With Juan Soto on the trade block, the Nationals are setting an extremely high bar for any deal for their superstar, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports.
“My understanding right now from multiple clubs is that the Nationals are asking for four to five top young players, a combination of prospects and major leaguers with low service time,” Rosenthal said. “That’s a monstrous ask but it’s Juan Soto. He’s 23 years old and you’re getting him for three pennant races. Teams are not offended by what the Nationals want, but they are worried they cannot beat that price.”
A deal of this magnitude will be incredibly difficult to pull off in just 10 days, but according to Rosenthal, the Nationals are not interested in moving off the asking price.
“At this point, it’s not really a negotiation,” he said. “The Nationals are saying ‘either you express a willingness to meet our price or we go to the next club.’”
If Washington does agree to deal Soto by August 2, it has the chance to alter the race for the World Series for the next 2.5 seasons. However, it is going to take an extremely aggressive team to be willing to part with as much capital as Washington wants.
