The Yankees are known to have interest in Padres outfielder but it doesnt seem as though a trade is close to coming to fruition. Per reports from , and , talks have stalled with a noticeable gap between the two clubs. Heyman says that at least nine clubs have checked in, while the report from The Athletic says the Blue Jays are involved. All the reports indicate that the Padres are asking for a Antti Raanta Jersey multi-player return, with Martino reporting that the Friars asked for , and four or five other prospects such as and , as well as salary relief for Soto and , who was also in the discu sions. He adds that none of , , , or are involved. The report from The Athletic identifies as a target. It seems there is a disparity in how to value Soto, who is incredibly talented in a vacuum but there are other factors that could diminish his value in a trade. He only just turned 25 years old but has already played in 779 big league games with 160 home runs. He has drawn walks in 19% of his plate appearances while striking out in just 17.1% of them. He has slashed .284/.421/.524 overall for a wRC+ of 154, indicating hes been 54% better than the league average hitter. But he is now just one year removed from free agency, with projecting an arbitration salary of $33MM next year. It is generally expected that signing him to an extension will be extremely difficult, given that hes about to hit the open market just after his 26th birthday, a uniquely young age for a free agent. The Nationals offered him an extension of $440MM in July of last year, eventually putting him on the trading block when he rejected it. Since then, he banked $23MM in 2023 and is set to add about $33MM more next year, increasing his earning power as he has moved to free agency. That makes him seen by many in the industry as a one-year rental. Shortly after that extension was turned down, the Nats were able to trade Soto and for a package of six players: , , , , and . But that was when Soto still had two and a half years of control remaining. Now he is down to one year and his salary has increased to roughly market rate for a star player. Given the changing circumstances, his trade value should be far lower now than it was when the Padres acquired him. But the Padres still seem to be asking for a significant package of players, seemingly focused on pitching. King still has two years of control whereas Vsquez and Brito each have six. Thorpe is one of the Yankees top pitching prospects and hasnt reached Triple-A yet. From the perspective of the Friars, they think the Yankees are acting like the only suitors, presumably extending offers the Padres consider non-starters. Its po sible that this is just a cla sic case of early negotiations, where both sides stake out extremely unreasonable positions and gradually meet in the middle. But both sides also have the option of pivoting elsewhere. The Padres seem to have many other clubs calling, while the Yanks can walk away from Soto and pursue free agents like . They are known to be looking for two outfielders, which is presumably why Grishams name has been brought up in talks, but the Yanks could always looks elsewhere. As for the Jays, its unsurprising that they are involved. General manager Ro s Atkins has that the club is looking for significant upgrades to their lineup, targeting big names like Bellinger and . Like many things this offseason, the ultimate outcome might have to wait for a decision from Ohtani. Recent indicates the Jays are one of the handful of clubs still involved as Ohtanis market whittles down. But if they end up just mi sing there, they could call up the Padres and try to get something done for Soto. Some reports have suggested that the Friars could look to finish a Soto deal as soon as next weeks Winter Meetings, but it might actually be in their best interests to wait. Since nothing is close with the Yankees and the Jays are waiting on Ohtani, the Padres might get a better deal with a bit of patience. Earlier reporting has suggested the Cubs, Giants and Phillies could be involved and there are other as well. Despite Sotos immense talent, hes available in trade talks due to the budgetary concerns in San Diego. The clubs payroll for next year is currently estimates by to be around $189MM. Due to aggre sive spending in recent years and their lo s of broadcast revenue with the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, they are expected to be working with a reduced payroll of around $200MM this year. That means they are almost at their limit before addre sing the significant lo ses to their rotation. , , and reached free agency at seasons end, leaving them with , and plenty of uncertainty beyond those two. It appears that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is trying to kill two birds with one stone, moving Soto and his projected to salary to both clear out some payroll space and bring in the pitching they sorely need. Whether he can pull it off will be one of the most interesting storylines to follow in the weeks to come. Martin Necas Jersey