No reason for Washington Nationals to trade Juan Soto…unless…

Here we go again with the Juan Soto rumors.

It is not a secret that the Washington Nationals want to keep Soto. It is also not a secret that Soto wants to see the Nationals commit to building a contending franchise before he agrees to sign a long term extension. Considering the Nationals have finished last three times in Soto’s four years in the majors, that is a reasonable request.

Naturally, nothing has happened in those talks yet. The Nationals are, once again, dead last in the NL East. Talks are swirling about players being dealt away at the deadline again, with Josh Bell already generating interest and plenty of trade chatter. Now we can add Soto to that talk once again.

Washington Nationals still have time with Juan Soto

Once again, there are rumors about Soto’s availability. According to Buster Olney (subscription required), rival executives think that the Nationals may be compelled, and motivated, to trade Soto this year. The logic behind this is that the two sides have not gotten anywhere in terms of discussing an extension.

This also ignores one simple fact – there is still plenty of time for the two sides to discuss an extension. The Nationals still have Soto under team control until 2024, giving them over two and a half years to come to an agreement on a contract. It is not as though Soto is entering free agency tomorrow.

But that is not exciting. The idea that Soto would be on the trade block generates headlines and draws views. Saying that he is not going anywhere is boring.

It is possible that Soto is traded away before the deadline this year. If some team comes to the Nationals with a Godfather Offer, he would be out the door. But what could that realistically be for a 23 year old who is already one of the five best players in the league? No matter what prospects the Nationals receive, they are not replacing that player.

Juan Soto is, once again, coming up in trade rumors. The problem is that the Washington Nationals have absolutely no reason to trade him right now.