Did Cardinals and Nationals Just Agree to Trade Juan Soto on Live TV?

The internet is convinced that the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals struck a deal with Juan Soto on live television.

When it comes to the MLB trade deadline, fans are always on “prospects pulled from game alert” and “hug watch” between players in a dugout. It’s no wonder, then, that because of a simple handshake shown on camera, the internet feels like a huge trade is on the horizon.

During the game on July 31 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals general manager John Mozeliak and Mike Rizzo were shown shaking hands with each other during the broadcast. When the internet saw this picture, it believed a deal had been struck with Juan Soto.

Does Mike Rizzo and John Mozeliak handshake mean Juan Soto trade is imminent?

For those wondering if this was evidence the Cardinals and Nationals agreed to a Soto trade, the answer is no. No no no. no

Both Rizzo and Mozeliak could both be talking about the game they’re watching at Nationals Park. Hey, you could talk about a deal with Patrick Corbin. Thing is, no one knows what either of them talked about and they won’t tell us.

Twitter had fun talking about Mozeliak and Rizzo’s handshake.

You can understand why Cardinals fans are curious if a Soto trade is on the cards. Earlier in the day, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden reported that the Cardinals had been accepted one of three finalists for Sotowith the other teams being the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But they also have has been linked to Oakland Athletics pitcher Frankie Montas, who is now the top pick available before the deadline following Luis Castillo’s trade to the Seattle Mariners. Montas will likely command a lot considering the Cincinnati Reds were able to get three of their top five prospects from the Mariners.

Fans will know if the Cardinals and Nationals have struck a deal as the August 2 deadline nears.