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St. Louis Cardinals reportedly finalists in the Juan Soto sweepstakes

By Josh Jacobs |
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres talks with Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 28, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres talks with Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 28, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
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The St. Louis Cardinals appear to be one of the last teams remaing in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, according to Bob Nightengale.

Nightengale reported this morning that the final four teams with aggressive offers for Soto included the Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Reading the tea leaves a bit here, the Mariners and Dodgers have seemed to tail off a bit in most national reports, making it seem more like a two-horse race between St. Louis and San Diego for Soto at this point.

According to Buster Olney though, the Padres appear to be the front runners at the moment in eyes of executives around the league.

If you have been following this story closely, you would know things change rapidly in terms of front runners and what the Nationals are thinking. While at this point it does appear to be either San Diego or St. Louis, it is really hard to tell where Washington is leaning in any talks.

It benefits the Nationals the most to have executives spreading information about who has the best offers out there. For many days, St. Louis was the perceived favorite, which likely put pressure on San Diego to up their offer. Now with the reports about the Padres, Washington is probably hoping the Cardinals get in a bidding war with the NL West contenders.

While there are still dominoes that need to fall in this sweepstakes, there are becoming clear details across the board about both the Padres’ and Cardinals’ offers, so let’s look at where things stand right now.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 28: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres talks with Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 28, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 28: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres talks with Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 28, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

San Diego is desperate to beat Cardinals and acquire Juan Soto

While the Padres are already one of the most loaded teams in the league, their GM A.J. Preller knows he needs to make a major move to win now, and he has the assets to do so, much like St. Louis.

Much like the allure the Cardinals have of slotting Soto in with Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, the Padres are dreaming of a lineup with Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. In order to acquire Soto, St. Louis will have to put up a massive offer to compete with the Padres.

It appears that San Diego is willing to part with many of their top prospects, such as C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore, to get a deal done. While most would argue the Cardinals can offer a better package, the question remains whether or not they’d be comfortable presenting an offer that can beat the desperation of San Diego.

If San Diego were to acquire Soto, they easily become a top-three team in the National League, if not the favorite to win the pennant. If St. Louis does not grab Soto, the hope would have to be that an American League team like Seattle jumps in here soon.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL – MARCH 16: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals in action against the St. Louis Cardinals during a spring training baseball game at Fitteam Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 16, 2019 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
WEST PALM BEACH, FL – MARCH 16: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals in action against the St. Louis Cardinals during a spring training baseball game at Fitteam Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 16, 2019 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

St. Louis Cardinals aggressive in their Juan Soto pursuit

For as much flack as President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak gets for not making bigger moves, he has been one of the most aggressive players in the Soto sweepstakes.

While the team is on the phones with other clubs about starting pitching, they are also very much lurking as a prime destination for the Nationals’ young star. There are still multiple reasons to believe the deal can get done here soon.

First, the Cardinals do have the best packages to offer. We talked about what their offer appears to look like this week, and it’s as strong as any. Even without including Jordan Walker in a deal, St. Louis could easily outbid San Diego and other would be suitors.

They also appear willing to take on Patrick Corbin, and although there are conflicting reports about whether the Nationals want to attach him, such a move should be intriguing to them. The Padres have a multitude of large contracts already, and appear like they’d rather shed some salary outside of bringing in Soto, so taking on Corbin’s contract would be a huge surprise in SD.

San Diego also appears to be big game hunting for other young stars, namely Shohei Ohtani, meaning St. Louis may be able to put an offer out for Soto that causes the Padres to turn their attention to Ohtani. If St. Louis plays their cards right, they may end up with the superstar without having to overpay. All eyes are on San Diego and what they are willing to do.

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