Could the Padres End Up Not Trading Juan Soto to the Yankees?

Anything is possible at this point.

Juan Soto is still a member of the San Diego Padres. That is as much as we know right now.

Despite tons of reports about the Padres and New York Yankees being close on a deal, as of the conclusion of the Winter Meetings, Soto is still donning the Brown and Gold.

The Padres are reportedly responsible for the hold-up, as they go over medical information on some of the players they would be receiving from New York.

But is it possible that this hold-up leads to the trade not happening at all? SNY insider Andy Martino reported that he's hearing "cautious optimism" that a deal will be worked out and it does not sound dead. However, that isn't exactly the most optimistic report regarding the trade.

I’m hearing cautious optimism that issues can be worked out and Juan Soto to Yankees will proceed. A lot of work has gone into this from both sides . It was supposed to get done many hours ago, but it does not sound dead.

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) December 7, 2023

The Padres are in an interesting spot, as Soto is entering the final year of his contract, and the team knows that they need to move him while his value is high. They could keep him for next season, but would then run the risk of something happening to lower his value at the trade deadline — or him walking at the end of the year for nothing.

For what it's worth, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller had this to say about a Soto trade early in the Winter Meetings before the Yankees chaos ensued.

"A hundred percent," Preller said about potentially keeping Soto. "That's a very attractive option for us: Juan hitting in the 2 or 3 hole Opening Day."



Per A.J. Preller via MLB.com

This was likely leverage from Preller to get a better trade package from the multiple teams that San Diego was engaged with, but still, he definitely left the door open.

The asking price from the Padres was initially very high, but seemed to lower on Wednesday to get close to a deal with the Yankees. Now, there's a hold-up in talks at least for the time being.

Will Juan Soto be traded this offseason? Most likely. But it sure does sound like there's at least a chance these talks fall apart.