Padres' Insider reveals team's approach for trading $23,000,000 star Juan Soto to the YankeesÂ
San Diego Padres are reportedly in talks with the New York Yankees to trade for All-Star outfielder Juan Soto. Amid these trade speculations, Insiders Sal Licata, Andy Martino and Bryan Hoch of SNY reacted to the news that the Yankees and Padres have been in touch about a possible trade of Juan Soto on "Baseball Night in New York".
They talked about what such a trade would entail and how much it would cost the Yankees to lure Soto to the Bronx. On January 13, 2023, Soto signed a one-year $23 million contract with San Diego, avoiding arbitration, and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
Brittany Ghiroli from The Athletic mentioned that there is a chance that Juan Soto can go to New York but the Padres will also need value against him:
"I definitely think there's a chance," she said. "It's interesting because before Andy found this info, I was talking with someone in the San Diego organization and they think it's a possibility but quote, 'We're gonna have to get 75 cents back on a dollar.' So they know they are not gonna get what the Nats (Washington Nationals) got."
The Yankees had a disastrous 82-80 season and will be on the move in the market to acquire All-Star caliber players, including Soto.
Insider reveals why Juan Soto would like to shift to New York
Adding more to the likelihood of the trade, Brittany Ghiroli mentioned that Soto will have more family time if he shifts to the East Coast:
"A lot of people don't know this, but Juan Soto is extremely close to his family," she said. "So when he got traded from Washington DC out to California, his family couldn't visit as much. His mom used to live with him in Washington DC during homestand. She brings food, all of these amenities. That wasn't possible because it was so far in San Diego."
She added:
"So I think being on an East Coast team is something that really suits him. He loves New York, he loves the atmosphere, he loves the state and certainly, as I said, family time, being able to fly and stay with him for home stands, it's something that's gonna factor in."
Given that Juan Soto could be happy to move to New York, it's perhaps just a matter of time before the Yankees and the Padres put pen to paper.