Alex Verdugo Trade Doesn't Take Yankees Out Of Juan Soto Sweepstakes With Padres

The Yankees are still very much alive in the trade talks.

The baseball world saw the first spark of the offseason on Tuesday evening with the fierce rivals, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, completing a trade. Boston sent former Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Yankees for three right-handed pitchers.

It has been talked about for months that the Yankees were targeting left-handed bats this offseason, and now they have landed one. Upon the deal being announced, many Padres' fans wondered how this affected the negotiations with the Yankees for star outfielder Juan Soto.

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, who broke the trade, confirmed that this will not have any effect on the trade talks. The Yankees are still very much alive in their pursuit to acquire Soto from the Padres.

The acquisition of Alex Verdugo should not take the Yankees out of the Juan Soto sweepstakes. New York has sought left-handed outfield bats, and Soto is the best one in MLB. You don't stop chasing stars.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 6, 2023

There has been talk in recent days that the Yankees trade talks with San Diego had stalled, but now we have confirmation that they indeed remain alive. It has long been thought that Soto would wind up in New York, and it feels like it very well could happen sooner rather than later.

The asking price for the star outfielder is incredibly high, as Soto remains one of the elite players in the game today. But it feels that either the Padres will lower their initial ask, or the Yankees will find a way to meet the price.

The Toronto Blue Jays have also emerged as serious contenders for Soto, further putting pressure on the Yankees to get a deal completed. With the Winter Meetings taking place, we should get a lot more clarity on everything — and Soto's days with the Padres seem very limited at this time.