Juan Soto trade odds favors Mets, Cubs if not dealt to Yankees

While the Yankees are hot on a Juan Soto trade, the Mets and Cubs are still expected to make strong pursuits for the Padres slugger.

With the San Diego Padres in a tricky spot payroll wise, many pundits expect the team to trade Juan Soto this offseason. While the New York Yankees have gotten plenty of buzz, they aren't the only team in on a Soto trade.

The Yankees are favored (+200) to be Soto's next team if he is traded from the Padres. But the New York Mets (+300) and Chicago Cubs (+500) round out the top three, via betonline.ag. The Boston Red Sox (+700) and San Francisco Giants (+800) have the fourth and fifth-highest odds respectively.

San Diego has the eighth-highest payroll in baseball right now at almost $146 million. That is before the team attempts to resign Blake Snell, Seth Lugo or any of their outgoing pitchers. For as good as Soto is, the Padres might not have the roster flexibility they desire with him on their roster.

But teams across MLB might be more willing to take on Soto‘s contract; even with him being a free agent after the season. The slugger is coming off of an All-Star season after hitting .275 with 109 RBI and 12 stolen bases. He has at least 27 home runs the past three years. Soto has also proven to have elite plate vision, as he led the majors with 132 walks this past year.

Both the Mets and Cubs missed out on the playoffs this past season. With aspirations to quickly turn their franchises around, both teams have been named suitors for some of the best free agents available. Both are desperate to make a splash.

They'll face heavy competition from the Yankees, but don't count the Mets or Cubs out of the Juan Soto race.