A recent move by the San Diego Padres has led to speculation that a major cutback on payroll is in order, meaning several big-named players could be traded this winter.
One such player? 25-year-old All-Star Juan Soto, whom the Padres acquired in a 2022 blockbuster trade with the Washington Nationals. Soto has one year remaining on his contract and is expected to earn over $400 million on his next deal.
Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported that the Padres took out a $50 million loan “to address short-term cash flow issues and meet their obligations” back in September.
Following The Athletic’s report, Mike Axisa of CBS Sports floated the idea of the Padres trading Soto in order to cut payroll:
“Given their current payroll commitments, it seems likely the Padres will at least entertain trade offers for Juan Soto this offseason. Soto is a year away from free agency and unlikely to sign an extension without first testing the open market, and his arbitration salary figures to clear $30 million. Trading Soto would be the quickest way to clear payroll and add cheap young talent.
Other big money players like Xander Bogaerts, Yu Darvish, Manny Machado, and Joe Musgrove have full no-trade protection and would be difficult to flip in a salary-clearing move. Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim would certainly appeal to some teams, though both will make approximately $7 million in 2024. Trading them would only save so much cash.”
Soto helped the Padres reach the NLCS last year, but they were eliminated by the Philadelphia Phillies. This past year, the Padres finished 82-80 and missed the playoffs, with many calling them the most disappointing team in MLB history.
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Soto certainly wasn’t at fault for the Padres’ disappointing year, however. He had another excellent year with a .275 batting average, .930 OPS and 35 homers with 109 RBI.
San Diego would get a king’s ransom in a potential Soto trade, but moving him out also greatly reduces their odds of winning the franchise’s first World Series championship in 2024. Needless to say, GM A.J. Preller has a very stressful decision to make, one that could make or break the franchise for years to come.
