Following a disappointing 2023 season, the Yankees may be ready to make a splash.
SNY reported on Wednesday that the Yankees have engaged in preliminary discussion with San Diego regarding superstar Juan Soto.
The Yankees have the proverbial prospect ammunition to consummate a trade of this magnitude. Per MLB Pipeline, New York currently has five of the top 100 prospects in the sport: Spencer Jones, Jasson Dominguez (currently injured), Everson Pereira, Chase Hampton, and Drew Thorpe.
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Similar to the Mets under Steve Cohen, the Yankees have been previously reluctant to trade high-end prospects.
But Soto, who has also been linked to the Mets this offseason, is different.
A three-time All-Star who slashed .275/.410/.519/.930 with 35 HR and 109 RBIs in 2023. Soto is still only 25 years old.
The Yankees, coming off an 82-80 season which, by their standards felt like 62-100, have bunkered down in organizational meetings recently, attempting to decipher what course of action they should take as an organization – rely more on traditional scouting or continuing with their data-first mentality.
Either way, one thing the Yankees brass has reached detente with – they need to inject their organization and fan base with new enthusiasm, which an acquisition such as Soto would clearly bring to the Bronx.
Why would the Padres, coming off their own disappointing 82-80 season, consider dealing Soto?
Currently scheduled for free agency following the 2024 season, Soto could easily request a contract in the neighborhood of 10 years, $ 550-600 million. And the Padres are already committed to long-term contracts with Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Fernando Tatis, Jr.
And although the Padres also currently have five of the top 100 prospects in baseball, an opportunity to further bolster their farm system will promote their desire for sustained success in addition to chips for future potential trades.
San Diego general manager A.J. Preller is quoted as saying that the Padres “have never been a group that says no to anything…That’s just kind of the way we operate.”
The Yankees, for many years, operated by frequently pursuing stars. Following a disappointing season, maybe an aggressive pursuit of Soto is what the doctor ordered.
