Sep 16, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto (22) waves to fans before playing the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: San Diego Padres at Oakland Athletics
(Bronx, NY) – According to league sources, the New York Yankees have engaged the San Diego Padres in talks surrounding superstar outfielder Juan Soto.
At just 25-years-old, Soto is about to enter free agency after this coming season. That means the Padres have an incentive to trade him, if they don’t anticipate being able to sign him to a long term extension.
Reporting for SNY, Andy Martino says the talks have yet to progress beyond the “initial check-in” phase. He suggests that the Yankees would benefit from Soto’s left handed bat on offense, as well as a “conversation changer” – which the three-time All Star would provide.
But are the Padres truly motivated to trade Soto? That’s yet to be determined. Earlier this month, San Diego GM A.J. Preller said extending Soto is the team’s “first path.” Yet he did admit that regarding a potential trade: “We’ve never been a group that says no to anything. I wouldn’t read into that. That’s just kind of the way we operate.”
Martino says an MLB executive that doesn’t work for either the Yankees or Padres told him Soto could be had in the “right deal,” even if they aren’t actively shopping him. And the Yankees could certainly make sense as a trade partner, given Soto will make $30 million in arbitration this year – limiting his trade market to the league’s highest spending clubs. Since it will effectively be a one-year rental, New York may not have to part with its top prospects to get it done – something GM Brian Cashman has been hesitant to do in the past.
Martino’s report speculates that first baseman Anthony Rizzo could be sent back to San Diego in a potential deal – where the lefty-swinging first baseman started his career before breaking out in Chicago – given the Padres aren’t seen as a “rebuilding” club.
