Expert Believes Padres Should Prioritize Juan Soto Over Shohei Ohtani

It is one of the biggest decisions they will have to make.

Juan Soto patiently and graciously watched this past offseason as a number of his teammates got paid by the San Diego Padres this offseason. It was reported that he himself had conversations with the front office about his own extension in the winter right after the 2022 season concluded but they didn't progress too much.

It makes sense for both sides why the star slugger hasn't gotten a deal he's signed off on yet. He's still relatively fresh to the organization with not even a full season under his belt and even though the Friars were able to assemble a lot of talent in a short period of time, they're all still getting used to each other.

Soto has been improving his numbers as of late but his start to 2023 is not the most ideal for someone looking for a contract similar to or above the one Manny Machado just received. His slash line is looking like .182/.357/.400 and he's amassed 10 hits and three home runs.

Juan Soto hasn’t found his groove this season. If we’re being honest, he hasn’t really found it since the trade. Everyone seems to think it’s easy to see why. What they don’t see is how hard it can be to fix it. https://t.co/B09pve1w6G

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) April 16, 2023

It's also fair that we point out the introduction of the pitch clock and look at that as a reason why Soto is struggling early. He shined in the WBC not too long ago without and it's something everyone now has to get used to.

However, there's also the possibility that the looming free agency of Shohei Ohtani is holding back the Padres from throwing more money at Soto. Not only would Ohtani give them yet another superstar at the plate but he is also among the best pitchers in the game.

But The San Diego-Union Tribune's Nick Canapé believes Soto should still be the priority over Ohtani due to his age and lack of risk.

"It’s Soto. And that would mean passing on one of the greatest all-around baseball talents in history. Soto is four years younger and knows the real estate, but what’s far more significant is that Ohtani also carries a higher risk quotient. Soto, who still has two seasons before free agency, is one of the finest young batsmen in the game. Granted, we have not seen the entire bouquet of his hitting talents since he arrived at Petco late last year. But he will hit."

(Via The San Diego-Union Tribune)

As generational as Ohtani, I like Soto's age and resume a lot more and it is important to note he's been with the team through up's and down's already.