Could the Dodgers land Juan Soto?

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LOS ANGELES -- During Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium, Nationals superstar Juan Soto stood in center field as the fans sitting in the bleachers serenaded him with a chant that brought a smile to his face.

“Future Dodger! Future Dodger!” the crowd chanted.

Wanting a player of Soto’s caliber on your team is not unusual. Fans always want great players on their team. Most of the time, however, getting generational talent like Soto is nearly impossible. Players like him get locked up to long-term deals and are rarely available on the trade or free-agent markets.

But after Soto reportedly rejected a $440 million contract offer from the Nationals, there’s a pretty good chance that Washington will trade its young superstar. The Dodgers secured Mookie Betts via trade two years ago. Could they do the same with Soto?

What would it take to land Soto?

The easy answer? A lot. And then some.

Soto is one of the best players in baseball and has all the tools to ultimately become the best hitter of his generation. His production alone would require a team to trade away significant pieces. Then you add the fact that Soto has two years remaining under team control after the 2022 season -- he’s making $17.1 million this season -- and his value skyrockets.

Once his deal runs out, Soto will most likely cash in on the biggest contract in Major League history. Though the Nationals offered him $440 million, that would’ve come over the course of 15 years. If he continues his career trajectory, he could be worth even more when he hits the open market after the 2024 season.

The Dodgers could certainly afford to offer him that type of deal. But even if they acquire the outfielder and let him walk in free agency, they’ll have to weigh whether it’s worth trading top prospects for three postseasons of Soto in their lineup.

OK, but really, how many players will it take to land Soto?

The Nationals want young, controllable players. The Dodgers have enough of those players. Now it comes down to how many of them Los Angeles is willing to part ways with.

In order to compete with the other offers, the Dodgers’ package would likely start with three of their top five prospects, particularly catcher Diego Cartaya and pitcher Bobby Miller, the organization’s top two prospects. Infielders Michael Busch and Miguel Vargas would also be discussed. That would just be the start of the package.

The Nationals would also be looking for a young player who is already contributing at the big league level. A name like Gavin Lux will also be thrown around by the Nats, though the Dodgers would rather tack on more prospects than part with Lux, who could be the starting shortstop next season if the team doesn’t re-sign Trea Turner. A controllable pitcher like Ryan Pepiot, Dustin May and even Tony Gonsolin could be in the conversation, though that’s unlikely given that acquiring a 28-year-old pitcher might not make sense for a rebuilding Washington team.

That’s way too much. Is Soto actually worth it?

When you have the opportunity to land a player like Soto, there’s no such thing as trading “too many” prospects. The Dodgers will certainly explore every avenue to land Soto. At the end of the day, prospects are fun to talk about and look forward to, but they’re unknown commodities until they perform at the big league level. There’s no secret with Soto. He’s already a superstar and will continue to get better.

This season, opposing pitchers refuse to let Soto beat them. He leads the league with 79 walks. When Soto does get a chance to do damage at the plate, he takes advantage of it. Soto has 20 homers with a .887 OPS. If he was in the middle of the Dodgers’ lineup, there would be no way to pitch around him.

But president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is a picky trader. In a trade of this magnitude, a team has to weigh present success with future success. If the Dodgers believe they could re-sign Soto, that would make the decision easier. But that’s not a guarantee. The Dodgers could also elect to try and trade for Soto this winter if the price tag is too high. They do, however, run into the risk that another team -- particularly one in their division -- could jump on the opportunity to acquire Soto before the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline.