MLB Insider Still Believes Padres Will Lower Payroll, Leading to Juan Soto Trade

The Juan Soto saga continues.

The San Diego Padres enter this offseason as one of the strangest teams in the entire league. They have a solid core of All-Star talent in place for years to come, but they also have signaled that they want to shed salary this winter.

They went all-in for 2023, and it came back to bite them. So, it seems that they want to get out from under some of the money on payroll, which could lead to them making some major moves.

One of those is trading away star outfielder Juan Soto and there has been more buzz than ever on a potential deal. He will be entering the final year of his contract, and the Padres may not be willing to spend what it would take to retain him long-term, leading to a trade this winter.

There have been conflicting reports about a potential Soto deal, but many do believe that he will be traded at some point. This includes MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who is reporting that they will eventually trade their star to shed salary.

“The Padres still are expected to lower their payroll, which would likely mean that they will eventually trade outfielder Juan Soto.”

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today

Trading away Soto would sting, but it could help the team in the long run. They have a lot of money tied up in players already, and the Padres may not be willing to add more.

They could get a nice haul back for the star outfielder, and then use those players to get someone else on a more team-friendly deal. Or they could just add the prospects to their farm system with the hope that another star becomes available at some point.

The Padres have a ton of options this offseason, but it all starts with what they do with Soto. He is the catalyst for their winter plans, and hopefully, we have more clarity about this situation soon.