Last Updated on 08/10/2022 by てんしょく飯
Jeff Passan, a reporter for sports network ESPN, reported in detail on the inside story of the Juan Soto trade on August 9.
The Nationals’ owners are moving to sell the team.
Soto bought his first home of his own in the DC area earlier this year in anticipation of a long stint with the Washington Nationals. Then, in April, a local newspaper reported that the Nationals’ owners were beginning to move to sell the team. Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, told him that this made a trade a possibility. This is because the owners have in mind how to sell the team for a good price, and if they sign Soto to a contract that is too big and the buyer feels it will be a burden, it could affect the price of the team.
The Nationals had already offered Soto several contract extensions: $110 million in February 2020, 13 years/$350 million in November 2021, and 15 years/$440 million in June 2022. The $440 million is the highest total in MLB history, but averages only $29.3 million per year, far less than the $43.3 million salary Max Scherzer agreed to with the Mets last offseason. Hence, Soto’s side was not willing to budge.
GM Mike Rizzo had said on local radio on June 1 that he would not make a trade, but now he had to explore the possibility of a trade. Failure to do so would also mean abandoning his duties as GM, and come July, the Nationals had cracked their trade partners. In July, the Nationals identified the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals, Padres, Mariners, Rays, Rangers, and Blue Jays. However, they have not stated that they will make a trade. The less they reveal their hand, the better the negotiations will go.
On the 16th, it was reported as news that Soto turned down an offer of $440 million. Around this time, trade activity began in earnest. GM Rizzo sends his men to see the young prospects of each team and tells the negotiating partners that the terms of the exchange are six top-class prospects or six prospects plus a major leaguer In the last week of July, the teams were narrowed down to three: the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Padres. However, negotiating partners had not yet committed to Soto alone. For example, the Padres had approached the Angels about Shohei Ohtani and were also talking with the Cubs about catcher Wilson Contreras.
Padres GM AJ Preller had a bitter memory: a year ago, he tried to acquire Scherzer, then with the Nationals, but GM Rizzo wanted CJ Abrams and Robert Hassell, both of whom Preller turned down. As a result, Scherzer was traded to the Dodgers along with Trae Turner. The Padres then went on a losing streak and lost the pennant race miserably. The manager was fired. I don’t want to make the same mistake. With the time until the trade deadline going from triple-digits to double-digits, GM Preller was prepared to give up a lot of young prospects to take Soto. At that point, the Cardinals are off the hook.
The Dodgers have also been able to make large trades in recent years, including for Yu Darvish and Manny Machado, but they will not agree to GM Rizzo’s demands this time. The Padres, on the other hand, did not give up any of their top prospects and acquired closer Josh Hader from the Brewers. With less than 24 hours to go, the Dodgers also found out that there was no chance. Negotiations are in the final stages. The initial talk was 4-1 for Soto, but GM Rizzo demanded that pitcher Harlin Susana be added to the mix. He suggested that we didn’t want first baseman Josh Bell, a veteran and a good hitter this season. And on the last day, at 2:00 a.m. East Coast time, they agreed. Soto himself was informed of the trade agreement on the morning of the 2nd.
GM Rizzo said, “We did what we could. We lost a Hall of Famer at 23, but this will help speed up the rebuilding process. Passan concluded that Soto will eventually become the first player in MLB to get a $500 million contract, but it may be with the Padres, who have already invested $640 million in Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado, and will accept over $1 billion for Soto.
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