Will Soto be in SD next March? “100% pre-season trade” outlook

A trade of outfielder Juan Soto (25, San Diego Padres) is reportedly very likely.

According to Yahoo Sports, ESPN’s Buster Olney was a guest on the Michael Kay Show and gave his personal opinion on the Soto trade. When asked if he thought Soto would not be in San Diego in March (next year), Olney said, “I think he’s 100 percent going to be traded before the season,” and “they’re going to have to move him to get the salary down,” according to the report.

ESPN has noted that San Diego is not in compliance with Major League Baseball (MLB) debt service coverage ratios and will need to cut spending to avoid taking on too much debt. Olney pointed to multiple long-term contracts as a reason why San Diego can’t hold onto Soto. Currently, San Diego has Manny Machado, Darvish Yu, and Joe Musgrove under multi-year contracts that will require them to continue to spend heavily.

“Those are huge contracts that can’t be moved, so I think Soto will be moved,” Olney said, adding that “other people in the front office absolutely believe that San Diego will trade Soto.” San Diego general manager A.J. Preller recently gave an ambiguous statement that the team plans to sign Soto to a long-term deal but is open to trade talks. If Soto were to be traded, it would likely be to the New York Yankees. New York local sports outlet SNY even reported that “the Yankees and San Diego have held trade talks.

Soto is one of the undisputed superstars of Major League Baseball (MLB). In his six-year MLB career, he has a .284 batting average with 160 home runs and 483 RBIs. This season, he played in all 162 games, batting .275 with 35 home runs and 109 RBIs. He boasts a stellar individual career that includes three All-Star selections and three Silver Slugger awards. He’s a key resource for the team, but the catch is that he’s a free agent after the 2024 season. 무지개토토

After earning $23 million this season, Soto is expected to make around $33 million next season. He is eligible for a salary adjustment, so a large increase is inevitable. However, after an unsuccessful fall baseball season, San Diego plans to significantly lower the team’s payroll total. According to CBS Sports, the team will trim its $250 million (330.1 billion) payroll by about $50 million (6.6 billion) by getting rid of high-priced players. The key is the retention of Soto.