The San Diego Padres are amid a busy offseason following a tumultuous 2023 campaign. They finished the past regular season with an 82-80 win-loss record, landing them in third place in the National League West and causing them to miss out on the playoffs.
The first domino has fallen with manager Bob Melvin departing the team after managing them for two seasons, officially joining the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, October 25.
General manager A.J. Preller has now redirected his attention towards finding a new manager and addressing other items on the team's checklist.
One of these items is the team's payroll, which they aim to reduce by $50 million for the upcoming 2024 season. They are considering trading their star left fielder, Juan Soto, to achieve this goal.
Even before the departure of Melvin, it was already widely known within the organization that the former manager favored dealing Soto.
The Padres are reportedly leaning on trading the three-time MLB All-Star to avoid a potentially huge contract when he hits free agency in 2025, preferring to cash out right now on a possible windfall.
Soto made $23 million in 2023.
Read more: Atlanta Braves Make First Move of the Offseason After Disappointing Playoff Exit in 104-Win Season
Opposite rumors for Soto
Several contrasting rumors have emerged, with sources from New York stating that the Yankees and Padres have begun preliminary discussions for the 25-year-old Dominican.
On the other hand, other sources have claimed that San Diego and New York have yet to speak during the offseason.
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