The Juan Soto era in San Diego seems to be coming to a close soon. With a looming extension on the horizon, the San Diego Padres are fielding trade offers for the star outfielder. It was a bumpy ride, but with a rising payroll, the team is looking to cut some corners and hope to recoup some value out of the star.
There's a question that's looming on everyone's minds, though. What will be the Padres' next move after trading Soto? Surely with the star left fielder gone there should be more options for the team. It seems like San Diego is looking at some international prospects on both sides of the ball should they trade Soto, per ESPN.
“Should the Padres deal Soto and get significant pitching help back, it could free them, sources said, to pursue Jung-Hoo Lee — a Korean outfielder ranked No. 14 on Kiley McDaniel's free agent rankings who is best friends with Ha-Seong Kim, San Diego's Gold Glove-winning infielder — and Yuki Matsui, a left-handed closer from Japan, who could replace free agent Josh Hader at the back end of the Padres' bullpen.”
Note that both of the Padres' hypothetical moves revolve around replacing key players on their roster. That, of course, is dependent upon what haul they get for Soto in this scenario. Still, it's a bit surprising to see San Diego try to trade Soto, especially after bouncing back last season to have an excellent campaign.
We'll see what the Padres do in the offseason. Either way, it's likely to massively change the landscape of the MLB.
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