We asked AI to predict the perfect Juan Soto trade between Yankees & Padres (and its answer may prove to be a spoiler)
The San Diego Padres appear ready to move on for young superstar Juan Soto, as the outfielder's name has appeared in trade rumors over the past few months. Although there are likely a number of teams interested in acquiring his services, the New York Yankees have emerged as the most likely candidate when it comes to a trade.
"Talks between the Yankees and Padres about a Juan Soto trade have progressed to the point of exchanging names on players, per @martinonyc San Diego’s initial ask was very high, and the teams are not close to an agreement" - @TalkinYanks
The ultra-talented Juan Soto is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility and it remains unclear whether the Padres are willing to sign the outfielder for the long-term, lucrative deal that he desires. This has led many to believe that the Friars will be looking to move on from Soto in a trade at some point before the next trade deadline.
"A potential Juan Soto trade between the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres would undoubtedly be one of the biggest blockbuster deals in MLB history. Both teams have expressed interest in acquiring the young superstar, and a deal could reshape the landscape of the league." - Google Bard
Although it seems inevitable at this point that there will be a deal between the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, the pieces involved are difficult to assess. Certain fanbases may be biased in terms of the pieces involved in a potential trade, so we went to artificial intelligence to propose a trade for both teams.
Before getting into the details of the trade, it's worth mentioning that the artificial intelligence that we used (Google Bard) admitted that a potential Soto trade is complicated, while also costing the New York Yankees in terms of prospects. Here is the trade that the AI program suggested, and it's quite the blockbuster indeed.
The New York Yankees would need to deplete their farm system to land Juan Soto according to Google Bard
"To Yankees: Juan Soto, OF .... To Padres: Anthony Volpe, SS Jasson Dominguez, OF Clarke Schmidt, RHP Chase Hampton, RHP" - Google Bard
This is the kind of deal that most New York Yankees fans would scoff at given the amount of young talent Google Bard is suggesting that they send to the San Diego Padres.
It remains to be seen if the New York Yankees would be willing to trade even one of Jasson Dominguez or Anthony Volpe in a potential Soto deal. As the two players are among the most coveted assets in the team's organization, it seems unlikely that the club would be willing to include both in a potential trade.