MLB Insider Gives ‘65%’ Chance That Juan Soto Gets Traded This Offseason

San Diego has a major decision to make this offseason.

San Diego Padres star Juan Soto has been in the news all offseason as the team tries to figure out if they will trade him or not. He is entering the final year of his contract, and the team could get some nice value back for him right now.

So far, they have shown an unwillingness to pay what it would take to retain him long-term, leading to the trade speculation. There have been many conflicting reports about a potential Soto trade, and nobody really knows what is going on.

However, MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post is giving the Padres a 65 percent chance to trade their star outfielder this winter. Heyman laid out percents for multiple players, with Soto being top the top of the list of likely players to be moved.

“The Padres need to cut money and are listening, and the untimely death of beloved and admired team owner Peter Seidler is yet another reason rivals believe the Padres won’t continue to collect stars. While there’s no likelihood Soto would forgo free agency now — agent Scott Boras and Soto would consider an extension but only at their price, surely well above the $440M he turned down from the Nats — he still has good value. Rivals see the Padres getting two top-100 prospects for him. One caveat: If the Padres somehow get Shohei Ohtani, Soto will surely go. Odds to be traded: 65 percent.”

Per Jon Heyman of The New York Post

Trading Soto away would make sense for the Friars this offseason, especially given their desire to shed salary. They could use the pieces that they get back in any deal to stash in their farm system, or to go get a more proven player that could help in 2024.

The team runs the risk of having Soto get injured or have a down year to start if they keep him entering the year, but that remains a possibility. It remains to be seen if Soto will be dealt, but there is a ton of smoke around the chance of a trade this offseason.