Juan Soto

Taking in what could be Soto's final game with the Nationals is a lot to stomach.

On the front: a picture of Robles wearing a clown nose — a nod to his dugout antics last month after Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner called him a “clown” for pimping a solo home run when the Nats were down six runs in the eighth. That, of course, is not close to the most important part of this week. And it would be hard for General Manager Mike Rizzo to stand in front of the fan base and argue that what he got for a generational talent will transform the franchise if the rest of the industry reacts with some version of “That’s all they got?” The most important part of this week isn’t even about this week. Martinez said Monday that he has a room in his house in which he stores the most meaningful memorabilia he has collected over the years. On Monday afternoon, Victor Robles — once the unquestioned starting center fielder on a World Series champion, now a spare part with an unclear future — had a box of T-shirts in front of his locker, distributing them to any interested teammates. But the flip side of asking for such a haul — completely appropriately — is that it just might be too much for an opposing general manager, not to mention an opposing ownership group, to swallow. “It kind of says, ‘Hey, no matter what happens, the goal is to get back there, right?’ ” Martinez said. Since trading Scherzer and Trea Turner — not to mention Daniel Hudson and Yan Gomes and others — at last year’s deadline, the Nationals are 53-111 — numbers that make sense if you watch this team play regularly yet still seem staggering in black and white. If not, we have arguably one of the youngest best players in the game, and I love the kid.” Last run as a Nat? In the fourth, when he hit a how-do-you-replace-that shot to left-center, you had to wonder. Plus, it would be completely reasonable for Rizzo to say some version of: “Why is this a bad outcome?

When Juan Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year deal to stay with the Washington Nationals, it ensured Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET trade deadline would have a ...

And a few others of note: Cubs OF Ian Happ is a free agent after 2023 but could be moved this week after making his first All-Star team. C Willson Contreras, Chicago Cubs: The three-time All-Star got a standing ovation last week in his likely Wrigley Field finale, with Chicago almost certain to find him a new home before he reaches free agency this fall. LHP Carlos Rodón, San Francisco Giants: Montas and Cincinnati right-hander Luis Castillo had been the top starters on the market, but both have already been traded after Castillo went to Seattle last week. If the Red Sox decide to sell, plenty of teams would be asking on Martinez. LA reportedly outbid the rival Padres for Scherzer at last year’s deadline and have the pieces to do the same for Soto, who was serenaded with "Future Dodger!" chants at Chavez Ravine during All-Star week. Outfield prospects Robert Hassell III and James Wood are consensus top 100 prospects who could also be moved as the Padres chase the Dodgers in the NL West. Speaking of… Pry him away from the Nationals, and a club could enjoy 2 1/2 seasons of Soto and his signature batter’s box shuffle before he can test free agency. The Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants have also been floated as potential landing spots. The Cardinals trail Milwaukee in the NL Central but have a good shot at a wild card in the final seasons for Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. Of course, with so many suitors, Washington is sure to extract a heavy haul for Soto’s services. That wasn’t a certainty when Major League Baseball and the players’ union agreed to an expanded post-season format this spring. A quick glance at the standings shows at least 18 teams with legitimate playoff aspirations — 18 clubs that might benefit from Willson Contreras, Josh Bell or J.D. Martinez, among others.

With barely a day remaining to determine Juan Soto's fate at this year's MLB trade deadline, here is how the competition stacks up.

As will Juan Soto in the winter of 2023-24 and Juan Soto at the 2024 trade deadline. This is the beauty of trading for a 23-year-old franchise player: He should only grow in value. It ultimately comes down to resources and behavior, which is why the same, aggressive teams keep coming up. Juan Soto at the 2023 trade deadline will still have massive trade value. They could re-sign Aaron Judge, do it all over again in 2023 and ’24 and bid Soto a fond farewell. Indeed, the Soto derby should be a free-for-all, not boutique shopping, but alas, the manner in which clubs cling to prospects and bank on five-year plans will make this an exclusive club. In the AL, 11 of 15 teams consider themselves alive. The Yankees’ prized prospect has been indirectly cited by owner Hal Steinbrenner as the reason the club didn’t pursue a big-bucks shortstop this winter. Soto has two years of salary arbitration remaining, during which he’s expected to shatter standards for third- and fourth-year arbitration players. There’s always the chance a surprise team stealthily emerges in the hours leading to Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline, but the acquisition cost dictates the field will remain narrow. But in this $11 billion industry, there’s no beancounter from Tampa Bay to Tacoma that couldn’t fit this talent into their budget. So we’re sorry, Miami Marlins. Depleting your system will only leave Soto in a similar spot as Washington, with no sluggers around him.

Trading a young superstar never works out as well as acquiring a young superstar. Which is why Nationals GM Mike Rizzo is in the most unenviable spot of ...

Anything short of that would be nothing short of a disaster. Matthew Liberatore is one nice pitching prospect, but he isn’t a hard thrower, and it isn’t certain he’s on the Nats’ wish list. They also have young players Gavin Lux and Dustin May, who’d surely be of interest to the Nats. GM A.J. Preller is a big-game hunter, as he showed again in trading for Josh Hader, the game’s best closer, while gearing up to try to beat out the rival Dodgers and Cardinals for the biggest fish. The Padres have become big spenders after pretending to reside in a small market for decades. The Padres under Preller have done a terrific job stockpiling impressive young players, and some see them as having the kids with the highest ceilings in this derby. Those who’ve ascended include infielder Nolan Gorman and outfielders Dylan Carlson and Harrison Bader. In the minors, there are infielders Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn. While they seemed to be running third earlier, there really is no reason to assume they are behind in this derby, not now. The better news is that three serious contending teams, the Padres, Dodgers and Cardinals — all with stockpiles of young, talented players — are in there bidding. Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees for the paltry sum of $125,000 in 1920. Rizzo, a scout at heart, is sure to do much better. Then-Marlins president David Samson recently made fun of that haul with a tweet.

WASHINGTON -- The cheers were yelled louder. The applause was clapped harder. The exclamation of “We love you, Juan!” following an eighth-inning walk was ...

Soto has been tested -- to overcome pitchers in the batter’s box and the noise off the field. “For me, it’s always a challenge to face [Jacob] deGrom,” he said. He noted, “Each and every one of them showed me a new thing in my career, in myself, and I’m glad that they did it.” I’m just going to be here and give my 100 percent. Soto has been the focal point of the baseball trade universe since he turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract extension. “It means a lot,” Soto said of the ovations following the Nats’ 7-3 series-opening loss to the Mets at Nationals Park. “It kind of feels weird, too, because nothing’s happened yet and we’re just still waiting.

Will the Dodgers pull off a blockbuster trade for Nationals star Juan Soto or bolster their pitching staff with Pablo López before the MLB trade deadline?

Veteran Marlins reliever Anthony Bass has also been mentioned in talks between the teams. Acquiring the two-time All-Star and 2020 National League batting champion could come at an unprecedented cost. It’s doubtful the Dodgers could acquire both Soto and López, as several of the Dodgers’ top prospects would likely be desired by both teams. A 26-year-old right-hander with a 3.41 ERA in 21 starts this season, López has been at the center of discussions between the Dodgers and Marlins recently. Ohtani is eligible to become a free agent after next season. Nonetheless, optimism of getting Soto has been growing among some in the Dodgers organization in recent days, as other contenders around the league such as the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners have seemingly dropped out of the running.

If Monday's was his last game as a Washington National, Juan Soto went out in style.

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The night before the trade deadline, Soto slugged a home run and walked three times as the Nationals fell to the first-place Mets, 7-3.

He was coming off his worst outing of the season — he didn’t make it out of the first inning against the Dodgers on Wednesday — but he was able to retire the side in order to start Monday’s game. Pete Alonso hit a 110.9-mph bullet off Corbin in the next inning that just cleared the wall in left-center for his 27th home run. But his next two innings looked a lot like what Nationals fans have become accustomed over the past two-plus seasons. Back in the fourth, Soto hit his 21st home run of the season — off former teammate Max Scherzer. He took his time rounding the bases and touching home plate. Following Soto’s home run in the fourth, Luis García singled home Yadiel Hernandez to make it 4-3. Initially, it appeared that would put runners on second and third, but right fielder Starling Marte threw the ball to second — where no teammate was present. “Facing a guy like Max, he had great at-bats,” Manager Dave Martinez said. After Monday’s loss, they are 35-69 — the worst record in the majors. They’re 31 games behind the first-place Mets in the National League East. Soto dashed home and Bell advanced to third — there was no Met covering that base, either — as Washington grabbed the lead. Neither appearance meant much in Monday’s 7-3 loss to the New York Mets, but they could mean much more by Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline. Scherzer’s presence on the mound was another reminder of how much an organization can change this time of year.

Washington slugger Juan Soto homered off Max Scherzer in what could be his final game with the Nationals on Monday night.

It's kind of cool at the same time, but it's kind of weird, too.'' Soto, a two-time All-Star and one of the few pivotal pieces remaining from Washington's 2019 title team, was applauded loudly throughout the night. "I understand it's a business and they need to do whatever they need to do.

Juan Soto homered in what might have been his final game as a National, but Max Scherzer and the visiting New York Mets defeated Washington 7-3 on Monday ...

Caleb Ferguson (1-0) earned the win in relief, while Freddie Freeman finished with a double, two singles, two RBIs and two runs for Los Angeles. Boston's Jarren Duran hit an RBI double in the third inning and a game-deciding two-run homer in the fifth. Senzatela (3-6) yielded three runs on five hits in six innings. The victory, in the opener of a five-game series, was San Diego's third in four games. Back after being sidelined due to a finger blister, Lynch (4-7) scattered six hits and struck out seven in 5 1/3 scoreless innings. After Steven Kwan drew a two-out walk, Rosario singled home the winning run against Mark Melancon (3-10) with a line drive to right field. Cincinnati's Albert Almora Jr. went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and one steal. Scott Barlow tossed two shutout innings for his 17th save. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor homered while Brandon Nimmo had four hits for New York, which has won seven straight. Soto, among the biggest potential prizes before the Tuesday trade deadline, also walked three times and scored twice. Anthony Rizzo added a three-run homer in the bottom of the first and Jose Trevino had two solo blasts as the Yankees won for the fourth time in five games since losing five of their first seven games of the second half. Greene (4-12), the second overall pick in the 2017 draft, did not issue a walk and only surrendered a single to fellow rookie Charles Leblanc to earn the win.

The New York Mets beat the Nationals 7-3 Monday night for their seventh consecutive victory but, despite the defeat, slugger Soto still received a standing ...

Soto would add more firepower to a Padres team four games clear in the wildcard race. The Nationals slugger homered off Max Scherzer to open the bottom of the eighth inning Soto homered off Max Scherzer to open the bottom of the eighth inning in what was potentially his Nationals swansong.

Is the Juan Soto bidding truly down to 3 teams? Will he go to the Padres, Dodgers, Cardinals... or elsewhere? MLB Trade Rumors has the updates.

Turning to the Padres, the health of one of their own top young arms, southpaw MacKenzie Gore, is a potential complication. Washington was interested in top Cleveland pitching prospect Daniel Espino, but health was again a factor in talks, as he’s been out since April due to a knee injury. Both Harris and Heyman suggest infielder Gavin Lux (four more years of team control) and righty Dustin May (nearing return from Tommy John surgery, with three more years of control) as potential targets for Washington. San Diego, of course, already has Eric Hosmer installed at first base, but they’ve been trying for more than a year to unload the remainder of that contract. As of yesterday, the Soto auction was generally believed to be a three-team bidding war, with the Padres, Cardinals and Dodgers all reported to be heavily involved. 7:41am: There is a “growing sense” that the Padres are the likeliest landing spot for not only Soto but also Josh Bell, tweets Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. There’s some momentum in those talks, he adds.

With less than 24 hours to go before the trade deadline, the teams in line for Washington Nationals superstar Juan Soto remain in a holding pattern, ...

But the Yankees keep nagging. If it’s young big-leaguers Washington wants, the Cardinals can offer Dylan Carlson and Nolan Gorman, though neither is aligned well with DC’s long-term timeline. Would a Gleyber Torres-Volpe-Jasson Dominguez centerpiece help quell Washington’s apparent worry over their Volpe assessment, or would that just read as a “pu pu platter” in the place of prime rib?