MLB Insider: '50/50' Chance Padres Trade Juan Soto Before Spring Training
Since their season ended, the San Diego Padres biggest talking point has been about what the team will do with star outfielder Juan Soto. There has been a ton of buzz surrounding a trade of Soto, and it seems that there is a decent chance he could be dealt this winter.
MLB insider JP Morosi appeared on MLB Network Hot Stove and provided an update on what could happen with Soto going forward.
"We've talked about Shohei Ohtani and he's going to be such a unique force in the marketplace, but I do wonder if at some point in time, whether it's Soto or Pete Alonso or some other guys on the market, do teams just get ahead of it and if they don't feel as though they're going to be a favorite to land Ohtani, make the trade for Soto instead. It's just a one year left on one Soto's deal. You'd have to get a big package back of course, but I think there is a at least a 50/50 chance that whether it's the Mets or the Cubs, or the Mariners that Juan Soto is somewhere besides San Diego by the time camps open in the spring."
If the Padres want to hold onto Soto through the first part of the season, they are risking him getting hurt or having a down year. His value is as high as it ever will be right now while he still has a full season on his contract, but San Diego may view things differently.
With the GM Meetings coming up, the Padres may be able to gauge what they could get on the market in a Soto trade, and if it would be worth it for them. While they may not get the same massive haul back for him that they paid to get him, they could still receive some nice future assets to use down the line.
"I think this is going to be an important week for the Padres to see first of all how practical it is for them to sign him long term. I'd say based on the payroll situation there not terribly likely. You've got to do your due diligence in a venue like [the GM meetings] to see what the value could be.”
Maybe they decide to pay him what it will take to retain his services during the first part of the season, or maybe they want to give themselves the best chance to compete next season. Either way, the Padres need to figure out what they want to do with Soto and stick to that plan.
San Diego has some work to do this offseason, and it seems to all start with how they approach things with their star outfielder.
