MLB Rumors: Dodgers New Favorites For Juan Soto?

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The Major League Baseball Trade Deadline is Tuesday at 6 p.m. Eastern and there may be a new favorite to land Washington Nationals superstar outfielder Juan Soto if he’s indeed dealt, which seems more likely than not: The Los Angeles Dodgers. Here is the preview for your MLB betting.

LA Dodgers New Favorites For Juan Soto?

Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that the Dodgers have been “much more aggressive of late” than the San Diego Padres or St. Louis Cardinals in their trade proposals for Juan Soto. It’s been 16 days since reporting broke that the Nationals were exploring a potential Soto trade and they now have less than 48 hours to complete a deal. Nightengale also had reported the Nationals are willing to hang onto the generational superstar for the remainder of the season if no team meets their astronomical asking price.

The Dodgers stunned many at last year’s deadline when they seemingly came out of nowhere to acquire both Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Nationals. Perhaps the two sides wind up doing business once again this season.

It appears the Yankees are not going to be trading for Soto as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman is reporting that there was “no traction” between the Yankees and Nationals regarding Soto. Heyman added that the Nationals aren’t as high on top prospect Anthony Volpe as the Yankees and many other clubs are, which is a complicating factor in talks.

Nobody outside of Mike Rizzo, the Nationals’ GM, and his inner circle know who the favorite to acquire Soto actually is. The San Diego Padres are presumed as much because they embody the talent-rich-and-willing-to-spend-it team it takes for a presumptive Soto deal. The St. Louis Cardinals, too, have an abundance in the minor leagues. The Dodgers are no strangers to trading for stars. They have the broadest selection of what Rizzo wants: young talent, either presently in the major leagues or on the cusp of it.

MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi is reporting the San Francisco Giants are a “sleeper team” for Soto. A trade for Soto could tie into the Giants’ plan of dealing some veterans, as Morosi muses that the Giants could use the prospects netted in a trade for Carlos Rodón or Brandon Belt in a separate deal for Soto,

The Yankees acquired reliever Scott Effross on Monday from the Cubs for a minor-league pitcher. Effross, 28, is a sidearmer in the midst of a standout rookie season. In 44 innings, he has a 2.66 ERA, a strikeout-to-walk ratio of more than 4-to-1 and 2.19 FIP (fielding independent pitching), the 10th best in baseball among pitchers with more than 40 innings.

Effross’ excellent command of his fastball and slider (with a unique changeup) has allowed him to strike out 50 batters and walk just 11. His best attribute might be his ability to keep the ball in the ballpark. Effross has allowed just two home runs this year.

The Yankees needed help given the number of injuries in their bullpen. Entering Monday, the Yankees were down five notable relievers: Michael King and Chad Green (both out for the season), Miguel Castro, Stephen Ridings, and Zack Britton, who is expected to make his return to a big-league mound later this month.

The Padres are also in talks with the Cubs about catcher Willson Contreras. Contreras will become a free agent after the season and is all but certain to be traded prior to Tuesday’s deadline. San Diego’s catchers are hitting .258/.311/.366 this season, which is better than the .225/.294/.364 positional average, though Contreras would still be a significant upgrade.

One superstar who will not apparently be traded will be reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani. Angels owner Arte Moreno is unwilling to let Ohtani leave, especially with the team’s two other stars – Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon – out with injuries. Ohtani has another year to go before he can become a free agent. The Yankees, Padres and White Sox were among the teams to submit trade offers for him. He’s next scheduled to pitch Wednesday vs. Oakland.

Speaking of the A’s, they are all but locks to trade starting pitcher Frankie Montas by Tuesday’s deadline. The Athletics have begun informing some teams that they’re no longer in the running for Montas. It’s not clear just yet which clubs have been ruled out, but Montas has drawn widespread interest, with the Cardinals, Padres, Blue Jays and Twins among those who have joined the Yankees in their pursuit of the righty.

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