Juan Soto's Agent Says Star Would Still Be With Padres if Peter Seidler Didn't Die

Seidler wanted to re-sign Soto.

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Less than a year and a half after giving up a massive haul of prospects to acquire Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals, the San Diego Padres reversed course and traded Soto away to the New York Yankees. The Padres sent Soto and Trent Grisham to the Yankees in exchange for Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez, and Kyle Higashioka.

Soto's agent, Scott Boras, said that the Padres would have never traded Soto to the Yankees had former Padres owner Peter Seidler not died.

“If Peter Seidler were still alive," Boras told USA TODAY Sports, “none of this would be happening. Juan would have been with the Padres. He never would have been traded to the Yankees.

“He’d be a Padre today."

Seidler and Boras were discussing a contract extension for Soto when Seidler's illness prevented the talks from continuing. Seidler died in Nov. 2023.

“Peter and I were knee-deep in Juan Soto (contract) discussions," Boras said, via Bob Nightengale. “Well advanced. His illness really stopped the process because we knew the organization would be different. He wanted to push it through even though he was ill."

The Padres would trade Soto less than a month after Seidler died.

“Peter was not trading Juan Soto," Boras said. “No way. He kept saying, 'I traded for a franchise. I’m not giving him up.' He couldn’t believe they [the Nationals] traded Juan Soto. He loved Juan."

The Padres failed to make the playoffs in the lone full season Soto spent in San Diego, with reports indicating that Soto and the Padres were not a fit. The Padres did make the playoffs with Soto in 2022, the year he was traded to the team.

After Soto left, the Padres returned to the playoffs in 2024, advancing to the National League Division Series where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Soto, meanwhile, put in a career-year with the Yankees. Soto recorded a career-high 41 home runs and made his fourth straight All-Star Game in 2024, while helping the Yankees make their first World Series since 2009.

Soto has been the best player for the Yankees so far during their World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with three hits, three runs, one home run, and one RBI through two games.

Perhaps the trade was the best outcome for both Soto and the Padres, but Boras believes that Soto would have led the Padres to the World Series this season had they stayed.