MLB Rumors: Grading 3 items on the Padres' offseason wish list

Padres offseason plans: Do the Padres explore a Juan Soto trade?

One of the criticisms that the Los Angeles Angels received was not trading Shohei Ohtani at the 2022 or 2023 trade deadlines when they could have received a record-setting haul.

The Padres now face a similar decision with Soto. While they won’t receive a haul similar to what they gave up to the Washington Nationals last year, Soto is a generational player who is under contract for the 2024 season. They can get a sizable haul in return for him and avoid losing him for nothing in free agency, where he is expected to receive a contract north of $400 million.

But parting with players of Soto’s caliber is not something that Preller or Seidler do, and they would have to worry about the message it would send to their star players and the remainder of the roster. Which is why a Soto trade this offseason should be considered unlikely. But if the Padres find themselves underperforming again in 2024, a midseason trade should not be ruled out.