2 reasons the San Diego Padres should trade Juan Soto this offseason, 1 reason they should not

The San Diego Padres have to decide whether keeping or trading Juan Soto this offseason is their best course of action.

San Francisco Giants v San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants v San Diego Padres | Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/GettyImages
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San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto
San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto | Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres should keep Juan Soto because he's simply too good to trade

With Abrams and Gore showing strides at the MLB level and James Wood developing into one of the best prospects in baseball while the Padres watch their season fade away with no postseason berth, it's easy to think Washington won this Juan Soto trade. That might be true, but there's no way of knowing.

As of now, the Nationals have a decent shortstop in Abrams, a nice mid-rotation starter in Gore, and three prospects who have yet to make an impact in Wood, Hassell III, and Susana. Can those three prospects be good? Absolutely. Can they turn into Luis Campusano instead and just fizzle out? Absolutely.

Trading Soto for lottery tickets can look good potentially, but it can also be a complete waste. The Padres might just be better off going for it in 2024 and giving it their best shot to re-sign him. If he walks, at least they tried to win with him here.

This is the riskiest option out there by far, but watching Soto win it all in another organization in 2024 might just be the last straw for many frustrated Padres fans who have watched this team fail miserably to meet expectations with this super team.

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