Red Sox Rumors: Could Juan Soto be traded to Boston?

The Boston Red Sox should make an offer for Juan Soto

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Washington Nationals are considering trading star outfielder, Juan Soto. It would be very foolish if the Boston Red Sox did not call and see what price they are asking for him. I know this trade is more of a Dave Dombrowski move than a Chaim Bloom move, but Chaim could surprise us all.

First off, I do not see this trade happening at all. The Red Sox have two cornerstone pieces they currently have on the roster that they need to lock up in Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers along with, in my opinion, the heartbeat of the batting order, J.D. Martinez. The report of Soto already turning down a $350 million offer puts him way out of Boston’s pockets.

If the Red Sox did have the money it would be a no-brainer move to trade for Soto. The young man is only 23 years old and has already won a World Series. On top of that World Series championship, Soto has won plenty of individual awards as well.

In 2020 and in 2021 he won the Silver Slugger award. He also won the Silver Bat Award, which is awarded to the batter that leads the entire league in batting average. In 2019, he won the Babe Ruth Award. This award is awarded to the MVP of the Postseason. He has a bat that would be awesome to have in the mix with Devers, Bogaerts, and Martinez.

Let’s say that Boston decides to make the move and offer a trade for Soto. I believe that this trade starts with Alex Verdugo. There would be no room for him in Boston, plus it adds a Major League ready player for the Nationals.

The second player I would put in the package is Boston’s fifth-ranked prospect, Jeter Downs. Xander is currently at shortstop in Boston and hopefully is kept there for a very long time. They have Story signed for six years to play at second.

The Red Sox just drafted Marcelo Mayer, who is already showing that he should have been the number one overall. Christian Koss is performing really well with the Sea Dogs. Blaze Jordan, Eddison Paulino, and Brainer Bonaci are doing well in Salem. Downs is not a body that would be missed.

The next guy that I add to the trade package is outfielder Jarren Durran. Durran has had a few opportunities to come to play in Boston but has really yet to boom in the Majors. In the minors, he has posted a career .319 batting average. His major league batting average is only at .216.

He may not have a major league-ready bat, but he definitely has the speed. The promise of a successful bat and the speed he has shown make me confident he will be a star one day in the Major league.

The fourth and final piece that I would add to this trade package is infielder Nick Yorke. Yorke is currently the Red Sox No. 3 prospect and is ranked 51st in MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospect Rankings. He is the piece that ties this whole package together.

Yorke was drafted in 2020 in the first round by the Red Sox. It seems like the Red Sox have plenty of guys that can play up the middle. Like I said before, Bogaerts, who hopefully is not going anywhere any time soon, and Story are manning the middle of the infield in Boston. The Red Sox have eight guys in the minors in their Top 30 Prospect rankings that can play up the middle not named Downs or Yorke.

Would I love for Yorke to make his debut in Boston and play for the Red Sox? Yes, I would.

Would I rather have Juan Soto who is only three years older than Yorke? One thousand times yes!

The total package would be OF Alex Verdugo, 2B/SS Jeter Downs, OF Jarren Durran, and IF Nick Yorke for OF Juan Soto. The Sox have the depth to make this move. Seeing Soto in Boston is currently just a dream, with slight hopes of it becoming reality.

This may not be the best the Red Sox could offer or be the best offer for Juan Soto, but I know Bloom can pull off trades that end up being one-sided. He once moved Chris Archer for Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, and Shane Baz and he also traded two bum relief pitchers for Nick Pivetta. I trust Bloom and he has the ability to pull off this trade!