After Soto declined a 15-year, $440 million extension from the Nationals, Washington has begun actively shopping the superstar outfielder with eyes set on a massive package of prospects as the team looks to rebuild its future.

There is little to no precedent for trading a talent like Soto. Only 23 years old, Soto has received comparisons to Hall of Famer Ted Williams and is under contract not just for all of 2023, but for 2024, as well. His talent, age and several years of team control make him immensely valuable on the trade market.

What is the latest on trade rumors surrounding Soto? The Sporting News takes a look.

MORE: How recent MLB blockbuster deals have fared with Nationals star set to move on

Juan Soto trade rumors

Padres appear to be frontrunners to land Soto

Date: Aug. 2 Source: Barry Svrluga

Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports a “growing sense” that the Padres are the most likely to get a deal done. And it might not just be Soto making the coast-to-coast move. Svrluga says Nationals first baseman Josh Bell may be included in a potential deal as well. 

Cardinals unwilling to include top prospects

Date: Aug 1 Source: Jon Morosi

Per Jon Morosi, the Cardinals “haven’t been willing to include Dylan Carlson and their top prospects in the same offer — at least, thus far. Negotiations are reaching a critical point.”

Juan Soto trade talks may need to continue in offseason

Date: Aug. 1 Source: Pat Ragazzo

Per Pat Ragazzo, team executives have become “pessimistic” about trading Soto before the trade deadline Tuesday. The price point is still exorbitantly high, and Soto has apparently stalled nearly all talks around the team.

Three teams remain in contention for Soto’s services

Date: July 31 Source: Jim Bowden

Bowden reported the San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers are the finalists for the Nationals star.

The USA Today’s Bob Nightengale adds that if no team meets Washington’s asking price, then they’ll keep him the remainder of the 2022 season. He’s under team control through 2024.

“I just want to get it over with and see what’s going to happen,” Soto said after the Nationals’ 5-0 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday. “I mean, just go over that day and start over here or wherever I’m at.”

Nationals to reportedly make final push for Soto extension

Date: July 29 Source: Hector Gomez

According to Hector Gomez, the Nationals aren’t in a “never-say-die” pattern with Soto. They’re reportedly putting together a final offer for the 23-year-old star, but if he turns it down, they’ll likely follow through on trading him at the deadline.

Nationals’ Mike Rizzo says leaks damaged team in Soto negotiations

Date: July 27 Source: Mike Rizzo

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo is, unsurprisingly, not happy with how the Soto situation has unfolded. On The Junkies, Rizzo said leaks “didn’t help us in anything we’re trying to do. It didn’t help us keep a good relationship with Juan and it didn’t help us with leverage at the trade deadline.”

He also denied any leaks coming from the front office.

Rizzo added the Nationals are in serious talks with several teams who have genuine interest, and he said the Nationals aren’t going to hurt their return by attaching bad contracts to Soto (e.g. Patrick Corbin).

Nationals’ asking price is ‘completely asinine and ridiculous’

Date: July 26 Source: ESPN’s Jeff Passan

On ESPN Daily, ESPN’s Jeff Passan said one executive called the Nationals’ asking price “completely asinine and ridiculous.” Passan also reported the Nationals have an asking price and are not budging from it.

Passan said a trade seems inevitable for Soto, but it will obviously take a lot to move him. Since Soto is under contract for a long time, there is plenty of time for them to get a deal done and still receive plenty in return. The sooner the trade, the better the value, but a trade in the offseason would still net a massive return.

Where MLB general managers think Soto is headed

Date: July 25 Source: MLB’s Mark Feinsand

Seventeen MLB general managers voted on the three favorite destinations for Soto to wind up, and there were few surprises. A plurality (eight) believed the Padres to be one of the destinations, with seven thinking the Dodgers should be one of the three favorites. Three each believed the Cardinals, Mets, Mariners, Rays and Yankees should be among the favorites, while two saw the Giants as a potential favorite. The Blue Jays, Brewers, Cubs, Rangers and Red Sox. Eight of 15 general managers thought he will be traded by the deadline.

While certainly not overly indicative of any pending moves, this type of survey is a decent temperature check on where the league believes Soto could wind up heading, and when he could be heading there. The NL West certainly appears to be in a strong position to secure Soto with the Padres and Dodgers both appearing on at least seven of 17 lists, while most of the other familiar names that have come up rounded out the list.

Nationals want to trade Josh Bell first

Date: July 25 Source: SNY’s Andy Martino

Everyone that makes a phone call to Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo will almost certainly be asking about Soto, but that doesn’t mean that’s who Rizzo wants to move first. SNY’s Andy Martino reported that a league source believes Rizzo wants to deal first baseman Josh Bell before turning to deals on Soto.

Bell has been a solid contributor for the Nationals this season, as he has 13 home runs and a .884 OPS through 96 games that trails on Soto’s .885 through 94 games. Bell should be another popular trade candidate ahead of the deadline, and should net the Nationals a solid return.

Cardinals as Soto frontrunners …

Date: July 24 Source: NY Post’s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman

Not the Yankees, not the Mets, not the Dodgers, but the Cardinals are believed to be potential frontrunners to land Soto. Rival executives believe the team’s farm system, which has top-tier talent like Jordan Walker, Matthew Liberatore and Masyn Winn, would have the star talent and depth needed to pull off a deal for Soto.

On top of the prospects, St. Louis also offers other young talents like outfielders Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader and Dylan Carlson, as well as second baseman Nolan Gorman, who all possess multiple years of team control and would be around for a Nationals’ rebuild.

… or is it the Padres?

Date: July 24 Source: The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal

Perhaps instead, it’s the Padres that are the frontrunners for Soto. One executive told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal that San Diego “is as likely as the other 28 teams combined” to acquire the young phenom. The Padres’ farm system has been depleted recently with prospects like C.J. Abrams and Mackenzie Gore being called up, but either could still be involved in a trade package, along with other top prospects like Robert Hassell III or James Wood.

At this point, it is still likely too early to glean too much from potential frontrunners. As Heyman and Sherman noted, there have been at least a half-dozen teams inquire about Soto, though they noted the Nationals are focused on one or two teams. 

FAGAN: Two truths to keep in mind with Juan Soto trade rumors as deadline approaches

Nationals not impressed by early offers

Date: July 23 Source: The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli

And this is why it’s still likely too early to read into talk of frontrunners. The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli reported that while the Yankees are involved in the discussions for Soto, the Nationals “haven’t been impressed with early offers.”

As Ghiroli notes, that doesn’t mean a deal won’t get done. Given how franchise altering a move for Soto will be for both the Nationals and whichever team winds up landing him, it will take time for two sides to come together on a move.

Nationals want ‘four to five top, young players’

Date: July 23 Source: Ken Rosenthal on Fox Sports

As would be expected for a team in a rebuild, the Nationals are not looking for win-now type players. Rosenthal, appearing on Fox Sports, reported Washington is looking for “four to five top, young players” in a mix of prospects and active major leaguers that have years of control. 

The ask for Washington makes sense. With a young foundation of players like Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray, Lucius Fox, Luis Garcia and Carter Kieboom, as well as prospects coming up the minors like Cade Cavalli and Brady House, the Nationals are looking further down the road than the next two seasons to compete.

MORE: Soto says ‘you don’t know what to trust’ amid uncertain future

Seven teams in early on Soto

Date: July 21 Source: USA Today’s Bob Nightengale

As trade discussions for Soto officially begins, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports there are seven teams already asking about Soto: Mariners, Padres, Giants, Dodgers, Cardinals, Yankees and Mets.

There are likely to be a number of suitors for Soto as any team that believes it would have a chance to compete in 2022, 2023 or even 2024 could be enticed to make a bid for the phenom. Of course, it will require plenty of prospect capital, which will be an obstacle for some teams.

Nationals hope to ditch Patrick Corbin’s contract in Soto trade

Date: July 20 Source: The Athletic’s Jim Bowden

Ahead of the 2019 season, the Nationals signed Patrick Corbin to a back-loaded, six-year, $140 million deal. Now, they want to be rid of the contract. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden reported Washington would look to package Soto with Corbin to remove the contract from its books.

Corbin helped the team win the World Series in 2019, but has continued to decline in the years since, with his ERA going up from 3.25 in 2019 to 4.66 in 2020 to 5.82 in 2021 to 6.02 through 20 starts in 2022. He’s under contract through 2024, and will be owed $59 million in the final two years of his deal, per Spotrac. The Nationals, however, only have just under $64 million on the books in 2023 and only $48 million in payroll in 2024, including Corbin’s contract, and with them unlikely to make major free agency moves, they could afford to keep his contract on the payroll.