The Juan Soto sweepstakes continues as the San Diego Padres look to trade the outfielder. While the New York Yankees were the favorite to get Soto at one point, now they might not be the Juan that gets him.
Trade talks between the Yankees and Padres have stalled for now. Right now, they are nowhere close to a deal. The Toronto Blue Jays are also interested in Soto, according to The Athletic. The Boston Red Sox have also expressed interest in the Padres outfielder. The Padres are looking for a deal that includes pitchers.
“The Padres are seeking a big, multi-player return for Soto, including major-league-ready or near major-league-ready pitching, according to an official with one of the clubs interested,” The Athletic’s report states. “It also is possible the Padres will accept lower-level prospects if they believe those pitchers are sufficiently talented.”
Specifically, according to Andy Martino of SNY, the Padres asked for Yankees pitchers Michael King Clarke Schmidt, pitching prospect Drew Thorpe, and four or five more prospects like Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito. Padres center fielder Trent Grisham has also come up in the talks as the Yankees are looking for some outfielders. The Yankees did make a counteroffer to the Padres. However, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Padres didn't like the counteroffer.
So what are the chances that the Yankees land Soto? The options are slim to none right now. The Yankees don’t want to give up King. Since they want King, the Yankees should consider giving Schmidt to the Padres. I don’t know why the Yankees are reluctant to trade King and/or Schmidt. If they give up King and/or Schmidt, they could get Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who they have been going after.
Soto would be a good fit for the Yankees. He’s only 25 years old and is one of the best outfielders in the game. He can also produce on offense; this year, he hit .275 with 35 home runs, 109 RBIs, and a .930 OPS.
While Soto is a good fit, he likely won’t end up in pinstripes. The Yankees didn’t go after Manny Machado or Bryce Harper, and now they won’t get Soto unless they are willing to give up a pitcher or two. Sorry, Yankees fans, but the Yankees aren’t the Juan to get Soto.
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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