The Padres are widely regarded as one of the top contenders to land Soto and are apparently open to delivering the kind of massive prospect package it will take to get Washington’s attention. According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Padres are “willing to discuss” names like CJ Abrams, Robert Hassell III and Adrian Morejon with the Nationals. All three are or have been staples on top-100 prospect lists in recent years, though Morejon has “graduated” from most prospect lists due to his MLB experience, and MLB Pipeline also removed Abrams from their list because of his 43 major league hits. games played earlier this season. Since the Nationals have been known to target younger, controllable players either already in the big leagues or on the verge of their big league debut, the Padres’ trio seems to check those boxes. That said, it’s quite possible that the Nats would want even more from the top end of San Diego’s farm system (or the active roster) in order to part with Soto, and the Padres would likely have to make their offer to bid other suitors. For example, the Cardinals also have a stockpile of young talent and have also been mentioned as one of the favorites to land Soto. Dylan Carlson is a name on Washington’s radar, as Derrick Goold of St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Nats “love” the outfielder. Carlson is only 23 years old and has already made his mark on the Show, providing above-average production at the plate and strong defense (both as a center fielder and right fielder). The Nationals could look to Carlson as their next cornerstone in the outfield, as the team would already be pretty confident he could contribute right away, while players like Abrams, Hassell or Morejon are still unproven at the MLB level . On paper, the Cardinals would seemingly have the depth to move Carlson as part of a Soto deal, however that would leave the Cards without a reliable center fielder. Harrison Bader is still on the 10-day disabled list with plantar fasciitis, and a setback would extend his stint at least another couple of weeks, manager Oliver Marmol told Goold and other reporters. Bader won’t even be out of the right tackle for another week or two, so while Carlson has filled in capably in the middle, St. Louis could also look to land a center in another deal if Carlson is moved. A makeshift combination of Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Edman in the center, for example, would not be an ideal choice for a would-be contender. As mentioned, other trades can drastically change the situation for many teams, and it appears that two other potential suitors for Soto are no longer involved. The Rays would have been something of a team to raise eyebrows about landing Soto, but the Nationals’ demands were “beyond their tolerance,” writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post . As such, the Rays avoided the hit run and instead landed David Peralta from the Diamondbacks earlier today. Yesterday’s acquisition of Luis Castillo would also seemingly remove the Mariners from the running for Soto, as Seattle allocated a significant chunk of their prospect capital to acquire Castillo from the Reds.
