In Juan Soto trade talks, Yankees and Padres far apart but Blue Jays are suitors: Sources

By Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin and Brendan Kuty

As of Friday afternoon, the Yankees and Padres were far apart on a deal involving outfielder Juan Soto, according to sources briefed on the discussions. The negotiations are not taking place in a vacuum. The Yankees face competition for the left-handed slugger.

The Blue Jays are one of several teams talking to the Padres about Soto, sources said. Soto, 25, would be an ideal fit for the Jays if they fail to land the game’s top free agent, Shohei Ohtani. And if the Padres wait, other teams that miss out on Ohtani could enter the fray.

The Padres are seeking a big, multi-player return for Soto, including major-league-ready or near major-league-ready pitching, according to an official with one of the clubs interested. It also is possible the Padres will accept lower-level prospects if they believe those pitchers are sufficiently talented. But Nick Martinez already has left for the Reds as a free agent, and Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo and Josh Hader are also likely to depart on the open market, leaving the Padres with immediate needs.

From the Yankees, the Padres’ targets include Clarke Schmidt, who had a 4.64 ERA in 159 innings last season, and Michael King, who is a sell-high candidate after producing a 1.88 ERA in eight starts at the end of the season. The Yankees currently view King as part of their 2024 rotation, but he also is proven as a quality multi-inning reliever.

From the Blue Jays, the Padres could seek a package including one or more pitchers from a group that includes top prospect Ricky Tiedemann, Bowden Francis and Alek Manoah. The Jays, like other clubs, would be concerned about paying Soto $30 million-plus for one season, then likely losing him as a free agent. But they are under pressure to win.

The Padres, in their discussions with the Yankees, have proposed attaching Trent Grisham to Soto, a source said. Such a deal would allow the Yankees to address their needs in both center field and left field. But Grisham, projected to earn nearly $5 million in arbitration, batted just .198 with a .666 OPS last season.

One possibility for the Padres, if they are unable to strike a satisfactory deal with a single trading partner, would be to involve a third club. The Mariners, for example, have desirable pitching, but might not want to part with it for only one year of Soto. Regular trading partners of the Padres, the Mariners could acquire longer-term offensive pieces from the team that lands Soto while sending pitching to San Diego.

After Ohtani, Soto is the best hitter available in trade or free agency. Any team that acquires him, however, will face long odds signing him to an extension. Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals, prompting his trade to the Padres at the 2022 deadline. His agent, Scott Boras, prefers his clients to establish their values through open bidding.

(Juan Soto could be headed north of the border: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)