Major League Baseball

Ken Rosenthal talks Juan Soto trade rumors on 'Flippin' Bats'

Updated Jul. 28, 2022 3:36 p.m. ET

By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst

It’s that time of year when trade rumors are swirling, tweet notifications are on, and baseball fans are worried about their team making the right moves for this season and beyond.

The 2022 MLB trade deadline is just days away, and this week on "Flippin' Bats," I welcomed legendary MLB insider and MLB on FOX field reporter Ken Rosenthal.

In the episode, we talked about a lot of different trade scenarios, but before we got started, I told Rosenthal that I was going to ask him about the three things he anticipates will happen before the Aug. 2 deadline.

The first answer he gave me almost made my jaw hit the floor.

"I do think Juan Soto will [be moved]," he said.

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I asked what a trade package for the 23-year-old generational talent would even look like.

"We’re going to find out, Ben," Rosenthal said. "As I reported, what the Nationals have asked for is four-to-five top, young players. They don’t have to be just prospects. Some can be young major-leaguers with low service time and a ways to go before they become free agents."

We're talking about a potential trade that would go down in the history books. A trade that would absolutely affect both organizations for decades to come.

Rosenthal also noted that there are only a few teams that could realistically pull this off.

"There are probably only a few teams that will take on the rest of the $17 million salary this season, and that salary is going up to $22 to $25 million next season and then, after that, even higher," he said. "So it is probably a limited market."

Ken Rosenthal on Soto destinations: Yankees, Cardinals, Padres in the hunt

Ben Verlander and Ken Rosenthal discuss what the Nationals are asking for in exchange for Juan Soto, and Rosenthal breaks down why he believes the Padres, Cardinals and Yankees are most likely to acquire the superstar.

Naturally, I wanted to know which teams to this point have shown real interest in acquiring Soto. Said Rosenthal: "I would say San Diego is a team to be reckoned with here."

"There’s desire there," he said. "We’ve seen AJ Preller do this before. He is excellent at getting the players he wants. Not so excellent always at building a team around these guys, but he is someone who’s fearless, he is someone that’s willing, and this team has shown a willingness to spend money."

Rosenthal then elaborated on a few other contenders.

"The Cardinals have been getting a lot of attention," he said. "And the Cardinals, because they have a terrific farm system, are a team that definitely would intrigue Washington if they want to be a factor."

He also noted that the Cardinals have some glaring pitching issues that they might decide to address instead of going in the Soto direction.

"Then there’s the usual suspects," he said. "The Yankees. The Dodgers. Those kinds of teams who have great prospects in their organization and, of course, a lot of money as well. Those teams tend to be rational. They tend not to do things like this. So we have to see if they’d be willing."

Lastly, Rosenthal threw a couple of surprise teams in the mix.

"Toronto would be one. Seattle would be another," he said. "Teams that could conceivably get into this mix."

No matter what happens in the coming days, it's sure to be intense.

Check out the full episode to hear everything Rosenthal had to say, including what the Yankees might do at the deadline, whether the Boston Red Sox will be buyers or sellers and one player the Houston Astros are pushing to acquire.

Buckle up, folks. These last few days before the trade deadline are about to be wild.

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @BenVerlander.