Juan Soto has a new team.
The San Diego Padres reportedly agreed to trade the All-Star outfielder to the New York Yankees on Wednesday, according to MLB Network's Joel Sherman and the New York Post's Jon Heyman.
Trade ends Soto era in San Diego
Soto's exit signals a move to cut payroll in San Diego after a spending spree under late owner Peter Seidler produced a trip to the NLCS in 2022 before a disappointing 82-80 campaign in 2023 fell short of the postseason.
Soto is approaching his final season of arbitration eligibility and is reportedly expected to command $33 million for the 2024 season in lieu of a long-term deal. It's a price the Padres weren't willing to pay alongside the risk of losing him for nothing when he becomes a free agent next winter.
Soto played one-and-a-half seasons with the Padres following a blockbuster trade from the Washington Nationals at the 2022 MLB trade deadline. During his time in Washington, he emerged as arguably baseball's best hitter.
After helping the Nationals to a World Series championship in 2019, Soto finished in the top five in MVP voting in consecutive seasons. He won a batting title while slashing .351/.490/.695 in 2020's COVID-19-shortened season. He followed with a slash line of .313/.465/.534 with 29 home runs, 95 RBI and nine stolen bases in 2021 while finishing second to Bryce Harper in MVP voting.
His ascendance triggered lucrative, long-term contract negotiations with the Nationals that never came to fruition. Soto reportedly rejected a 15-year, $440 million offer in 2021, a decision that opened up the trade market and ultimately led to his landing in San Diego.
Juan Soto never seemed to fit with Padres
Soto joined a Padres roster featuring fellow All-Stars Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth and Fernando Tatis Jr., alongside a pitching rotation featuring Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove. The Padres also signed All-Star infielder Xander Bogaerts to a $280 million contract ahead of the 2023 season. Soto's arrival had signaled the intent of the previously frugal Padres to go all-in to compete for the franchise's first World Series championship.
Instead, Soto struggled in his first half-season in San Diego and never reached the heights of his MVP candidacy in Washington. He slashed .236/.388/.390 in 52 games with the Padres in 2022. San Diego made the postseason despite those struggles and the loss of Tatis to injury and PED suspension.
In 2023, Soto returned to All-Star form while slashing .275/.410/519 with a career-high 35 home runs. But the Padres finished third in the NL West and never really challenged for a postseason berth. Now, without a long-term contract for Soto, the Padres have prioritized spending elsewhere for 2024.
Soto, still just 25, will likely command one of the richest contracts in baseball history when he eventually secures a long-term deal.
