His skillset, as a lefty hitter who can get on base, hit for average and power, is about as valuable as it gets in baseball. That said, Soto is on track to be the highest-paid player in the sport for a reason. It may be difficult to compare Soto to a quarterback given he's one of nine players in the lineup, only hits about four times per game and therefore doesn't impact wins and losses to the same degree. Both players have received large contract extensions from their respective teams. Allen, meanwhile, is ranked seventh and is only 25.
Pro Football Focus has Mahomes as the fifth-best player in the league at just 26 years old. While comparing the value of NFL quarterbacks to other sports is never going to be apples-to-apples, the best parallels to Soto in the NFL help illustrate just how surprising such a trade would be. NFL: Patrick Mahomes (26) or Josh Allen (25) Juan Soto is in his fifth year in the majors and already he is sparking trade interest across the league. Soto, on the other hand, has two-plus years left on his current deal. Also, Davis was two years away from free agency and his departure was signaled from miles away by credible rumors and the link between him and LeBron James via their agent. Soto, though, is closer to being the best player in his sport than Davis is or was at the time.
Davis was only 26, still young though not as young as Soto, and very good. The best recent comparison for a Soto-like blockbuster that actually happened would be the 2019 trade of Anthony Davis from the Pelicans to the Lakers. Either the Celtics or Mavericks making them available in trades at any point would be a stunning turn of events. According to NBC Sports Washington's NBA player rankings, Tatum is sixth and Doncic is seventh. Both are widely considered among the best players in today's game with a chance to separate themselves as all-time greats over time. Doncic is 23 years old, same as Soto, while Tatum is 24. So, in spite of all the star movement that goes in the NBA, a true parallel is hard to find.īut if there was one, it would probably include a player like Doncic or Tatum. The prospect of a player leaving in free agency to sign a $500-million contract that spans longer than a decade just isn't there. It's hard to fathom a Soto-like trade going down in the NBA because star players are so coveted and because the salary cap makes for a more even playing field in terms of retaining your own. Twitter Reacts to Ohio State's Week 1 Win Over Notre Dame NBA: Luka Doncic (23) or Jayson Tatum (24)