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Juan Soto May Be Traded Once Again

Isiah Wardlaw / MLB / July 5, 2023

Juan Soto Padres — Juan Soto may be dealt at the deadline after a rocky season with the Padres. (Nick Wass/AP Photo)

Juan Soto May Be Traded Once Again

The San Diego Padres have had a disappointing 2023 season. After going 2-9 through their last 11, they’re sitting at a meager 40-46 in a tough NL West division. Unthinkable as it might be, the San Diego Padres are approaching the Aug. 1 trade deadline and could consider Juan Soto to be a worthwhile trade.

The Washington Nationals shipped Soto and Josh Bell in exchange for a titanic haul of five prospects and veteran first baseman Luke Voit at last year’s deadline.

After a slow start with the Padres in 2022, Soto has begun to put up his typically impressive numbers this year. The 24-year-old is batting .274 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs and was named an NL All-Star on Sunday. Soto is getting on base a ton and is slugging as well as he ever has, sitting at a .423 OBP and slugging .493.

The Padres standout is in the running for the NL MVP nod behind Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, and Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers, per oddsmakers at BetMGM.

San Diego has spent a lot of money on stars like Manny Machado ($31 million/year), Fernando Tatis Jr. ($24 million/year) and ex-Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts ($25 million/year). According to Spotrac, the Padres have a team payroll of $246.5 million for the 2023 season, putting them behind only the New York Mets ($348.5 million) and the New York Yankees ($279.4 million). Re-signing Soto likely would result in a $40 million annual contract, an amount the Padres may not be willing to spend.

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Soto’s one-year, $23 million contract is set to expire next season, and there’s no guarantee the superstar outfielder will want to stay after another disappointing year for the Padres. For context, the Nationals were willing to pay Soto a massive 15-year, $440 million deal that would have made him the highest-paid player in baseball history, but he didn’t want to play for a losing club.

With all of this money floating around and little success, it may be better for the Padres to trade Soto for a number of picks and build on a mid-tier farm system that could help generate more talent for the team.

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