Let’s make this 100% clear, the San Diego Padres don’t need to trade one of their star players whether it be Juan Soto or Fernando Tatis Jr. I mentioned that a while back and I’ll say it again. Recent reports state that the Padres and Yankees are far apart on a deal.
Soto is a Hall of Fame-caliber player that any team would want in their lineup. The Padres are no different. They may be shopping him on the market to see if a team comes calling with the package they want.
The biggest reason for the reports that one of the Padres star players will be traded, is the payroll. The Padres had to take out that loan, not because they went overboard on salary. I will break it down why they had to:
A: They lost their deal with Bally Sports. Does anyone remember that whole ordeal where Diamond Sports filed for bankruptcy and had to drop some team’s streams? The Padres were one of those and had a $1.2 Billion contract with the streaming company. With Bally Sports opting out of that deal, they refused to make the most recent payment. Losing that big of a TV rights contract would hurt any team. Especially, one that had high hopes.
B: The Padres failed to make the playoffs. With the amount of star players that the Padres have, you kind of expect to make the postseason. In fact, you would expect them to make a deep run. At the end of the season though, the Friars found themselves finishing 82-80. Which meant, no playoff bonus. Per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the MLB pools together all postseason gate receipts (i.e. ticket sales) and disburses that money based on how far teams advance.
Combine those two things and that’s a lot of money that Padres were betting on having that they missed at the end of the season. That’s entirely the main reason why trade rumors are swirling around Juan Soto or any other star in San Diego. Though, the Padres aren’t pushing it to happen.
“He’s as good an offensive player as there is, right? He’s a machine offensively,” Yankees Manager Aaron Boone told reporters. “On-base, power. Has accomplished a ton already at a young age. Durable. Has been a central figure in a World Championship team.”
Much like the Yankees, the San Diego Padres will still be aiming to win in 2024. There are two reasons why the Padres’ calling price is so high on Soto is so high: he’s one of the best players in baseball (at a young age) and they don’t really want to trade him. If the Padres were pushing to make a deal, they would lower the asking price a bit, but for them it’s just not necessary. They are not headed to a rebuild, nor will they for at least a few seasons.
In a deal with the Yankees, the Padres wanted Michael King, pitching prospect Drew Thorpe, and as many as four or five other prospects. At least, thats what SNY’s Andy Martino reported.
Let’s also not forget that everyone was stating that an extension was likely to come just a season ago. The Padres could still sign the 25-year-old to a lengthy extension, they just need to find the right deal.
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