Baseball’s winter meetings start Monday, and there’s plenty of buzz surrounding this year’s free agents, led by Shohei Ohtani.

Still, there’s nothing quite like a blockbuster trade. Although these days you likely won’t see a superstar traded for another superstar, there are a few big names who could switch cities for the right package of prospects. Juan Soto, for one, has been the talk of MLB executives as being available this winter. Could the San Diego Padres strike a deal with the New York Yankees? Or how about with … the Seattle Mariners?

Starting with Soto, ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield and Kiley McDaniel run through some of the All-Star caliber players who would rock Nashville if they’re traded next week. For each, they break down the teams that would make the most sense — and would be the most fun — as destinations, and what each of them might offer up in return.

Or put it this way: Seattle should trade for Soto. The Mariners have seen their American League West rivals in Houston and Texas win the past two World Series, so the pressure is on to improve in a significant way, especially after seeing the Rangers leapfrog over them as the main competitors to the Astros. Seattle has the farm system to make a Soto trade with major league-ready talent, top 100 prospects like Harry Ford and Cole Young, and younger international players.

Seattle’s Jerry Dipoto and San Diego’s A.J. Preller have been frequent trade partners, making this a possibility even if the Mariners wouldn’t be considered the most likely destination. Note as well that the M’s cleared payroll with Teoscar Hernandez in free agency and the Eugenio Suarez trade.

There are about a half dozen teams you could make a case for, but there’s only really one that makes perfect sense. The Yankees are looking to make a splash to bounce back from a horrid 2023, and they have a lot of upper-minors prospects to entice San Diego. In addition to the Mariners, the Cubs, Rangers, Red Sox and Giants all make some sense, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if none of those teams make serious offers. The Yankees almost certainly will, however. Both teams might accept a package like righty Chase Hampton (a top 100 prospect who will likely open 2024 in Triple-A), outfielder Everson Pereira (a former top 100 prospect who debuted late in 2023) and infielder George Lombard Jr. (a 2023 first-round pick).

I’d like to see the Mets sign Alonso to an extension, considering his connection to the fans and his importance to the lineup — he has averaged 44 home runs per season in his four full years, and sluggers like that aren’t exactly easy to find. But I can also see why the Mets might be hesitant to give him a huge extension. He’ll be 30 in his first post free agency year, and over the past three seasons, there have been just nine 4-WAR seasons from a first baseman 30 or older — five of those by Freddie Freeman or Paul Goldschmidt, who are better all-around hitters than Alonso. Alonso has had three 4-WAR seasons, but will they continue after he turns 30?

If we’re going to make a deal here, the Cubs are a good fit. They’re looking to contend, they need a first baseman, they need to replace Cody Bellinger’s production if he leaves, and they have one of the deepest farm systems in the game. The Mets can ask about reacquiring center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, but that’s not going to happen. Christopher Morel is kind of a man without a position with the Cubs, so maybe the Mets could pry him away, or maybe they go for one of Chicago’s pitching prospects

There were deadline discussions between the Mets and Brewers about Alonso and now the former head of Milwaukee’s baseball operations, David Stearns, is running things for the Mets. I’m leaning toward Dave’s point that the Mets should hold onto him as one of the key pieces of their next winning club, but I could see how Stearns would say that paying retail on a nine-figure deal for a first baseman in his 30s isn’t the direction he wants to go. The Brewers still make sense if they decide to keep their core together and go for it this year, but they might also deal Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames. If the Brewers subtract and the Mets want to make a deal, then Baltimore makes the most sense. With the Orioles’ wealth of young talent, a trade would be easy to put together — something like outfielders Dylan Beavers or Jud Fabian as a headliner with a fringe 40-man guy or rookie-level lottery ticket thrown in.