A new report claims the San Diego Padres are “leaning towards” making a blockbuster Juan Soto trade before the 2024 MLB season.
The San Diego Padres 2023 campaign was a major disappointment. The team entered the season with massive hopes after reaching the National League Championship Series the year before and with their biggest payroll in team history. Yet, a messy management culture and relationship between the team’s general manager and skipper delivered a group that struggled to play .500 baseball throughout the season.
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With the offseason soon to begin for the Padres, there are many questions the organization has about how their coaching staff and roster will look next season. On Sunday one MLB insider revealed that one of the biggest changes San Diego could make this winter is to walk back the blockbuster deal they made a year ago.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported today that “The Padres are internally leaning towards trading All-Star outfielder Juan Soto, which would free up about $30 million – while trying to slash their payroll by about $50 million.”
While it is not a completely shocking development, it is not a great look for the Padres to try and trade the player they gave up several elite prospects to acquire in 2022. Especially, since he won’t land them similar value with just one year left on his contract and every intention of testing his value in MLB free agency.
Nevertheless, let’s take a look at four teams that will likely be serious contenders in the Juan Soto trade market.
4 likely San Diego Padres trade partners in a Juan Soto trade
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees reportedly were a team that was hot for the three-time All-Star since he hit the trade block two summers ago. While recent reports suggest they may not be willing to give up the level of assets they would have back then, they are sure to remain interested in using him to improve their lineup in 2024. Then hope they can convince him New York is where he wants to be for the life of the massive deal he signs in the winter.
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San Francisco Giants
The Giants failed at landing a superstar talent last winter and that desire has not diminished one bit. While there is certainly major risk and he could be one and done in San Francisco, to compete in a stacked NL West they need to keep up in the arms race, and in the short-term, Soto would be a huge and necessary addition.
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are expected to be a player in the Shohei Ohtani market, however, if they would rather part with prospects instead of huge sums of money, making a trade for this particular outfielder would make a lot of sense.
Seattle fell just short of a second straight trip to the playoffs in 2023. Adding a player the caliber of Soto could be seen as a move that gets them over that AL West hump and back in the postseason next year.
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Boston Red Sox
In Nightengale’s report, he did mention the Boston Red Sox as a likely suitor and it makes sense. The AL East is as strong as ever, and just like the Giants they need to keep pace in a super-tough division. Furthermore, Soto would be a major upgrade wherever he played, be it in the outfield, first base, or as the primary DH in 2024.