Juan Soto trade rumors: Yankees, Mets lead ranking of all 30 teams by chances to have star on Opening Day 2024

Major League Baseball’s offseason is underway. Soon, the rumor mill will start to stir up, main to rampant hypothesis about the place this or that prime participant is heading. On paper, this seems like a super offseason for reckless conjecture: two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani and Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto lead an intriguing free-agent elegance, whilst a host of further stars may well be made to be had on the trade marketplace.

For instance, imagine the chance that the San Diego Padres will concentrate to provides on outfielder Juan Soto. Although Soto stays one of the sport’s highest hitters — he is carrying a 151 OPS+ since becoming a member of the Padres —  he is now only a season clear of unfastened company. The Padres have been not able to lengthen him, fueling hypothesis that they might as an alternative trade him this offseason to recoup younger ability and acquire monetary flexibility. Soto is projected to make $33 million subsequent season, according to MLB Trade Rumors’ arbitration model. 

So, simply who will make use of Soto come Opening Day 2024? Below, CBS Sports has ranked all 30 teams primarily based on our belief of their chances. Bear in thoughts that that is extra of an artwork than a science, and that so much can alternate in a brief duration of time. As such, deal with this for what it’s: an leisure workout. 

Now, let’s get to it.

Tier 5: Zero likelihood

30. Oakland Athletics
29. Kansas City Royals
28. Colorado Rockies
27. Pittsburgh Pirates
26. Miami Marlins
25. Los Angeles Angels
24. Washington Nationals
23. Chicago White Sox
22. Detroit Tigers

We really feel assured ruling out those 9 teams. Some can be unwilling to pay Soto, even for a 12 months, whilst others lack the inducement primarily based on their place on the win curve. It can be a laugh if any of them proved us fallacious regardless that. 

Tier 4: Close however one thing’s off

21. Houston Astros
20. Atlanta Braves
19. Milwaukee Brewers
18. St. Louis Cardinals
17. Minnesota Twins
16. Baltimore Orioles
15. Seattle Mariners 

It would not surprise us if any of those golf equipment ventured into the Soto waters. From the place we are sitting, they simply don’t seem to be optimum suits for this or that explanation why. The Astros, as an example, do not have a lot of a farm gadget ultimate and have signaled that they intend to make broad monetary commitments to stay Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. That would possibly restrict their skill to make every other addition of Soto’s caliber. The Mariners, in the meantime, want to do higher than they did final iciness — we are simply no longer certain they’re going to intention as prime as Soto to do it. And so on and so on with the opposite teams indexed above. Again, we are not announcing it is unattainable; we simply assume it is not likely.

Tier 3: Worth interested by it

14. Philadelphia Phillies
13. Toronto Blue Jays
12. Cleveland Guardians
11. Tampa Bay Rays
10. Texas Rangers
9. Cincinnati Reds

Here you have a couple of large-market teams who don’t seem to be nice positional suits and 3 small-market teams with the chance method to get a deal completed. In each and every case, the membership may just more than likely make it paintings in the event that they truly sought after to — despite the fact that it will imply shuffling their earlier plans. We would really like to see the Rays, Guardians, or Reds pull off an up to date model of the Matt Holliday-to-Oakland trade: gain the star outfielder now and reap the ease of having them within the lineup till both subsequent summer season (whilst you trade him once more) or subsequent iciness (whilst you recoup the draft pick out after he leaves). Is any of that most probably? We would challenge a bet to say no. As for the Rangers, they have got been no strangers to splashy or expensive additions; Soto is not the best are compatible for them positionally (they have a loaded outfield already), however who’s to say that forestalls them from no less than taking a look into the likelihood? 

Tier 2: The relaxation of the NL West

8. Los Angeles Dodgers
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
6. San Francisco Giants

Generally, we imagine in taking the most productive be offering regardless of the place it comes from. Still, we will be able to envision the Padres ruling out the remainder of the NL West as suitors. San Diego’s roster will nonetheless be constructed to win, and common supervisor A.J. Preller can be doing himself no favors if he made a department foe more potent. If Preller is open to a deal throughout the West, all 3 of those teams make sense.

We’ve arrived on the ultimate tier. To honor this momentous instance, let’s ruin down each and every of our height 5 teams in paragraph shape.

Tier 1: The favorites

5. San Diego Padres
Inertia is a formidable power, and that can give an explanation for why some front-office resources have expressed skepticism to CBS Sports that Soto will get moved this iciness. The Padres, they have got reasoned, may just at all times deal Soto on the closing date if every other season is going south. We will word that there could be different monetary motivations at play that compel the Padres to filter some payroll.

4. Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox simply put in Craig Breslow as their new height baseball operations choice maker. It’s any person’s bet what he intends to do that iciness. Adding Soto to Boston’s lineup can be one splashy means to announce his arrival. The Red Sox undoubtedly have the possibilities and monetary may to make it occur, even supposing it will be a step clear of shoring up a deficient defensive unit.

3. Chicago Cubs
This would possibly end up to be an overzealous rank, however we have talked ourselves into the Cubs making an competitive play on Soto (they already made one to land MLB’s most-coveted unfastened agent supervisor). Cody Bellinger may well be on his means out this iciness, growing an evident want for every other high quality left-handed bat. Soto does not be offering as a lot defensive flexibility as Bellinger does, however the Cubs must be in a position to have the option to make it paintings. The NL Central additionally turns out up for the taking, and there is no explanation why for Chicago to dangle again after enjoying close to the highest of the marketplace in fresh winters (touchdown Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon, and Seiya Suzuki within the procedure).

2. New York Mets
The Mets simply went via a season that noticed them trade away a number of well-compensated gamers on the closing date. And but, we have a difficult time believing they’re going to sit down out the highest of the marketplace this iciness. You do not pay David Stearns severe cash in case you are content material to lose a host of video games over the following two or 3 seasons.

1. New York Yankees
At occasions, it appears like we are legally obligated to rank the Yankees as a top-five possible vacation spot each time a star participant is positioned on the buying and selling block. The Yankees want to bolster their lineup this iciness to steer clear of lacking the postseason for a 2nd consecutive fall. Soto would undoubtedly assist in that admire. The largest problem is that Soto is not a talented defender, and the Yankees already have one outfielder reserved for DH responsibility in Giancarlo Stanton. Would they truly need to upload every other? We’ll in finding out quickly sufficient, however there is no excuse for them sitting out utterly on this one.