The Washington Nationals are finding themselves at an eerily similar position to last year as the trade deadline approaches.
After the Nats and their superstar Juan Soto failed to come to an agreement on an offer worth 15 years and $440 million, what once was an impossibility now seems inevitable.
The Nationals are now entertaining trade offers for their slugger.
Last year, there were obviously questions over whether or not Max Scherzer or Trea Turner would be traded at the deadline.
Both ultimately were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nationals reporter Chelsea Janes pointed out a recurring theme for Nationals stars at trade deadlines.
July 2018: Will the Nats trade Bryce Harper?
July 2021: Will the Nats trade Max Scherzer/Trea Turner?
July 2022: Will the Nats trade Juan Soto?Since the start of the 2018 season, Harper/TurnerSoto are three of the top 18 hitters in baseball by fWAR. Scherzer second in fWAR.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) July 17, 2022
Trade Speculation
While Harper remained with the Nationals through the remainder of the 2018 season, he still ultimately left.
Obviously last year, they traded away Turner and Scherzer.
Now, we’re in a similar position at this year’s trade deadline, as the Nats seem to be prepared to entertain trade offers for Soto.
Needless to say, if they do trade him, the package they’ll get in return will be astronomical.
But this has been a recurring theme for the Nationals.
There has been a lot of speculation in recent years, as Janes mentions, that Washington would end up trading a star away or letting them walk via free agency.
Now, Harper, Turner, and Soto are three of the top 18 hitters in all of baseball by fWAR and Scherzer has the second-highest fWAR for a pitcher since the start of the 2018 season.
So again, it now seems inevitable that the Nationals will ultimately trade Soto and that this theme will continue to exist at this year’s trade deadline.
The question is who will be willing to give up a lot of talent for Soto?
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