All the signs seem to point to Padres outfielder Juan Soto being traded this offseason. The question is where?
Over the last week, the Yankees have emerged as a potential target for the 25-year-old lefty. They’ve already had a “preliminary conversation” with San Diego, who is looking to shed $50 million of payroll, according to SNY’s Andy Martino, about the slugger.
But WFAN’s Sal Licata thinks, if the Padres want a better deal, they should look to the Mets, not the Yankees.
“The Mets are in a better position financially and prospect-wise,” Licata said, via Audacy. “There’s no reason why [Shohei] Ohtani or Soto should not be playing in New York … when a guy like that becomes available, you better do everything in your power to get him.”
So the question now is: Would the Mets be interested? So far, no reports have emerged that the Mets have contacted San Diego. But the prospect depth has improved.
Licata isn’t wrong. MLB Pipeline’s mid-season farm system re-rank put the Mets farm system, ranked 11th, ahead of the Yankees, which is ranked 21st. The Mets had to eat a lot of salary in trades and give up a ton of veteran talent to increase the level of prospects in their system.
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During the season, the Mets traded Max Scherzer to the World Series champion Rangers, agreeing to pay his annual salary of $43.3 million for 2023 plus $20.8 million of his salary next season, according to Spotrac, in exchange for Luisangel Acuña, who is MLB’s No. 38 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
They also unloaded Justin Verlander back to the Astros, also agreeing to pay the same amount they did for Scherzer ($43.3 million for 2023 and $20.8 million for 2024), in exchange for Drew Gilbert, MLB’s No. 52 prospect, and Ryan Clifford, who is the team’s No. 6 ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
It’s realistic to expect that those prospects could intrigue the Padres for Soto, who will likely earn more than $30…
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