There is a lot of buzz about Juan Soto possibly being traded soon.
Juan Soto Might BREAK The Trade Deadline
76,579 views Jul 18, 2022 Juan Soto Could BREAK The Trade Deadline.
Juan Soto
Position: Outfielder
Bats: Left • Throws: Left
6-2, 224lb (188cm, 101kg)
Team: Washington Nationals (majors)
Born: October 25, 1998
Debut: May 20, 2018 (Age 19-207d, 21,652nd in major league history)
vs. LAD 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 2018 season
2022 Contract Status: Signed thru 2022, 1 yr/$17.1M (22)
Service Time (01/2022): 3.134 • Arb Eligible: 2023 • Free Agent: 2025
Agents: Boras Corporation
Soto Free agent: 2025
Soto will be 24.5 in April 2023.
Soto Career OPS+: 160 (60% above league average)
Soto already turned down the biggest contract of all time. His current team, the Washington Nationals, may trade him before the 2022 trade deadline August 2.
Soto career to date: $26 million; 2022: $17 million
Yankee Aaron Judge will be 31 in April 2023. Judge will be a free agent for the 2023 season. He already turned down a big contract offer from the Yankees. Debut: August 13, 2016 (Age 24 and 109 days).
Judge Career OPS+: 154 (54% above league average)
So when Judge played his first MLB game he was already older than Soto is now.
Judge career to date: $39.5 million; 2022: $19 million
Should the Yankees forget about extending Judge and trade for Soto now? The Yanks would have Soto for the championship runs in 2022 and 2023 and 2024. The Yankees could still sign Soto to an extension and have him for several more years.
Or should the Yankees forget about both Judge and Soto? Baseball is such a dumb team sport that the best player makes relatively little difference. He bats 4 or 5 times in a game, every 9th player. Imagine if Michael Jordan had wait for four teammates to shoot before he could take another shot? Over the years I've made these suggestions:
Three designated fielders and a batting order of six. Everyone who bats plays the field but not everyone who plays the field bats.
Start each inning with the top of the order.
With rules like that, it might make some sense to pay zillions of dollars to the top player. But with the ancient and still current baseball playing rules, it makes little sense outside of non baseball reasons, like merchandising.
Plus, in those 4 or 5 plate appearances, the opposing team can simply walk the best hitters. In 1923 Babe Ruth was walked 170 times. This after Ruth had "saved" baseball from the 1919 World Series betting scandal. They were too dumb and unimaginative to change the walk rule. Nothing has changed. Here are the all time season walks leaders:
| Rank | Player (age that year) | Bases on Balls | Year | PA | Bats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Barry Bonds (39) | 232 | 2004 | 617 | L |
| 2. | Barry Bonds (37) | 198 | 2002 | 612 | L |
| 3. | Barry Bonds (36) | 177 | 2001 | 664 | L |
| 4. | Babe Ruth+ (28) | 170 | 1923 | 699 | L |
| 5. | Mark McGwire (34) | 162 | 1998 | 681 | R |
| Ted Williams+ (28) | 162 | 1947 | 693 | L | |
| Ted Williams+ (30) | 162 | 1949 | 730 | L | |
| 8. | Ted Williams+ (27) | 156 | 1946 | 672 | L |
| 9. | Barry Bonds (31) | 151 | 1996 | 675 | L |
| Eddie Yost (29) | 151 | 1956 | 684 | R | |
| 11. | Babe Ruth+ (25) | 150 | 1920 | 617 | L |
Who goes to the park to see the best player walk? Rule change: a team could have the option to put a runner on first base without it eliminating the runner from playing otherwise, and have the batter who walked have a new plate appearance (PA). Walk him again: another runner and another PA. That would almost eliminate walking the best batters.
Ruth set the season home record as follows:
1919 29 Red Sox
1920 54 Yankees
1921 59 Yankees
Aaron Judge has an outside chance in 2022 (36 after 95 Yankee games) to become the third American League (AL) player to hit at least 60 home runs in a season, joining:
Babe Ruth 1927 60 Yankees
Roger Maris 1961 61 Yankees
Mike Trout has been the best player of the last decade.
OPS+ 176
MVP: 2014, 2016, 2019; second four times.
Tournament:
2014 AL Division Series
Kansas City Royals over Trout's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (3-0)
The Angels could have made the tournament only once in a decade without paying Mike Trout $227 million to date and commit to $37 million per year 2023-2030. Trout will be 31 on August 7, 2022. Trout will be 39 in August 2030. Trout is not that much older than Judge.
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