There is a growing sense that the San Diego Padres are the most likely landing spot for Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto and perhaps first baseman Josh Bell, too, as Tuesday's trade deadline approaches. Multiple people have heard there is momentum in the Padres' talks for Soto and Bell. The Athletic's Jim Bowden reports a potential deal would cost the Padres a package including shortstop C.J. Abrams, outfielder Robert Hassel III, left-hander Adrian Morejon and two other prospects. It seems like a pretty cheap deal for Soto himself, let alone Soto and Bell. The Dodgers and Cardinals are the other teams in the mix for Soto, who would be an absolute difference-maker down the stretch for any contending team this year. Stay tuned.

According to a report from MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the St. Louis Cardinals are not willing to include both Dylan Carlson and their top prospects in a package for Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto. Soto has been a hot name with the MLB trade deadline coming up on Tuesday, August 2, but it appears that the Cardinals might not be willing to put together the type of package that it will take to acquire Soto. Negotiations for Soto are "reaching a critical point" according to Morosi.

While the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals have been considered the front-runners to trade for Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been much more aggressive of late in their trade proposals for the 23-year-old superstar. We can only imagine an already strong Dodgers lineup adding one of the best all-around hitters in the game for years to come. The Nationals obviously aren't just going to give Soto away unless they receive a massive haul, and they reportedly are going to make him another long-term extension offer before looking to trade him this week. In 341 at-bats so far this year, Soto is hitting .243/.403/.475 with an .878 OPS, 20 home runs, 45 RBI, 60 runs scored and five stolen bases for the last-place Nationals.

The Washington Nationals plan to make another offer to All-Star outfielder Juan Soto, which will be their last. If Soto doesn't accept the offer, he will be traded before Tuesday's deadline. Soto was initially going to be off limits in trade talks this summer, but that was before he turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract extension from the team. The San Diego Padres could be the front-runners for the 23-year-old superstar if he's actually dealt, but the Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers could also be candidates to trade for him. Soto isn't exactly tearing the cover off the ball in 2022 with a .243 batting average, but he has a league-leading 84 walks for a .400 on-base percentage and 20 home runs, 45 RBI and five steals in 97 games.

Some rival executives perceive the San Diego Padres to be the front-runners to land Washington Nationals All-Star outfielder Juan Soto, as of Thursday morning. It's going to take multiple high-level prospects and multiple major league-ready players to land Soto in a blockbuster trade before Tuesday's trade deadline, but the Padres have a strong enough farm system to get it done. The New York Yankees could be out now after acquiring Andrew Benintendi on Wednesday night, but the Mariners, Giants, Dodgers, Cardinals, Mets and Rangers are also involved with Soto. The 23-year-old superstar is hitting .243/.400/.480 with an .880 OPS, 20 home runs, 45 RBI, 58 runs scored, five stolen bases and a league-leading 84 walks in 97 games. Soto would make any contending team a whole lot better.

The St. Louis Cardinals, who have plenty of highly regarded young prospects, are viewed by rivals as a potential front-runner to acquire Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto. The New York Mets and New York Yankees are among at least a half-dozen teams to believed to have checked in on Soto. The Seattle Mariners are another team seen early as having a chance to land the superstar. The Dodgers, Padres and Giants are among other teams thought to be showing interest. According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Nationals are telling teams they want four to five top young players for Soto, a combination of prospects and major-leaguers with low service time.

Washington Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto won the 2022 Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium on Monday by outlasting Seattle Mariners rookie outfielder Julio Rodriguez. At 23 years and 266 days old, Soto became the second-youngest player to ever win the Derby. He's also the second Nationals player to win the event and the first Dominican-born champion since Robinson Cano in 2011. New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who was trying to win his third straight title, was taken down by Rodriguez in the semifinals. The biggest surprise was St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols beating Philadelphia Phillies left-handed slugger Kyle Schwarber in the first round. Soto had a bit of a disappointing first half by his standards, but he still has 20 home runs, 43 RBI, 57 runs scored and five stolen bases for the last-place Nationals.

The New York Yankees and New York Mets will look into a trade for Washington Nationals superstar outfielder Juan Soto now that he's been made available after turning down a 15-year, $440 million extension, according to sources. However, early speculation around the game is that it won't be easy for any team to complete a megadeal like this before the Aug. 2 trade deadline. It might be especially hard for the Mets, as the Nationals probably don't want to see Soto playing against them within their own division. Early unconfirmed speculation is that the Nats would want a team's top four prospects and/or young major-leaguers and maybe a willingness to take left-hander Patrick Corbin's bloated contract. Other teams that could try on Soto include the Rangers, Dodgers, Padres, Red Sox, Giants and Cubs.

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto had a big day during the team's doubleheader against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. Unfortunately, he was just about the only Nats hitter who showed up for the team's two-game set as they lost both games while scoring a total of just five runs. Across the doubleheader, Soto went 2-for-6 with two home runs, three walks and four RBI. The 23-year-old finally seems to be coming around after a surprisingly quiet first three months of the season. So far in July, he's hit five home runs while compiling a ridiculous .433/.605/.967 slash line.

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto (calf) will miss his second straight game on Tuesday as the team takes on left-hander Cristopher Sanchez and the Philadelphia Phillies. Lane Thomas is getting his second consecutive start in right field for the game. Soto injured his calf during this past Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins. He underwent an MRI, which showed no structural damage. Soto stated on Monday that his calf was "just a little tight" and that it would take a couple of days to "see how it goes." As of now, he remains day-to-day. The Nats have two more games in Philadelphia on Wednesday and Thursday before heading to Atlanta to face the Braves on Friday.

Updating a previous report, Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto (hamstring) was removed from Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins due to a hamstring injury. Soto was reportedly feeling pain in his left hamstring, which led to his removal prior to the fifth inning of the game. Nationals beat writer Jesse Dougherty stated that it sounds as if Soto's removal was precautionary, but indicated that we should know more about the injury after manager Dave Martinez's post-game presser.

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto (leg) was removed from Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins. He was involved in a rundown in the bottom of the fourth inning and was tagged out during the play. That was his last play of the game as Lane Thomas entered to take over in right field in the top of the fifth inning. According to Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports, Soto was showing some pain in his left leg earlier in the game and after the rundown, he was walking off the field gingerly. We should know more about the nature and severity of Soto's injury soon so make sure to stay tuned.

Contrary to a previous report, the Washington Nationals reported offer of 13 years and $425 million to outfielder Juan Soto is inaccurate, according to sources. There is no evidence that the two sides are in active contract negotiations, especially considering the Lerner family is currently exploring a sale of the team. It appears that a new huge contract extension for Soto isn't imminent after all. The 23-year-old Dominican is hitting just .224 on the year, but he continues to get on base (league-high 63 walks with a .375 on-base percentage), and he's also added 14 home runs, 32 RBI, 43 runs scored and five stolen bases in 76 games this year as an elite fantasy contributor.

Talks are intensifying between the Washington Nationals and outfielder Juan Soto regarding a second offer from the team for 13 years and $425 million, which will increase the initial $350 million offer by $75 million. Soto is just 23 years old, but he was a first-time All-Star in 2021 and has proven to be one of the best all-around hitters in baseball in five years in the majors. He's hitting just .224 this year through 76 games, but Soto also has a .375 on-base percentage, an .812 OPS, 14 home runs, 15 doubles, 32 RBI, 43 runs scored and five stolen bases in 333 plate appearances on a bad Nationals team. Soto has a whopping 112 home runs, 344 RBI and 37 stolen bases in his five MLB seasons to this point and remains a must-start in fantasy.

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto went 1-for-5 with a pair of RBI in the team's 7-4 loss to the Miami Marlins on Thursday. He hit a fifth-inning single, which drove in two runs and cut the Marlins' lead to 3-2 before the Marlins eventually pulled away. Soto has hit three home runs already in June, but he's been struggling at the plate this month from a contact perspective. He's gone just 5-for-32 overall in June, good for a .156 batting average. The 23-year-old phenom is slashing .225/.368/.451 with 12 home runs, five stolen bases, 23 RBI and 32 runs on the year. The batting average and RBI totals are certainly disappointing, but fantasy managers should be confident that Soto, a career .292 hitter, will come around in all hitting departments soon.

In an appearance on Sports Junkies Radio on Wednesday, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said: "We are not trading Juan Soto." The Nationals are not close to contention this year, leading many to speculate that the Nationals may try to trade Soto before this summer's trade deadline. The 23-year-old hasn't been signed to a long-term extension, but the Nationals continue to say that he won't go anywhere. Soto is hitting just .232 (42-for-181) this year, but he has a .379 on-base percentage thanks to a league-leading 42 free passes, and he also has nine home runs, 16 RBI, 29 runs scored and four stolen bases in 51 games played. He should heat up at some point at the plate as one of the best all-around hitters in baseball.

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto has been in the midst of a cold stretch at the plate. He's gone 0-for-9 over his last three games, though he's at least managed to draw four walks over that three-game stretch. The 23-year-old is slashing .224/.347/.412 over the month of May as a whole and he hasn't homered since May 12. Fantasy managers are likely a bit frustrated with Soto, given the high investment needed to claim the superstar this season. To add to his recent struggles, Soto only has 14 RBI over 46 games on the year, mostly thanks to a dearth of baserunners in front of him. Fantasy managers need to resist panicking and trust the talent and track record of Soto, who still has a 96th percentile xwOBA (.416) despite his early season struggles.

The Washington Nationals look like sellers again at the trade deadline this year, but superstar outfielder Juan Soto doesn't figure to be dealt. Soto has 2 1/2 years left before he reaches free agency, and he might be the most valuable asset in baseball with the Nationals for sale. "Forget Soto trade not happening," agent Scott Boras said. The 23-year-old Dominican is hitting .250/.393/.471 with an .864 OPS, eight home runs, 11 RBI, 26 runs scored, four stolen bases and a league-leading 32 walks in 173 plate appearances over 39 games so far in 2022. Soto's RBI numbers are down on a bat Nationals team, but he's providing elite production everywhere else for his fantasy managers. A trade to a contending team, although unlikely, would only make Soto that much more valuable in fantasy.

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk in the team's 5-1 loss to the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. The 23-year-old phenom went 0-for-8 in his previous two games, but he was certainly hot before that, recording at least one hit in 11 of his first 12 games of the month of May. Through 38 games on the season, Soto is slashing .254/.387/.478 with eight home runs, three stolen bases, 11 RBI and 26 runs. His .427 xwOBA ranks in the 97th percentile of the league while his 17.3% walk rate ranks in the 99th percentile.

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto has been doing usual Juan Soto things through the early going this year. Over 31 games, he's slashing .257/.391/.460 with six home runs and 21 runs scored. His 17.4% walk rate ranks in the 97th percentile while his .601 xSLG ranks in the 94th percentile. Unfortunately, he has compiled just eight RBI on the season, putting him on a 162-game pace of just under 42 RBI. Soto has spent the entirety of the 2022 season hitting out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup, behind leadoff hitter Cesar Hernandez. Last year, Soto primarily hit third in the order and he tallied 95 RBI and 111 runs on the season. The Nationals are 12th in the majors in runs scored and tied for seventh in the majors in on-base percentage, so there hasn't been a complete dearth of base runners for the team. We'd expect to see some positive RBI regression for Soto soon, even if he'll struggle to reach last year's RBI clip.