The New York Yankees have been connected to San Diego Padres slugger Juan Soto in trade talks, which makes some sense on the surface. Soto will be a free agent after next season and demand a contract north of $400 million, at the very least. The Yankees could use a left-handed power bat in their lineup plus Soto can play corner outfield -- a current positional weakness in the Bronx.
All of this was outlined by SNY's Andy Martino. It's not the first time, and certainly won't be the last that New York is mentioned. The Yankees are seemingly always big players for these types of players, though they haven't made a trade like this in awhile due to their unwillingness to deal from a rather deep farm system.
Per a rival executive in Martino's piece, the Yankees could trade a proven MLB talent instead to lessen the prospect asking price.
"One rival official unaffiliated with the Yankees and Padres also wondered if the Yankees could include a veteran like first baseman Anthony Rizzoin a Soto deal, because the Padres are not rebuilding," Martino wrote.
Would Anthony Rizzo be involved in Yankees-Padres trade talks for Juan Soto?
Anthony Rizzo was originally a Padre, so there is a connection here. However, it's hard to see the Padres budging from their asking price just to bring Rizzo back into the equation.
Rizzo is a very solid contact hitter when healthy, and plays a very good first base. But he's coming off a season in which he dealt with health issues, specifically concussions. Why would San Diego be interest in such a move?
A.J. Preller has no interest in pandering to Brian Cashman's prospect-hoarding ways. If he wants Soto, he'll have to cough up some young talent. It's time for Cashman to change the narrative.
