It seems almost a certain that Juan Soto will depart the San Diego Padres
According to a recent rumor, Juan Soto is almost guaranteed to depart the San Diego Padres at the forthcoming winter meetings.
The Dominican outfielder’s future has been the subject of rumors in recent weeks, but according to a new report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the real question is not if he will depart, but rather which team he will join.
The source claims that the San Diego Padres will almost certainly move Soto in order to clear payroll during the next winter meetings.
“Unlike Bregman and Bichette, Juan Soto will almost certainly be traded,” says Rosenthal.
“Both to ease the Padres’ salary burden and to get them the pitching they desperately need.”
The speculation is focused more on the team the Dominican player will join.
“The question is not whether Soto will be traded. The question is which team will acquire him,” writes Rosenthal.
Outkick recalls that Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller has a number of unexpected, often franchise-altering, changes to his credit.
In some cases he has been successful, such as the acquisition of Fernando Tatis Jr. for James Shields. But he has also had other wholly ineffective trades such as those for Francisco Mejia, Matt Kemp, Adam Frazier and Austin Nola.
The Padres are in dire need of pitching, as they have only Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish in the rotation for 2024, and already $189 million committed in existing salary.
Which team could cover Soto’s salary and trade for young pitchers?
Outkick states that both the Dodgers and Yankees could cover Soto’s salary, although they don’t have a lot of young pitchers.
The Giants could be interested in Soto and could offer left-hander Kyle Harrison. While Houston and the Tampa Bay Rays always have young pitching.