3 Dark Horse Teams to Land Juan Soto at the Deadline

3 Dark Horse Teams to Land Juan Soto at the Deadline

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Superstar Juan Soto has turned down a contract extension worth $440 million with the Washington Nationals. The organization's third attempt was another failure and it has caused the front office to change their outlook on the future. Soto is reportedly no longer untouchable in trade talks.

Keep in mind both contending and rebuilding teams alike are going to be in the running here. After all, Soto is only 23 years old and has already transformed into one of the sport's best hitters. With that being said, let's take a look at three dark horse teams to land him at the upcoming MLB deadline.

Juan Soto Trade Rumors

1. New York Mets

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are likely going to be seen as the favorites here due to their willingness to dish out cash. After all, Soto still wants to sign a massive extension at some point. Don't overlook the New York Mets, though. Owner Steve Cohen is committed to building a winning ball club and signed pitcher Max Scherzer to a 3-year, $130 million this past offseason as a way to prove it. The Mets also have the farm system depth to make it worthwhile for Washington. Catcher Francisco Alvarez currently ranks as the No. 2 prospect in baseball and third baseman Brett Baty checks in at No. 20 overall. Those are great players to get in return.

2. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are another team with exciting prospects that continue to tear it up. Infielder Jordan Walker ranks as the No. 7 prospect in baseball and is slashing .304/.392/.486 at the Double-A level in 2022. Meanwhile, pitcher Matthew Liberatore made his MLB debut earlier this summer and has pitched at least four scoreless innings in three of his seven appearances. Adding Soto to a lineup that already features Paul Goldschimdt and Nolan Arenado would be downright scary. The 2021 MVP runner-up owns a career slash line of .292/.427/.540 across five seasons. St. Louis has the money to pull off an extension, too, with only Arenado on the books past the 2025 season.

3. Chicago Cubs

The Mets and Cardinals are two teams capable of winning the World Series as early as this fall. It's important to not rule out teams with a focus down the road as well. The Chicago Cubs are in the early stages of a rebuild after trading away a bevy of All-Stars at the 2021 deadline. A few core pieces are already intact with outfielders Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel outperforming expectations. However, acquiring Soto would speed the process up by years and Chicago has the room to pay him. The two-time Silver Slugger could be the one to help the Cubs emerge as a playoff team again. The only question is whether or not the Cubs have any prospects Washington would be interested in.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.