Padres Holding Juan Soto Trade Talks With AL East Team

We told you last week about the San Diego Padres putting Juan Soto on the trade market; now comes word that they've actually held talks already with the New York Yankees.

If the Yankees have a chance to get Juan Soto (and can sign him long term), no one should be untouchable. That’s what I think, anyway! https://t.co/8FvCwhweJ9

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) October 26, 2023

Andy Martino of SNY reports that talks are at the preliminary stage, that they have had "an initial conversation." The superstar Soto is obviously a great fit for the hitting-starved Yankees. Their offense was dreadful this past season, as they finished 24th in baseball in team OPS, 29th in batting average, and 22nd in slugging. Soto can certainly help address all of those things. 

The 25-year-old three-time All-Star has a career .946 OPS, .421 on-base and .524 slugging, while he's won three Silver Sluggers. He becomes a free agent after the 2024 season, and many are predicting he will seek a $500M deal. He turned down $400M+ from the Washinton Nationals on an extension offer in 2022, prompting them to trade him to the Padres. 

As Martino reports again now, "the strong expectation of rival executives is that Soto... would be available in the right deal.... but... don't get too excited, there are a lot of teams that would want Juan Soto."

Aside from the Yankees, there are three other teams with loaded prospect lists and/or the ability to spend big-time dollars who are already being mentioned as prime Soto suitors as well. 

Photo: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports