The biggest looming question ahead of Major League Baseball's trade deadline (6 p.m. ET on Tuesday night) is whether or not the will trade superstar outfielder . Soto was recently made available by the Nationals after he rejected a 15-year, $440 million extension. The Nationals would seem to have incentive to move him at the deadline, as the franchise is expected to be purchased Denard Span Jersey this offseason by new owners. The incoming owners would likely prefer to not make their first order of busine s trading a 23-year-old on a Hall-of-Fame track.The , , Ryon Healy Jersey and have been identified as the most likely landing spots for Soto in the time since he was put on the trading block.Below, CBS Sports will be keeping track of all the Soto-related rumors, news, and notes throughout the day. , there is a " Matt Magill Jersey growing sense" that the Padres might be the favorites to land Soto -- and, perhaps, first baseman . (Bell, an impending free agent, is considered one of the other top hitters remaining on the trade market.) Multiple reports -- -- have since indicated there is growing optimism a deal will get done, though nothing is finalized. It's not clear who the Padres would offer the Nationals in return, and Bell's inclusion would seem to up the asking price. In theory, the Padres could build a package that includes some combination of infielder , injured left-handers and , and prospects Robert Ha sell III, Dan Altavilla Jersey James Wood, and .It should be noted the Nationals reportedly have several minor leaguers en route to Washington. At minimum, that means the Nationals are preparing for the po sibility of a trade(s) prior to Tuesday night's game. , the Cardinals are Edwin Encarnacion Jersey unwilling to part with big-league outfielder in any Soto trade that also sends out their top prospects -- presumably third baseman and/or shortstop . STL RF #3 BA0.250R36HR6RBI31SB4 Carlson, 23, is a former top prospect himself. In 267 big-league games, he's batted .253/.325/ Yusei Kikuchi Jersey .419 (107 OPS+) with 27 home runs. The Cardinals seemingly believe there's more room for him to grow, that or, as is often the case, they're playing hardball. After all, a lot can change over the course of a day in negotiations, especially when there's a deadline encroaching.