Juan Soto Trade Update: Talks 'reignited' between Yankees and Padres, King and Thorpe expected to be in the package
Juan Soto's move to the New York Yankees might be closer than expected as the San Diego Padres have reportedly resumed talks with the AL East franchise. MLB Insiders are claiming that the Yanks will need to give up some strong potential headliners if they are to acquire his services.
Juan Soto was one of the first names whom teams were looking to trade for. In his final year of contract with the Padres in 2024, the Dominican is expected to earn around $33 million. With San Diego looking to reduce their massive payroll, it was expected that there would be many takers for the 25-year-old.
As per John Curry on the YES Network, Soto is likely to be traded to the Yankees in exchange for some steady pitchers like Michael King and Drew Thorpe. The deal is expected to help both teams immensely as the Yankees look to settle the outfield with Soto after having traded for Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox, and the Padres add two valuable pitching staff.
"Talks have reignited and intensified between the Yankees and the Padres," Curry said. "Though Verdugo is the headline right now, there is another headline looming with Soto. The more you think about the possibility of the Yankees executing that deal and getting that done.
"If you are the Yankees this is going to sting a little bit as you are not going to acquire a future Hall of Famer in Soto without feeling a little bit of pain in the package of players you're going to give up. I think that King and Thorpe are going to part of the players the Yankees have to give to the Padres to get a guy like Soto," Curry said.
Yankees set with 3 impact outfielders if Juan Soto joins
Alex Verdugo's roster addition and the potential signing of Juan Soto has led many media outlets to confirm the Yankees as one of the strongest outfield trios in the league. With captain Aaron Judge already slotting in, Soto and Verdugo will be key figures that drive the team's success after a disappointing season that didn't yield much from the OFs.