Padres Rumors: Insider Ranks Friars Superstar as Player Most Likely to Be Traded This Offseason

Could he be on the move?

The San Diego Padres took a big swing at the trade deadline.

The Friars were firmly on the buy or sell bubble in the days leading up to MLB's August 1 trade deadline, and general manager AJ Preller decided to keep San Diego's multiple stars in the organization in an attempt to make a run at a playoff spot.

So far, that risk hasn't gone how Preller hoped it would.

San Diego stands at four games out of a playoff spot and they're trailing five teams for that last ticket to the postseason.

Time will tell if the Padres can start to change their fortunes around, but the front office may just have another decision to make this offseason.

The team has a significant number of big contracts still on their books after holding onto their stars, and they could have to choose whether or not to trade one of those stars this winter if they come up short of a playoff spot.

And Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report ranks Juan Soto as the player most likely to get traded this offseason, making his presumed contract value the reasoning behind that.

If the Padres do re-open their ears to offers for Soto this winter, it presumably won’t be out of a want to move him. As much as it feels like his time in San Diego has been a letdown, by OPS+ he hasn’t been much less productive than he was for the Washington Nationals.

Rather, the cost element could be the bigger issue for the Padres. They already have more than their share of big salaries, with Soto’s due to rise from $23 million via arbitration.Is he worth it? Of course. But if the Padres get a chance to cash in one year of Soto for multiple years of one or more players who wouldn’t put as much stress on their payroll, they might just have to take it.

We'll have to see what the Padres do to close out this season and into the winter, but after being the subject of trade rumors in July, Soto could find himself on his way out of town in a few months.