The Cubs are reportedly among the teams that have interest in dealing for Padres superstar Juan Soto this offseason, per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, who reports that Chicago will be “involved” in Soto’s market. It’s the second report this week to suggest a potential trade partner for the Padres in a Soto deal, as earlier reporting indicated that the Yankees have checked in with the Padres regarding Soto’s availability.
Reports have indicated that the Padres will look to cut payroll this offseason by as much as $50MM. With key pieces of the club’s pitching staff like Blake Snell, Josh Hader, and Seth Lugo likely ticketed for free agency this winter, that leaves the club minimal room to either re-sign or replace those arms as they look to bounce back from a difficult 2023 campaign that saw them miss the postseason with an 82-80 record. A trade of Soto, who MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projects to receive $33MM in his final trip through arbitration this offseason, would free up plenty of budget space for the Padres this offseason while also providing an influx of young talent that could impact the club in 2024 and beyond.
Meanwhile, the Cubs are coming off a relatively surprising season that saw them exceed expectations. Rather than the expected sell-off that would have seen them deal Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger, the Cubs picked up third baseman Jeimer Candelario and reliever Jose Cuas at the trade deadline and entered September in good shape to return to the postseason in a full campaign for the first time since 2018. Unfortunately, the club collapsed down the stretch with a 7-15 record over their final 22 games. Ultimately, the club finished with an 83-79 record, just one game back of the Diamondbacks and Marlins in the NL Wild Card race.
With Bellinger set to hit free agency this offseason, replacing the outfielders 134 wRC+ and 4.1 fWAR figures to be a key focus of the offseason in Chicago. Soto, who slashed .275/.410/.519 with a 155 wRC+ and 5.5 fWAR in characteristically excellent 2023 campaign, would certainly fill the gap in the club’s offense left by Bellinger’s impending departure. That being said, Soto’s fit in Chicago is imperfect. Most notably, the club has both Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki locked up to patrol the outfield corners through the 2026 campaign, complicating Soto’s positional fit on the team. While Happ has plenty of experience in center field, he made no appearances at the position in 2023 and played just 12 innings there in 2022; his last season as the club’s regular center fielder was in 2020, his age-25 campaign.
Of course, that’s to say nothing of Chicago’s outfield-heavy crop of prospect talent residing in the upper minors, headlined by top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong and his elite center field defense. Both Crow-Armstrong and Alexander Canario made their big league debuts this September, while Owen Caissie, Kevin Alcantara, and Brennen Davis are also limited to the outfield. Of course, that logjam could be cleared by including one or more of the aforementioned prospects in the return package for Soto, though even in that case the Cubs would likely be forced to play Soto or Happ primarily at DH in 2023 upon the arrival of Crow-Armstrong.
Another potentially complicating factor for the Cubs is Soto’s pending free agency. With Soto set to hit the open market following the 2024 season and the Cubs still building up toward contention, it’s fair to wonder if a club better situated for a World Series run in 2024 would be more aggressive in looking to acquire Soto than the Cubs. Although an acquiring club could certainly look to extend Soto to a long-term deal after dealing for him, agent Scott Boras is known for encouraging his clients to establish their value on the open market and Soto previously rejected a $440MM extension offer from the Nationals earlier in his career.
The Cubs have rarely shown an appetite for megadeals at that level, as evidenced by last offseason’s signing of Dansby Swanson to a seven-year, $177MM deal in lieu of a pursuit of another top shortstop like Trea Turner or Xander Bogaerts, both of whom signed commitments spanning a decade or longer. That said, it’s worth noting that Soto is far younger than the typical free agent. Swanson’s current deal in Chicago runs through his age-35 season; Soto could sign a 10-year deal next offseason and celebrate his 36th birthday during October of the final year of that contract.
Levine goes on to discuss a potential return package for Soto if the Padres and Cubs were to agree on a trade. He notes that utility player Christopher Morel has garnered trade interest from multiple clubs, and that sources indicated the Padres are particularly high on him. Morel hit well during his sophomore campaign in 2023, slashing .247/.313/.508 with 26 home runs. Morel primarily served as Chicago’s DH this season, though he logged time at all three outfield spots, second base, third base, and shortstop throughout the season. While Morel has proven playable all around the diamond, he’s appeared to be a below-average fielder at most of those positions. His best defensive position appears to be second base, though in Chicago he’s blocked at the keystone by 2023 Gold Glove finalist Nico Hoerner, who’s under contract through 2026. Between Morel’s bat, versatility, and pre-arbitration status, he figures to be a sought-after piece in trade discussions with the Cubs this offseason even in spite of his defensive shortcomings.
I’m reportedly interested in the Cubs being reportedly interested here! This would be an exciting move for us!
I’m reportedly interested in your reported interest in the Cubs reportedly being interested in Soto.
Bruce Levine is a self absorbed antiquated idiot.
More blow for AJ preller and Bruce Levine!
Levine was also “sure” the Cubs would sign Correa last season.
Levine, a long with other self-professed cub fans in the Chicago media, also predict that Ohtani will end up with the cubs. Also, Nick, since you guys aren’t journalists, I guess you can get away with things like “Unfortunately, the club collapsed down the stretch…” No, the correct way to say it is “Fortunately,…”
Is there anyone NOT interested in Juan Solo? I’d invite him to dinner at my house.
I think I’ve missed the story behind that. Any way you can give me a hint?
Oh, thank you for the warning. No invites for Moises.
The biggest looming question is will ownership open their check book and give him 400+ mil. Personally as great as it would be to have Soto on the Cubs. I’d rather they go hard after re-signing Bellinger and then signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto and possibly Yuki Matsui. Give Christopher Morel as much playing time as possible at 3rd. If he works on his defense he could be a huge weapon. He already is. Work on cutting down on his strikeouts
HA!
Cubs have a top-ranked system, so its possible for something to be worked out. Cassie was a Padre draftee. Who knows, but I’d assume they’d have to overpay to get something done since SD still wants to compete.
But, you know, the Padres aren’t watching costs or anything.
As long as AJ Peller is still making the calls, Padres are not selling. The problem will be at the deadline when he still not sell.
He’ll sell if he’s told to or he won’t be in charge any longer.
Would it be safe to say the Oakland Athletics are not interested in Juan Soto?
A’s and Rockies are content with their roster construction, other than that every team with a pulse or a brain should be lighting up the Petco line. That being said, I don’t see Soto moving before the TDL. The Pads are still all-in for competing in ’24 and would have to be blown away by an offer.
In the latest report the Rockies would like to offer Kris Byant straight up for Soto.
A perfectly logical deal **if Bryant had played for the Rangers at one point.**
The Dead Trade Line DTL
Rockies recently spent a ton on Bryant and extended an injured Marquez for 2 years. Now some of their personnel moves could be questioned, but they deserve better than being mentioned with the A’s.
Agreed spending more but results aren’t there. Boras had the Rockies bidding for Bryant vs an imaginary team. He got double digits f what he would have gotten from the 29 other teams.
@gwynning
The SDP are under direction by MLB to get their finances in order, meaning cut payroll. While Soto does not have to be the piece moved, it will be multiple players if he stays. They need to add pitching, and unless its all from their minors, it will cost money.
Please provide a link or anything verifying that the Padres are under any sort of directive to cut payroll by MLB.
He’s essentially correct.
They are out of salary debt ratio compliance. It isn’t called that, and there isn’t your requested convenient link.
But when you see the end result (the 2024 roster) think back to his comment.
“reports have indicated that the Padres will look to cut payroll this offseason by as much as $50MM”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This report comes from SD UT writer Kevin Acee. There is no other source, though mlbtr has linked to Acee’s report more than 5 times in the past 2 weeks and other media are accepting is as word of god now. When pressed on this point in an interview at a sports radio station in SD, Acee would not reveal his sources, but then took a weird personal tone about it, exclaiming how it “would be prudent” blah blah blah. This is a psycho source, and since Acee’s story broke, Seidler and Preller have been asked about it and both said they have every intention of doing what it takes to compete for a WS in 2024 and no payroll limits have been set. I fully expect they will come back at $250 MIL, until I hear actual evidence to the contrary
Well considering his projected $33 million salary would double their payroll for next year, I think the A’s are not interested.
Finishes spiting coffee at the screen and whiping brow….
Las Vegas Athletics….
Old York — Interested but not capable.
I laugh at all the “Reports”. Even with his 33 Million, with what they’re losing, they’ll be under 200. He’s going to stick around , and be traded mid season if they’re not in it.
100%. He’s going at the deadline or not at all. They should keep him
Padres reportedly interested in Juan Soto if he is willing to sign for 15 years/$15 million.
Soto is a great player but he’s a disaster in the outfield & his defense will surely fall off a cliff after the impending massive contract, as it typically does. Can you have a $400 million DH & win consistently? We may find out sooner rather than later.
Disaster? Nah
I could use some help in the kitchen
Soto is in his prime at 25 and can’t play OF defense well. How bad do you think it’s going to be at 30+? He’s going to be a guy you’d rather have at DH sooner rather than later.
Agreed, he is one of the worst outfielders in the game. (Honourable mention to Schwarber.)
But he was nominated for a GG? Hahahahahaha!
Let’s not forget Joc Pederson.
Schwarber isn’t that bad. He still gets s*** on for his 2 errors in the 2015 nlcs vs the Mets. I think it was 2018 he led baseball with like 9 assists. So if he ever plays LF again don’t run on him. A lot of people forget he came up as a catcher.
He is not remotely a disaster in the outfield. No need to hyperbolize.
I’m hypobolizing, actually.
The Yankees are interested in as well. Soto would be a monster in that park and that lineup. I hope the Yankees trade for him because it would be a HUGE mistake. The Yankees desperately need pitching. Tying up more money in an already overpaid lineup is fine by me being a Red Sox fan. If the Cubs get him and keep Bellinger they had a great 3-4, decent corp and some young pitching coming.
Everyone needs pitching
Lol I hope the Yankees get him as well and play an OF of Judge, Soto, and Stanton. That’ll be brutal.
(Pat Hughes Voice). We have breaking newwws.
EVERYONE is interested in Juan Soto. Few would be wlling to give up a package of players that it would take to get him.
One year of Betts plus $48 million of David Price’s contract got the Red Sox:
– an MLB rookie that started the season as the 19th-35th ranked prospect in the game and who had produced a 3.0 WAR in 106 games, most of which were played in CF
– the 44th ranked prospect
– a MLB ready catcher that was ranked 14th in the Dodgers system.
The Padres will be asking for that at a minimum for Soto. Possibly more because of the lack of hitters in the FA market.
Do the Cubs have enough? Maybe. Would they give up a MLB player with a 3+ WAR and 5 years of control?
For those that might point to BTV, don’t. It has never been close to accurate on any trade for a superstar player. In 2020 they said that the Red Sox received nearly 2 times the value that the Dodgers did. They also seem to think 100% of prospects will become major league players when less than 20% actually ever produce more than 2 WAR in a season. So if you are going to try to mention them, don’t. I will know you are not worth reading and mute you immediately.
Few or none
More of websoulsurfer’s (plus his burners) signature “I’m right, everyone else is wrong and that’s it” bs I see.
Careful…..he will mute you immediately!!!
But did his burner accounts mute you though?
Its no longer two year of control. It’s one year. They should get back half of what they gave up for him.
There are no comparable hitters on the market other than Ohtani. Betts trade is the closest comparable.
He’ll be back in DC after next season, you heard it here first
That DC weed is pretty killer, huh?
Why wait? Surely the Padres would be happy to get back former top prospect Robert Hassell III, in return for Juan Soto and his burdensome $33M salary.
District of Coronado
Just a reminder, that report from Acee that the Padres would be cutting payroll because of debt service issues was found to be wrong just days later and ACEE reported that he was wrong. I know that this site and others keep trotting that garbage out, but the writer that originally said it has subsequently said he was wrong.
Padres won’t be cutting payroll.
Who goes first, Soto or Acee?
Acee. The UT is bleeding writers. Talking about following the NYT and going digital only in Sports. Possibly contracting with the Athletic to be its sports department.
Good luck with that.
I’m going out on a limb and saying the Cubs will not be trading for Juan Soto.
Amen.
Biggest reason is the fact that it was reported earlier this week that Melvin was in favor of trading him. Preller won’t do it for that reason alone.
I agree, don’t think they want to give the prospects and be paying a 30 million plus salary. On top of that, I’m not sure Rickets wants to handout what will be a very expensive 10 year-deal.
I don’t think Ricketts is the one that is anti ten year deals, I think that is more Hoyer.
I think the attempt to bash the Cubs for opting to spend on Swanson vs Turner or Bogaerts in this article is bs. Swanson was the smarter pick and if I remember correctly, the Cubs offered a huge contract to Correa the year prior. I also remember Epstein reportedly had the green light to spend on Harper if he was able to move Heyward.
I don’t see the Cubs trading for Soto for a few reasons, first is value, high end prospect or two plus paying Soto 33 million? There isn’t any built in value there. Soto isn’t a natural fit for the Cubs, they would be betting and banking he can play first base or biting the bullet and playing Happ back in center. Third, even adding Soto wouldn’t increase the Cubs playoff chances much and would absorb so much payroll the Cubs couldn’t improve in other areas unless they moved a fairly large contract in the trade.
I said it another story. The Cubs need Juan Soto like I need another wife. But I’m not surprised Hoyer would think so. We should of kept Breslow and made Kastrovince Asst. GM and got rid of Hoyer and Hawkins. Contract and Luxury Tax management is not their Forte. Although I’m not exactly sure what it is Hawkins does.
Wrong. If Hoyer didn’t explore options he wouldn’t be doing his job. I realize you don’t understand the complexity of a MLB GM. You should opt for silence.
Hoyer has earned plenty of slack for not extending Bryant, Baez and Rizzo. Avoiding $400M crippling contracts despite the pressure from fans and media.
4 of the Cubs top prospects were acquired by Hoyer via trade. The other, Hoyer drafted. Hoyer has acquired all of the Cubs top prospects, a system that he has rebuilt. You babble on about all the stud prospects that need to move up to Wrigley. Hoyer brought all of those players to the organization. A system that is highly regarded by every talent evaluators/analysts.
Zip it and move on.
He should have traded Bryant, Rizzo and Contreras all after 2019.
I know that if his plan is to trade prospect capital for one year contracts to try and compete year to year he should be fired right now. What good is it exactly if he traded for most of the Cubs top prospects if he then trades them away? And the role of the GM is to look after his teams player finances and with all the money they’re paying people NOT to play here, He’s not very good at it. And Hawkins is the GM. Or is he? Handing out NTC’s is a Jed thing. And it’s paralyzing the whole off season. So maybe you should, As you say, Zip it.
He would be the DH and 4th OFer most likely. CF will be manned by PCA.
Right. And cost prospects and 33 million dollars for something that Canario can do for 1 million. That’s a great use of resources.
I think you out way too much faith in prospects. I find Canaria interesting but Soto honestly is a generational talent with the bat. We are talking Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge level. He isn’t the overall player Acuna or Betts is but he is easily a top five bat.
I don’t know what a trade package for Soto looks like and that is why Hoyer is doing his due diligence
Then maybe if the idiot had used some common sense and traded Happ then he’d have more prospects to trade and HAVE a place for Soto without screwing it all up. If he really wanted Soto he should of planned ahead because, Well that’s his freaking job isn’t it?
You’re in an exceptionally bad mood today.
Hoyer doesn’t have a magic ball that tells him how the season plays out and what ownership mandates are for other teams.
This is what I know:
Soto is a generational bat
Soto is one of the marketable players in all of baseball.
Soto said he was willing to try to play first base
Soto can DH.
So there is a spot for him to play. Happ is worth the money he is getting paid and players with NTC get traded every single season. Happ is a good player, you may not was to see it but it’s true.
The Cubs may or may not be seriously interested in a Soto trade but if they are, they would clearly have a plan.
If I could swap Morel for one year of Soto right now, I would do it in a heartbeat. If I could sign Soto for 420 million right now, I would do that too and figure the rest out later. Do you know why? Because Soto is actually that good!
I just want him to have a plan and stick to it for once in his life. Gee we won 83 games so it’s time to scrap the plan and trade everything we have for a year to year fiasco that almost never works. Ah what’s the use.
You have to be adaptable. If one of the best players in the game is available you don’t poo poo on it because you “have a plan”. I mean I can plan on Steele being an ace but that doesn’t mean he won’t have Tommy John’s next year. And in the same breath, you can have a plan but when Steele does come out and pitch like an Ace, maybe that changes things a tad.
If the Cubs can’t teach Morel how to play 3B, Then what exactly makes you think they can teach Soto how to play 1B?
I’m sure you know about Morels hand injury when he was young right? But I don’t think it’s his glove that fails him, it’s his arm.
Also, Soto is only something like 5 months older than Morel, I think there is a decent chance he could learn first. I also think Morel should be able to learn first but I’m also curious about the glove… I mean when I watch him play, his glove looks fine but obviously, we don’t see him everyday.
Not really sure what Morel’s arm injury has to do with anything. It’s to his glove hand and has nothing to do with his throwing or hitting. He has said it affects his squeezing his glove hand but appears to not affect him at all. he still catches the ball just fine. In fact he catches the ball better than Suzuki who appears to lose focus and either drop the ball or miss it completely, But was ballyhooed as a Japanese Gold Glove, And has 2 good hands as far as I know. And not sure what it has to do with teaching Soto to play 1B.
My off season plan is the same.
Lock up Kastrovince at all costs. Losing him and Breslow both would hurt the minor league system and draft.
Run Morel ragged at 3B all winter and make him the best he can be.
Try and convince Stroman to opt out or trade him if he doesn’t.
If they spend ridiculous money and prospects I would rather it was for Alonso than Soto. And Bellinger over Soto for that matter.
Promote or sign one more stud P to replace Stroman.
Trade Smyly, Nobody needs a 10 million dollar LH reliever that isn’t all that great when the Cubs have 4 better options on the farm.
Pick up Gomes option
I don’t know what the deal is with Hendricks, Sounds like Hoyer doesn’t either. Not surprising for Jed the Confused.
If I get half of that I would be amazed.
Morels arm? His arm is erratic. And like you said, Morels hand injury effect his squeeze, we don’t see him everyday, how often does the Cubs staff see his “squeeze” effect him, is it worse some days as opposed to others? That’s the point. And stop being “that guy”. That guy who says “the cubs can’t teach morel to play third, what makes you think they can teach Soto to play first?” And then say “not sure what it has to do with teaching Soto how to play first”.
Also, if the prospect cost is the same or similar, you are high as a kite to prefer Alonso over Soto.
Yeah, I think if you go back and look at Hoyer’s comments, he says that very thing. He owns it, but was trying to keep the band together.
Its almost like you have no idea what you’re talking about.
“it’s paralyzing the whole off season.”
The offseason hasn’t even started BJ McKay.
“Trade Smyly, Nobody needs a 10 million dollar LH reliever.”
Do I even you to explain how stupid this comment is?
Hoyer has 3 WS rings as a top executive in 2 organizations.
You spent a lifetime in a dead end job that doesn’t even require a high school diploma. Stay in your lane. Door Dash is hiring.
How come you came out of your hole? it’s not Feb 2nd yet.
Canario has about the same chance of being great as any prospect. All prospects are suspects until proven otherwise. PCA is outstanding defensively but may not hit. I don’t think the farm has any top-end talent. Alcantara is interesting but I don’t see anyone who will be a star. And Ricketts is already on record as saying that the way to win is not by spending on high-priced free agents, it’s by incorporating young, controllable talent. He’s not wrong; however, you need some top talent and if the farm doesn’t produce it, you have spend money. Look at the Rangers – they spent like drunken sailors and less than two years later they’re champs. The problem is that the Cubs don’t seem to develop players very well. And Hoyer is very conservative and too cautious. He’s afraid of signing another Heyward. But he’s got money coming off the books and for once I’d like to see them go for the top end talent instead of settling.
He has a strong arm so I would guess that you mean that his throws are offline all the time. It would be nice to know, but for some damn crazy reason the Cubs won’t even try him there except for very rare occurrences. He came up playing the hot corner and we have nobody there, so why not see what he can do? Meanwhile, we are stuck with Ross as the manager because he’s best buddies with Jed and he does whatever the front office tells him to do.
Hoyer just signed Swanson last off-season so saying he is afraid to sign another Heyward isn’t accurate.
I think the only true impact, middle of the order bat type bat we have is Caissie. Alcantara, PCA, Shaw all have potential to be really solid players but more in line of Nico and Happ. Horton and Brown I believe both could be elite pitchers but I kind of think Brown may end up being a high leverage reliever.
I think the Cubs would be better off signing Bellinger than Soto. Good glove defense in center, right & first base. Maybe his offense comes back and stays too.
What do they do with PCA if they lock up Bellinger?
Play Bellinger at first base and/or utilize him in a super utility role of all three outfield positions and first.
How much utility qualifies as super utility?
Move Belli to 1B permanently
You lose most of his value at 1B.
Bellinger played 59 games at 1B this season. He is a quality 1B and if PCA continues to develop then that would be a bridge to cross when it happens
Simple. PCA will in CF. Belli at 1st and an occasional start in CF.
MLB team is interested in Juan Soto
The Chargers made a two year offer
No thumbs up yet? America has lost its sense of humor. That was good.
Dear Chicago Cubs Fan
Please remember that Is a Bruce Levine story which was feed to him by either Jed Hoyer or Dollar Tommy R
So before you all run out to get your Juan Soto jersey please remember the source of the story.
I.e., flush
It will never happen but Soto is exactly the player that the other Chicago team should go for. 25 year old OF that could fill their cleanup spot for next 10 years. Send any combo of TA, Kopech, Crochet, Kath and Colas to SD and then sign him to a 10 year deal with the money they never spent on Machado/Harper.
San Diego isn’t going to want those scraps. Soto is going to get more than 10 years.
Right, no scraps
Dream weaver
Lol
The list of interested should approach 20 by Halloween
In Lloyd Christmas voice: Now wait a minute.
What was all that Kyle Hiagshioka talk????
Preller signed a deal with mlbtr to release a Padre rumor at least twice daily
Agents have done it for years to drive up bidding so I’m good with FM’s doing it too. I do think Preller may have authorized these rumors just to see what might come in for consideration. Probably a better tactic than sending out a memo to GMs seeking proposals.
Bidding war! He who offers the most highest rated prospects win!
Is Soto for sure on the trading block?
No. But it would be malpractice for teams not to check in.
Both Yankees and Cubs have checked in and the season isn’t over yet.
love the cubs but the red sox need him more, headlined with a trade packaged of verdugo and brayan bello, 2 average months doesnt mean hes untradeable and would most likely get the deal done, maybe adam duvall to and a minor leaguer, done,
Duvall is a free agent, so might want to pick someone they can actually trade.
Unless Soto can pitch, the RS don’t need him.
id include sale to but i doubt they can unload the contact
I kinda hate to admit it but Duvall, Sale, Bello, Verdugo and Roman Anthony probably gets it done.
I don’t see them taking on that kind of salary. 27.5 for Sale, ~9 for Verdugo, 7 for Duval. That’s like 10 million more than Soto is going to make in Arb.
If they’re going to move Soto they have to get cheaper/controllable pitching back.
Well, in lieu of Mr. Henry ponying up the cash, it doesn’t hurt to ask for another arm then. Houck, Perales or Wikelman Gonzales?
Sale and Bello would join the rotation, and Bello would be for 5 years.
AJ needs to sit on this and let the bidders trickle in. A month from now, guarantee someone’s gonna waaaaay overpay..especially with the Yanks and Cubs involved. Soto’s gonna get dealt..it’s only a matter of when, and to whom…
Can he pitch?
Shall we ask Pedro, Zim?
You obviously played football
But that was so good – clever! I remember that throw down like it was yesterday. What was I thinking?
At least this rumor is somewhat plausible. Earlier this week Jim Bowden wrote an article about how CLE should trade for Soto. Hard to believe that man was a GM at one time. Anyone remotely familiar with the Guards’ FO knows they won’t pay any player – past or present – $30+M for one year.
5 players may be pushing it, ill stick with the 4
they wont not deal sale due to like, wanting him here it will be b/c the padres arent stupid to absorb all that money, which sucks because i think sale would thrive their, good fans, warm weather kinda a ‘ meh’ attitude on how good the team is nationally
bostons not for him, AT ALL
thats why he was so good in chicago, no pressure on a bad team nobody really cares about, i see him on the west coast, giants maybe, not seattle, they have higher aspirations and wouldnt really need him
Amanda89 — I thought so too before I read that Bob Melvin is not that favorable on Soto.
That is because Soto was one of the players that complained about Melvin’s hands-off approach to Preller.
I like Soto a lot, can’t field but we’ve had Schwarber fielding. But if I could choose between Bellinger or Soto, I’d prefer Bellinger. They’re both expensive, but Bellinger can at least give you gold glove defense at 1B or CF.
@acoss It’d be tempting except for the uncertainty surrounding Bellinger wrt health and performance.
A very close comp to Soto is Bryce Harper, He’ll give you 15 more BB a year, but without giving you the option of playing the field (or shouldn’t, really). Their OPS’s are identical, 2021-2023. Bellinger’s just not in that tier, even with the defense, except for his lucky MVP year.
With Soto you get a near guarantee of 150 games, an OPS+ in the 150-160 range, and poor defense. With Bellinger you’re rolling the dice. Bet some second division club blows everyone out of the water the way the Rockies did with Kris Bryant, as if Bellinger putting up a stretch of 3-5 WAR seasons was a sure thing===and after a year or three I’ll bet they feel pretty much the same way the Rockies do today. If that hypothetical team is lucky, their upside is probably George Springer after he went to the Blue Jays. Even the heart of that contract’s years aren’t all that great.
Bellinger is a good defensive center fielder but not a gold caliber center fielder.
If the dollars were the same or similar, Juan Soto all the way, but the fact is 33 or so million for Soto plus prospects to make it happen for a year vs just money for Bellinger.
the problem with the red sox and soto is hes an outfielder and we have 7 already,
id keep the japanese guy since well they wont get rid of anyone 1 year in of a 5 year deal, duran and soto, thats your outfield and 1 more depth piece incase of injury/crappy play etc, fans still forget refsnyder is still here and how absolutely useless he truly is
No thank you trading lots of prospects for one year of Soto.
No thank for spending $400 million for Soto or $500 million for Ohtani.
Prefer to sign Yamamoto and Snell and Candelario.
I am open to trading Morel. Morel is a fun player to watch but he has too many strikeouts and too low an on base percentage to be a full-time DH.
I’m at a loss when it comes to Soto, what’s his trade value and contract value. A lot of guys I can get a good feel for but not Soto. His bat is one of the best in the game, his defense is awful at such a young age and looks like a future DH if he cannot play first but again, it’s so rare to have a bat you can build an offense around.
Snell is going to be an awful invest I believe. He going to want, and get, a ton of money and years when he basically Marcus Stroman the majority of the time.
Yamamoto is a pretty big risk but I’d be willing to take that gamble.
I don’t really want Candelario back, he’s an alright player but he’s a fairly high risk bust factor player. I certainly don’t think he’s worth a 4/60 contract.
Morel is Baez without the defense. I’d probably hold onto him for a few years before dumping him in trade. However, I would trade him for Vlad jr in a heartbeat.
Soto’s defense isn’t awful, but it’s slightly below average for a LF. He’s young enough that he’ll stave off DHing for a while. I agree with you about Snell, though I think his value (next contract) will be skewed down a bit due to the reputation he gained as a 5 inning 100 pitch guy. But this year was different, he was more efficient (after an awful April/early May) and looked like his past CY year. I watched nearly every start he made in SD over the years and I can honestly say I’m not sure if he’s a high end #1 (as he performed this year!) or a #3 or # 4 (which I thought he was going into 2023). Probably something in between.
Could you imagine though Soto playing the wells in Wrigley? Wrigley makes good defenders look bad (more so in right though).
oh no. I mean ey vay. I mean ivy. It would be fun(ny), but he should not go there.
Good bat. Far too many SO. Terrible fielder at every position he has been tried at. Not getting much for him in trade.
I’m curious what people think would be a fair contract extension for Soto, 12 years 420 million?
That was a 15 year deal and I believe it was before he hit arbitration. I think 420 million plus the money he made via arbitration would next to around 480 million over the same amount of years.
Betts extension might as well been 20 years ago thank to New York, I think Judges 40 million AAV is the bench mark.
Drasco
I think what Soto will get is close to what you suggest.
What I think he is worth is more like ten years $300 million.
Someone will way overpay.
For the money you will pay for someone like Soto per year, and the prospect cost to get him, you can sign or trade for 3 good players to fill other holes. If he is that final piece to get you over the hump and win a championship, or money is no issue (NYY, NYM) or you have a rocking minor league system (think TB, Atl, LAD) to fill the holes around him cheaply, I could see it. Not saying any of them should or would.
But a team like the Tigers who are short multiple pieces and who could afford him with Cabrera off the books, shouldn’t go there…unless they have a cheap internal way to fill the holes in the short term (prospect promotion or cheap signing) and their prospect pipeline can absorb the hit. I would argue they can fill the other holes in the lineup at 2B/3B/DH/OF/IF easily by resigning a couple players and promoting prospects. Riley Greene will DH a lot due to injury, but Justyn Henry Malloy can split with him and he can play a bit of OF and 3B (cringe), if he or Carpenter were not part of the trade. Colt Keith is a shoo in for 2b or 3b. Ibanez can be the backup IF and cover 2b everyday if needed. Wenceel Perez can be a backup IF. Later in the year Jace Jung and the young shortstop they got from LAD whose name escapes me, can factor into the infield mix…and maybe shift Baez to the bench since he seems to be playing like a backup IF anyway.
At the end of the year they could have a pretty solid lineup: C-Rogers; 1B- Torkelson; 2B-Keith; SS-Baez/Prospect; 3B-Jung; OF-P. Meadows, Soto, Carpenter/Malloy; DH-Greene/Malloy; IF-Ibanez, Perez; Backup OF-Vierling, Baddoo; Backup C-TBD.
I highly doubt they get involved in the sweepstakes though.
Soto playing outfield in Comerica sounds like a bad idea.
I’d be extremely surprised if they went after him but the Cabrera and Fielder trades caught me by surprise way back when too.
Atlanta’s farm system is ranked 27th.
Right, a utility player for Soto. Even as just part of the package, that’s crazy talk.
Dclivejazz…If you are referring to Justyn Henry-Malloy you might want to take a look at his minor league stats this year. Pretty sure he’d fit at 1B or DH at least in SD. I’d much rather the Tigers just keep him and let him play this year than make a trade for Soto anyway.
He could be the #3 or #4 player in a trade for Soto. Now who are the two top 50 prospects that are headlining the deal?
The Tigers are full of pitching prospects. I wouldn’t want them to trade Jobe but Manning is a young proven big leaguer and Wilmer Flores is there too and likely to pitch in the bigs this year. Beyond that there are lots of position players in the minors to choose from for secondary pieces and I guess that would depend on what else SD needs. Unless they are signing Soto long term, one year of Soto is not worth trading away top prospects like Jung, Jobe and Keith. Even then, I’d prefer they build from within than trade those players and I’d prefer they keep Malloy too. I don’t see them getting involved bit who knows.
Boras is the fly in any team’s ointment to extend Soto for the long term before Free Agency. I wouldn’t trade any prospects for a 1 year rental no matter the age or skill level. He’s still only 1 player…1AB every 9 guys. See the Padres missing the playoffs! Not saying he won’t sign for more than the 440 rejected but it’ll be for a decade or more and no prospects surrendered in Free Agency, only money. Same reason I am not expecting The Redsox to aquire him this offseason. In spite of our Farm having the prospects and resetting the tax thresholds and having about 133 million to spend including Sales departure at the end of the 24 season.
I’m 90% sure that either the writer, or Preller, made up that rumor.. The outfield will be Happ, PCA, and Suzuki. Even if PCA doesn’t work out, neither Happ, Suzuki nor Soto can play CF.
Happ CAN play center, just not very well. Happ in center and Soto in left would be an epically bad defense.
Joe Brady
I’m 90% sure that either the writer, or Preller, or Soto’s agent and/or PR team, made up that rumor.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
I’m 90% sure that either the writer, or Preller, made up that rumor.
I love how the Padres went out and overpaid for Bogaerts and Machado and now want to cut payroll. Those contracts are going to be big albatrosses very soon.
In what way is Bogaerts an overpay? He is making $25 million annually and provided $40 million in value.
Padres have no need to cut payroll. Even Acee, the writer that originally made that claim, has since rescinded that statement.
Get Chapman for 3rd. Not the best hitter but great defense and 30 hrs a year. You could probably have the best infield defense in MLB Chapman 3. Swanson ss. Horner 2b. Belly 1b. Get pitching can never have enough of that and speed
Chapman hit 17 HRs this season, one less that JD Davis.
Forget Soto. Cubs need to put all their available coin into pitching. You need at least one starter and a stud reliever. They are flush with outfielders who can hold down CF if Bellinger does not come back. They fell short this year due to pitching. Go get some top shelf guys.
How many stud pitchers and relievers did the Phillies have this year? How about the Diamondbacks?
Is there anyway we could see the Cubs flip Happ as part of a deal and resign Bellinger? The Cubs first base situation is unclear too right now and Bellinger can play there easily. Though I’d like to get Soto, I’d rather see the Cubs focus on a long term solution at 3rd.
Also, if the Cubs were to move Happ or other outfield depth, do you see them making a run at Lee Jung-Hoo?
At this point I would have to label Brennen Davis as a post hype prospect. He’s often injured due to back issues. He showed some real promise in 2021 but has only played around 65 games each of the last 2 seasons. I’d hate to sell low on him with the potential he’s shown. I just don’t know if he can ever come close. Fangraphs dropped him to the Cubs’ 44th prospect this year.
Resign.belly to play first sign Chapman for 3rd. And getting pitching you would have the best defensive infield in baseball
It’s re-sign.
The Cubs cannot get Bellinger and Chapman and stay under the luxury tax. They would probably be about 40 million over and Chapman isn’t the answer at third. He’s barely league average on offense.
Phillies – Wheeler
Snakes – Gallen
Cubs – Steele
But I still think acquiring an ace starter is key for Cubs.
Here is the list of Cubs that drove in 100 rbis last season:
Here is the list of Cubs that score 100 times last season:
The problem with pitching being the key is that if you lose Bellinger, you’re losing 97 RBIs and 95 runs. Getting the runs back is the key.
Again pitching is what it is all about and health baseball very simple not rocket science
And I would never pay a player 200 million to play for me I can get a lot more players for that
Wonder if the cubs can glasow from the rays
SIGN OHTANI. You have ONE THING TO DO. Stop with this Soto nonsense. And stop that you don’t have the money. You’re one of the richest teams in baseball. Your DH is already penciled in.