Throughout the offseason the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we debated which MLB team will be the next to win its first ever World Series. This week we're going to tackle the biggest name on the trade market.
Will Juan Soto get traded this offseason? If so, where?
R.J. Anderson: I lean yes. I'll go with the Yankees as the landing spot, but there are several other teams who make sense for him. The Yankees need the offensive help, and Lord knows they have the means to retain him on a long-term basis. Ideally, the team acquiring Soto would be able to slot him in at DH sooner than later. That might not be the case for the Yankees, but that probably isn't reason enough to punt on the opportunity.
Dayn Perry: I'll say no. GM AJ Preller may be on the hot seat, and he's fully aware that trading Soto would significantly damage the Pads' hopes of having a rebound season in 2024. Maybe he is under order to trim payroll, but there are paths to do that without dealing Soto. The salaries of Blake Snell and Josh Hader, both free agents, are coming off the books, and Yu Darvish's salary will drop significantly next season. Add those up, and it's already $40 million.
Matt Snyder: I'm a no. I think the Padres are going to try and run it back as best they can, which means holding Soto for another year -- or at least until the trade deadline, depending upon how well they play. It might sound ridiculous to suggest they should just try it again, after all, 2023 was such a colossal failure. And yet, they finished just two games out of a playoff spot and the team that was two games in front of them was in the World Series. That's how close the Padres were, despite so many negatives. Replacing the production of Blake Snell and Josh Hader, who will surely sign elsewhere in free agency, will be very difficult, but otherwise there's a lot of things that will go better moving forward.
Mike Axisa: I said yes and to the Yankees in my offseason bold predictions, so I kind of have to stick with that, right? I do think Soto will get traded though -- I know Preller recently said they plan to keep him in 2024, but what's he supposed to say? -- mostly because I don't know how else the Padres can get payroll down to $200 million while fielding a competitive rotation. They need pitching and don't have much money to spend, and Soto seems unlikely to sign a long-term extension before testing free agency next offseason. Trading him is the most straightforward way to save money and add cheap young talent the rotation. The Yankees are one of the few teams that can absorb Soto's $30-plus-million salary through arbitration, and also has upper level pitching to spare. It fits.
