The San Diego Padres fell well short of their expectations in 2023. San Diego made a late-season push but ultimately missed the playoffs. Now the attention turns to the future. Padres fans, and everyone around the MLB world for that matter, are wondering whether or not San Diego will sign Juan Soto to a long-term contract extension. Padres president of baseball operations AJ Preller addressed the topic on Wednesday, via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

“A.J. Preller says the ‘first path' with Juan Soto this offseason is to work out an extension. Asked whether he'd consider trading Soto, Preller said, ‘We've never been a group that says no to anything. I wouldn't read into that. That's just kind of the way we operate,'” Cassavell reported.

Padres looking to sign Juan Soto to contract extension

Juan Soto, Padres

Soto is under team control through the 2024 season and is set to hit free agency next offseason. The Padres are hoping that doesn't happen.

Signing Soto to a long-term deal, however, will be difficult. He will turn just 25-years old towards the end of October and was a bright spot for the Padres amid the team's overall underperformance during the '23 campaign.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen grabs attention with 7-word rain delay post
Tony Gwynn Jr. hits back at disrespectful HOF post about dad
Padres vs. Pirates prediction, odds, pick – 8/7/2024
Joe Musgrove’s encouraging take after long injury layoff

Despite not even being 25 yet, Soto has played in the big leagues since 2018. He's already won a World Series and has led the league in walks three times, batting average once, OBP twice, slugging percentage once, OPS once, and OPS-plus once. Additionally, Juan Soto is a three-time All-Star. In 2023, he slashed .275/.410/.519 with a .930 OPS and 35 home runs.

Soto is arguably the most disciplined hitter in MLB, something that is rare for young players. His ability to get on base at an elite rate combined with his impressive power makes him one of baseball's most dangerous threats at the plate. If pitchers try to work around him, Soto will gladly take the walk. If a pitcher attempts to challenge Soto, however, he will make them pay.

Juan Soto is going to get paid a lot of money. The question is whether or not it will be the Padres paying him this offseason, or if he will have to wait until 2024 free agency.