Padres News: MLB Insider Provides Bombshell Update Regarding Juan Soto Trade Rumors

The will they, won't they continues on!

The biggest question that surrounds the San Diego Padres early in the offseason is what they will do with star outfielder Juan Soto. He will be entering the final year of his contract this season, and the team knows that they need to shed payroll this winter.

It was thought for some time that the Padres would move Soto this winter, but his agent Scott Boras poured some cold water on that recently, saying that Soto was in the plans for the Padres next season.

“Boras dismissed speculation that Soto would be traded during his widely attended scrum on Wednesday morning, saying his conversations with San Diego Padres officials have led him to believe that the 25-year-old hitting savant would remain a fixture in their lineup in 2024.”

Per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com

Even President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller noted that the team was still exploring the option of an extension with Soto, doubling down on this notion. But to this date, the Padres haven’t shown a strong willingness to pay Soto what it would take to keep him in San Diego.

And yet even with this talk from Boras and Preller, the rest of the industry doesn't buy it. They all see the Padres needing to trade Soto this winter to maximize their return.

"That’s the perception throughout the industry, even though Scott Boras and AJ Preller say otherwise," Gonzalez said.

"'I don’t think they have much of a choice,' said one rival GM."

Per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com

The entire situation remains a mystery and if the team doesn't move Soto this offseason, the Padres could be playing a dangerous game if they aren’t planning on resigning him long-term. But Preller has been known to take risks over the years, so maybe this is the next one on his long resume.