League Baseball are having discussions about what it would take to acquire Soto. One general manager said it would require a "a Herschel Walker deal."

In 1989, the NFL's Dallas Cowboys famously traded running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a massive package of players and draft picks, setting the stage for the Cowboys to win three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

Had the 23-year-old Soto agreed to the Nationals' latest offer, it would have kept him under contract with the team until his age-38 season.

Per Rosenthal, Boras prefers for his clients to set their markets in free agency, and the belief is that Soto could seek a $500 million deal.

If Soto is set on becoming a free agent, any team that trades for him would only be guaranteed to have him for the remainder of this season and two more seasons.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said last month that the team had no interest in trading Soto and wanted to build around him, but Rosenthal reported that since Soto didn't sign the $440 million deal, Washington believes he will never re-sign.

As a result, the club plans to see what trade opportunities are out there, but it won't move him for anything less than its asking price.

Soto has already accomplished a great deal in just five seasons, earning two All-Star nods, two Silver Slugger Awards and one batting title, plus he played a huge role in the Nats' World Series championship in 2019.

After setting career highs with 34 home runs and 110 RBI in 2019, Soto led the National League with a .351 batting average in 2020 and then hit .313 with 29 homers and 95 RBI last season.

He is having a down year by his standards, slashing .247/.405/.490, but he has 19 home runs and 42 RBI, and he leads the majors with 79 walks.

The powerful lefty has been on a recent hot streak, hitting .417 with five home runs and 10 RBI in July. He will compete in Monday's Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Given his age and track record, Soto would command a ton of compensation in a trade and help give the Nats quality assets to aid in their rebuild.

Washington Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto is reportedly set to put his power to the test.

According to MLB insider Hector Gomez, Soto will be participating in this year's Home Run Derby on July 18 at Dodger Stadium during MLB All-Star week.

Soto was named to the All-Star Game for the second time in his career Sunday. The 23-year-old is slashing .243/.398/.870 with 17 home runs and 37 RBI. He leads all of MLB with 73 walks this season, more than 20 ahead of the second-place total.

Soto had some struggles to start the season, but he has returned to form in recent weeks. He's batting .458 in the month of July and has an on-base streak of 20 straight games, one shy of his career-best.

In last year's Home Run Derby, Soto had a memorable outing in which he defeated No. 1 seed Shohei Ohtani in the first round and launched a record-setting 520-foot blast at Coors Field in Denver. He totaled 46 home runs and was eliminated by Pete Alonso, who went on to win his second consecutive derby crown.

Alonso will be back to go for the three-peat this year after announcing his participation earlier Monday. He will be joined by Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, who will be enjoying the last MLB All-Star week of his legendary 22-year career.