By this time next week, it will all be over. We’ll know which teams acquired starting pitchers Luis Castillo, José Quintana and Noah Syndergaard. We’ll see where the Cubs sent All-Star catcher Willson Contreras and closer David Robertson, and if they dealt All-Star outfielder Ian Happ. We’ll learn whether the Red Sox, Giants and other fringe contenders punted on this season or decided to make a final charge for a wild-card berth.
And we’ll also find out the fates of Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani, the two players who cannot possibly be traded for equal value—except maybe in exchange for each other—but for the sake of our game shouldn’t have to play for irrelevant, losing clubs during the most exciting stretch of the baseball calendar.
If Soto and Ohtani remain with the Nationals and Angels, respectively, for the rest of the season, they almost certainly also will stay with them until they reach free agency. Their value on the trade market will never be higher than it is now, because whichever teams acquire the two stars will get them for at least two pennant races. Ohtani becomes a free agent after next season; Soto, after 2024.
