MLB approaches trade deadline, will Yankees acquire Soto?

Major League Baseball's trade deadline is just around the corner. This year, teams have until 6 p.m. on August 2 to complete their deals.

Although the deadline usually falls on July 31, commissioner Rob Manfred was given the power to set it on any day during the week of July 28 to August 3, as part of the new labor agreement between the league and its players' association.

In a recent report, CBS Sports' Dayn Perry identified the 30 teams most likely to make a deal before the deadline. He also categorized them into either buyers or sellers.

The buyers included the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals. On the other hand, the sellers included the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, and Oakland Athletics.

Yankees might approach Juan Soto

The New York Yankees started the season with a 56-21 record. However, their winning streak ended in July due to injuries to key players, such as Michael King, Louis Severino, and Giancarlo Stanton. Despite these factors, the team still set a Premier League record of 69-33.

Aaron Boone will have the month of August to recover from his recent struggles and find the necessary momentum to end the season on a high note. The team still needs improvement, especially since King will be out for the rest of the season. Zack Britton is expected to return in August, but the start of the season will be affected by Severino's recovery.

Despite the team's struggles at the promotion stage, the Yankees are still considered favorites to win the World Series. Their odds would significantly increase with the acquisition of Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals.

The addition of a world-class hitter such as Soto would make the Yankees even more dangerous. They would also be able to carry an advantage over other teams in the World Series.

The combination of Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Soto would give the Yankees a slew of talented players in the batting order. It would allow manager Boone to create a variety of lineups.

Over the past five years, the Yankees have acquired top-level talent. However, they have yet to beat the American League's best. With the addition of Soto, the team can address some of its most critical issues. The offense was constantly focused on Stanton, Judge, and the rest of the core. With the help of his exceptional ability to put the ball into play, the Dominican third-baseman will be able to address these issues.

The team must sacrifice some of its prized prospects to acquire a player such as Soto. New York will likely give up more than one of its top prospects, such as Oswald Peraza, Jason Dominguez, and Anthony Volpi, in exchange for a player of such caliber. As the young third-baseman is only 23 years old, Soto will also be valuable leverage should the team's front office fail to reach a new contract agreement with Judge.

The Nationals could be motivated to trade for Soto before the deadline due to the team's expected sale to new owners in the following two years. It's also unlikely that the new owners would want to start by trading off the team's face.