With Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings set to get underway in Nashville this Sunday, many fans are hopeful that there will finally be some big transactions in the offseason.
While free agent Shohei Ohtani is undoubtedly the top prize on the market, San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto isn’t far behind.
At just 25 years old, Soto has made three straight All-Star teams and has won four straight Silver Sluggers.
Soto is projected to get a monstrous contract next offseason when he’s set to become a free agent for the first time in his career, but the Padres have also started exploring trading the young star.
One team that is reportedly very interested is the New York Yankees. SNY’s Andy Martino provided an update on the Yankees’ pursuits Wednesday, saying the teams have been discussing players.
“Talks between the Yankees and the San Diego Padres about a Juan Soto trade have progressed to the point of exchanging names on players, league sources say. San Diego’s initial ask was very high — understandably so — and the teams are not close to an agreement.” Martino wrote.
He went on to mention some of the names reportedly being discussed, “While the exact names are not known, the Padres are said to be looking at top prospects/rookies like Jasson Dominguez and Anthony Volpe, young major league pitchers in the Michael King/Clarke Schmidt category, and more. That is standard behavior at the beginning of trade talks for a superstar player. It was also standard behavior for the Yankees to say no, but want to keep talking.”
Originally signed by the Washington Nationals as an international free agent in late 2015, Soto debuted with the team in 2018. He spent his first four-and-a-half MLB seasons in Washington before being traded to San Diego midway through the 2022 season.
[SNY]
