Yankees' Juan Soto Trade Talks Stall, Padres Demand Shocking Return Despite Diminishing Market

Earlier this week reports emerged that the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres were now sitting on the negotiation table. The Yankees want Juan Soto, the Padres want pitching prospects. If only things were as simple as they sounded. In a strange twist, the talks have stalled.

The Padres are in dire need of lowering their payroll but that won’t make things easy for the Bombers. The Yankees are worried about Soto’s present contract situation but are willing to bet on him for a year. But the costs that the Pads are putting up are too high for the Yankees to digest.

Negotiations spell trouble for the Yankees-Soto union

Jon Heyman of the New York Post went into detail about the problems both teams are facing. The Yankees had declined to include Jasson Dominguez and Anthony Volpe. But the Pads have named Michael King and Drew Thorpe as well. While the Yankees are reluctant to leave King, especially as he has risen to be the rotational striker, they might not have another choice.

Heyman wrote that the costs are too high according to the Bombers. “The Yankees see the current player cost as way too high based on the Padres’ latest ask, which was said to be very pitching heavy.” Though the Pads have offered their CF Trent Grisham as well, they want the Yankees to pay most of the paycheck.

Juan Soto is reportedly expected to have a $30 million plus salary this year. That’s a big amount, especially considering he’ll become a free agent next year. A contract extension doesn’t seem like a possibility after he declined the $440 million from the Washington Nationals. That deal had an AAV of $29 million and Soto could be looking to have much more next year.

The biggest problem, however, will be if he joins another team next year. A one-year rental for $30 million plus is expensive enough but to lose quality prospects as well seems like a tough deal for the Pinstripes.

Why the Padres are playing hardball

Though the Pads need to lower their payroll, they have lost multiple pitchers this season. They’re heavily short on quality pitching options and trying to leverage Soto into getting some starting pitchers.

The Friars also know that if they wait for the Shohei Ohtani race to end, they’ll have more teams interested in Soto. Especially the ones that missed out on Shotime.

So with a big roadblock in their negotiations, one will have to wait before seeing Soto in pinstripes.

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