Will Juan Soto's Time with Padres Hurt His Free Agent Market?

Sam Garcia | Sep 21, 2024

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

At the end of every season, a handful of players become eligible for free agency. One big name that headlines the list of pending free agents is New York Yankees' outfielder Juan Soto. 

The Padres traded the four-time MLB All-Star alongside center fielder Trent Grisham to the Yankees in exchange for five prospects in December. Soto played a season and a half with San Diego, missing the postseason in his only full season with the franchise in 2023. 

Bob Nightengale of USA Today told Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation he thinks Juan Soto’s tenure in San Diego could scare off other teams — including the Dodgers — from signing Soto in free agency.

“If you’re the Dodgers you say, ‘you know what, this guy was in San Diego for a year and a half and he did nothing for them. I didn’t see any World Series banners go up with the Padres. The Padres, for whatever reason, they’re a better team without him than with him. I think the Dodgers look at that too like, ‘OK, what happened with San Diego?’ Let him stay out east,” Nightengale told McKain.

Although Soto failed to bring a World Series championship to San Diego, he has accomplished the feat before. In his second MLB season with the Washington Nationals in 2019, Soto won his first World Series title against the Dodgers’ rival, the Houston Astros. 

Soto sustained an injury during the Yankees' game on Thursday, which was initially diagnosed as a left knee contusion. According to MLB.com, he will undergo precautionary X-rays but he is starting to feel better. Other than this potential stint on the injured list, Soto has remained off the IL since May 2021. Considering the Dodgers' consistent battle with injuries this season, Soto's durability would be advantageous for the team.

In addition to durability, Soto offers a powerful bat. He won the 2022 Home Run Derby and has been named a National League Silver Slugger for the past four seasons. Soto ranks in the top 10 of the American League in several batting metrics, including runs (120), home runs (40), batting average (.286), on-base percentage (.418), slugging percentage (.575), OPS (.993), total bases (315), RBIs (103), and hits (157).

Looking at Soto’s baseball resume, passing up on the opportunity to acquire the 25-year-old solely because of his short stint with the Padres would be unwise. San Diego has only made it to two postseasons since 2006. Therefore, the Padres have been the common denominator in consistently missing the postseason.