With the All-Star break upon us, the league will celebrate some of the best players in the league at Dodger Stadium on both Monday (Home Run Derby) and Tuesday (All-Star Game).
On Sunday, the festivities were kicked off with the beginning of the 2022 MLB Draft. Between the draft and the upcoming trade deadline, there is plenty of news around the league. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories.
Jackson Holliday Goes First Overall
At 46-46, the Baltimore Orioles have surprised many around the league, going 8-2 in their last ten games and pulling to .500 overall. While they sit 18 games back in the AL East, they are only 3.5 games back of a Wild Card spot.
While the Orioles could conceivably be buyers for the first time in quite a while at the trade deadline, they were also able to stock an already stout system with the first overall pick in the draft.
With the first overall selection, Baltimore took Jackson Holliday, a high school shortstop. If the last name sounds familiar, it is because he is the son of Matt Holliday, the former outfielder for the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals.
At just 18 years old, Holliday will need some time to develop in the minors, but the Orioles certainly got a very talented young ballplayer with the bloodlines to match.
Could Juan Soto Be Traded?
On Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Washington Nationals’ outfielder Juan Soto had rejected a 15-year-deal worth upwards of $440 million. As a result, it appears that the Nationals will at least listen to trade offers for the 23-year-old superstar.
According to Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post, Soto is looking for a deal that is at least ten years and would pay him the most money in baseball history.
While any potential suitor would obviously want to lock up the superstar for the assets it would take to acquire him, Soto is still technically under contract for two more years after this season.
In 312 at bats this season, Soto is hitting .250/.405/.497 with 20 home runs, 43 runs batted in, 57 runs scored, and five stolen bases.
The Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019, a season Soto hit .282/.401/.548 with a career-high 34 home runs, 110 runs batted in, and 12 stolen bases.
Since then, the Nationals have continued to plummet in the standings, and this year, they sit at 31-63, 27.5 games out of first place in the NL East. Their record is not only the worst in the National League, but it is the worst in all of baseball.
It will certainly take a lot to get the Nationals to part with Soto, but the prospect of one of the best young stars in the sport being traded before the deadline brings a lot of intrigue to Major League Baseball.
Tigers Send Down Top Prospect
At 37-55, the Detroit Tigers have been a disappointment as they sit 12 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. After a solid season last year, many eyed the Tigers as a potential contender, expecting them to take another step forward into contention.
Unfortunately, not much has gone right for Detroit, especially offensively. They currently sit dead last in scoring, averaging just 3.13 runs per game.
One player that was supposed to help them out was a top prospect and 2020 first overall pick Spencer Torkelson. The 22-year-old Torkelson was a force in the minors, but he has struggled this season at the major league level.
In 264 at bats, he is hitting just .197/.282/.295 with five home runs, 21 runs batted in, and 25 runs scored.
Despite the demotion, Torkelson is still highly valued, and the Tigers simply hope that he can regain some confidence in his swing at the minor league level. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him back up with the big club in the near future, but for now, the Tigers will look elsewhere to get production at first base.
