Looking at a potential St. Louis Cardinals trade for Juan Soto

Why the Nationals Would Trade Juan Soto

Although it may seem crazy, the writing has been on the wall for awhile now that the 23 year old Nationals superstar would be on another team by the time he is able to hit free agency.

Prior to the lockout, Soto rejected a 13 year, $350 million contract from the Nationals, and there has been little indication that the club and player would be reaching a deal anytime soon. $350 million seems like a more than fair contract for any player in the majors, but many expect Soto to be the first $500 million player in baseball history. And to this point, it looks like Washington is balking at a contract in that price range.

The Nationals know if they don’t give Soto a deal before he hits free agency, teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, or others will surely outbid them on the open market. The time is now to lock in their superstar.

If they are unable to reach an agreement soon, it is hard to blame the club for shopping him. Soto’s is at its height right now with years remaining of team control, and the longer they wait to deal him, if they are unable to sign him, the less leverage they have. Trading Soto now may give them the largest haul in MLB history.

The Washington Nationals are tail spinning into a long rebuild as well. Since winning the World Series in 2019, the club has been slowly losing their key talent, and now sits at 13-26 with an aging and expensive roster. The club has begun to retool their farm system, but are a ways off from being competitive anytime soon.

Trading a player like Soto could net the Nationals multiple blue chip prospects and a slew of other talent to replenish both the major league roster and farm system, jump starting the long rebuild ahead. Losing a generational player is a tough pill to shallow, but the club could benefit greatly from the deal.

Teams like the Dodgers, Padres, Yankees, Mets, White Sox, Tigers, Giants, and Cardinals would surely get into a bidding war come July for his talents, making this the prime opportunity for Washington.

Why St. Louis Would Trade for Juan Soto

The St. Louis Cardinals have not gotten off to the start they would have hoped for in 2022, but still remain very much in the hunt for not only a Wild Card spot but also the NL Central title. The biggest frustration for the Cardinals has been the lack of consistency and general underperformance of their lineup. Tyler O’Neill looks lost as the plate right now, and the offense goes from scoring 10+ runs one game to getting shut out the next. Adding one more impact bat, or in this case a generational bat, would transform this lineup into an instant World Series contender.

The Cardinals do not have one of the best farm systems in baseball, but they do have multiple blue chip prospects (Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and Matthew Liberatore) as well as a variety of up and coming talent in the system and on the Major League roster. The Cardinals could craft multiple different packages that would entice Washington to deal their superstar.

Multiple questions need to be answered before the Cardinals would pull the trigger on such a deal. First, would the club be able to extend Soto to the kind of deal that would keep him in St. Louis? If Bill Dewitt is willing to open up his checkbook, they surely can.

The Cardinals currently have the 12th highest payroll in baseball, just 9 million above league average. The club is the 7th highest valued in all of baseball, and is a cash cow despite its midmarket standing, thanks in large part to one of the most passionate fanbases in baseball.  Players like Arenado and Goldschmidt are signed to large deals, but big deals like Mikolas, Wainwright, and Molina come off the books over the next two years.

The second question needed to be answered is whether or not the Cardinals have the assets to put the best offer out there for Washington. With Nolan Gorman’s white hot start to 2022 and Jordan Walker emerging as potentially one of the best prospects in all of baseball, the Cardinals clearly have the kind of centerpieces needed for a deal. Mix in some young big league talent and other high level prospects, and their package could compete with some of the best in baseball.

The Cardinals Trade Proposal for Juan Soto

There are multiple different packages the Cardinals could put together for Soto, and the Cardinals would likely need to sprinkle in 2-3 more players to get this deal done, but this would be a great foundation for a Juan Soto trade for St. Louis.

Nolan Gorman already has 15 home runs in AAA this season and appears to be ready to mash as the big league level. Dylan Carlson has started off his big league career slower than fans had hoped for, but still projects to be a very good hitter with Gold Glove defense in right field. Matthew Liberatore could easily be a #3 starter on a good ballclub in his prime and has the potential of a high end #2 or low end ace for a club. Maysn Winn has an extremely high ceiling at shortstop, the the club could sprinkle in guys like Joshua Baez, Michael McGreevey, or others to get this deal done. Tyler O’Neill may be untradeable at the moment, but the Nationals could be interested in his high ceiling.

Jordan Walker would surely be asked for by Washington, and there is a chance they would not even consider a St. Louis offer without him in it. The Cardinals would be wise to hold onto Walker though, as he has the makings of a top 10 player in baseball, and his year or two delay until receiving big league action could fit really well with the clubs new timeline and give them reinforcements as other current Cardinals begin to need new contracts.

If Washington needs Walker to be in the deal, the club could probably hold onto Gorman and/or some other guys, but it’s worth weighing the risk of a potential cost controlled superstar for a guy who will make 40 million a year. But its hard to argue with almost 10+ years of MVP level play you’d be trading for.

If the Cardinals swung this deal, they’d be looking at a potential lineup of:

2B Tommy Edman

1B Paul Goldschmidt

RF Juan Soto

3B Nolan Arenado

DH Juan Yepez

LF Tyler O’Neill

C Yadier Molina

SS Brendan Donovan

CF Harrison Bader

This lineup has at least three MVP level hitters, and if Tyler O’Neill turns things around, potentially four. As good as Dylan Carlson could be, upgrading to Juan Soto is a no brainer and makes this lineup go from dangerous to nearly unstoppable.

Keeping Jordan Walker would be huge for St. Louis, as they would have a replacement in the wings for Paul Goldschmidt when his contract is up in 2024 or insurance for the unlikely scenario that Nolan Arenado leaves St. Louis. If Walker continues to mash and make the big league club in the next year or two, he could split time between the corner outfield spots, DH, and the corner infield, or take over full time in the lineup for Tyler O’Neill if he continues to struggle.

If the Juan Soto trade talks become serious between now and the trade deadline, the Cardinals must throw their hats in the ring and make a legit offer for the Nationals superstar. Soto would easily be the best hitter the club has had since prime Albert Pujols, and the Goldy-Soto-Arenado trio would wreck havoc on a nightly basis. There is so much room to debate the exact package it would require to acquire Soto, but one this is for certain, the Cardinals need to make a run at him.