Do The Guardians Have A Chance Of Trading For Juan Soto?
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Earlier today it was reported that Juan Soto turned down a $440 million contract offer from the Washington Nationals and that the team was now listening to trade offers for him. Every other team in the MLB should be calling the Nationals' front office and presenting their best trade offer.
Soto has a career batting average of .292 and an OPS of .967. He's one of the league's best hitters and is on track to be one of the best hitters in MLB history.
Could the Guardians really make a move for the superstar? There's a slim chance, but let's break it down.
The Guardians Have The Trade Capitol
If the Nationals do decide to trade Soto and the Guardians want to acquire him, a deal could definitely get done. The Guardians have one of the best farm systems in all of baseball and have young players performing at the Major League level.
It would take a number of these prospects and an All-Star such as Shane Bieber or a young everyday player like Steven Kwan to make the trade go through. The Nationals may even ask for more.
One thing that is for sure is whatever team gets Soto is going to give up a haul for him. The Guardians could give up a number of players and still have some pieces left to be competitive in the future.
Soto Is Going To Get Paid ... A Lot
In the past, I'd say that there is no shot that a Cleveland team would go out and pay for a player such as Juan Soto. Even now it seems pretty unlikely, but no longer impossible.
The Guardians just got a new minority owner in David Blitzer who has a path to purchase the whole team sooner than later. What better way to begin your ownership of an organization than helping to pay for a player who will keep your team in contention for the next decade.
Before the season started, Chris Antonetti also said that the team was in a position to add more payroll.
How much money they were willing to spend is a different question. Paying Soto would still be the biggest barrier in trading for him, but we can always hope and dream.
Soto Fits The Timeline And Position
One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Guardians this season has been their youth. They are the youngest team in the Major Leagues and are even younger than some Minor League teams. Acquiring Soto wouldn't change that.
One might think that Soto is in his prime after looking at his career stats, but he is only 23 years old. His age fits right into the rest of the Guardians and wouldn't be an unnecessary win-now move by the front office. He could grow with the rest of the team and they would all hit their prime around the same time.
The Guardians pretty much have their infield locked up for the future, but the outfield still has some questions. The Guardians could place Soto in right field and he would fit in right in the batting order too.
Right now it's anyone's guess who will win the Soto sweepstakes, but the Guardians could be in play if they wanted.
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