NASHVILLE, Tenn. One of baseball’s most accomplished and durable young left-handed hitters is available because the San Diego Padres need to save money and will most likely be unable to pay him when he becomes a free agent after the 2024 season.
One of sports’ most storied franchises is coming off a disappointing season that was defined largely by the team’s inability to balance out an oft-injured lineup that had far more right-handed power than it could secure from the left.
Juan Soto, who has demonstrated his ability to transform a lineup on his own, could provide the New York Yankees with exactly what they need to make their lineup more stable and balanced. They should not pass up the opportunity to let him.
According to reports, the Yankees and Padres have discussed a potential Soto trade. The Padres’ asking price — reportedly seven young players, or more than the Padres needed to acquire Soto and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals two summers ago — was too high for the Yankees. Soto is currently available for a one-year lease. It’s understandable that you don’t want to empty the farm system.
From the vaults: The Nats trade Juan Soto to the Padres, a game-changing move for both the sport and the franchise.
However, the Padres require affordable starting pitching for their major league roster and could benefit from some minor league depth as well. Clarke Schmidt, Michael King, Randy Vásquez, Jhony Brito, and others have it. Few teams consider starting pitching to be expendable, and with Luis Severino signing a free agent deal with the New York Mets, the Yankees could certainly use some depth. However, they are pursuing 25-year-old Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and have reason to believe that Carlos Rodón, last year’s free agent prize, will have a bounce-back season.
What they lack is a quick fix for an aging, unbalanced lineup that will almost certainly require an overhaul by a front office under pressure to win now. Such fixes are difficult to find for any team, but they are especially difficult to find in the Bronx, where more than one established star has faded under scrutiny. However, in a small sample size, Soto has thrived as an opponent in New York. In 33 career games at Citi Field, the Mets’ home stadium, he has a.339 average, 1.165 OPS, and 11 home runs. Nationals Manager Dave Martinez expressed concern about his former pupil’s ability to handle the pressures of New York not hesitate
“No,” he said Monday at MLB’s winter meetings, as a half-dozen Yankees reporters pressed him.
But that is a problem for another day. The more pressing obstacle for the Yankees, at least in terms of their willingness to pay what the Padres demand, is that Soto, who is represented by Scott Boras, will be a free agent after this season. Before being traded to San Diego, he and Boras famously turned down a $400 million extension offer from the Nationals. Boras was adamant — and continues to be — that Soto is a special player deserving of a bank-breaking, if not record-breaking, contract. As a result, any team that signs him for next season must accept the possibility that he will leave after the season.
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