San Diego Padres rumors: Juan Soto extension, Bob Melvin's future

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There are a pair of big San Diego Padres rumors floating around out there, but do either of them have legs to them? Let's dive in and find out.

In his weekly column for USA Today, MLB insider Bob Nightengale discussed two big topics for the San Diego Padres: Bob Melvin's future as the team skipper and Juan Soto's future in the outfield.

San Diego Padres rumors: Is Bob Melvin on the hot seat?

Nightengale wrote, "If the Padres don’t reach the postseason, Bob Melvin could take the fall with bench coach Ryan Flaherty a strong candidate to succeed him."

When we discussed potential candidates to replace Melvin if the Padres went a different direction, Flaherty was mentioned as a possibility. But would San Diego sever ties with Melvin, who is under contract with the team for one more season? It's possible that there would be some sort of scapegoat for the Padres underwhelming this season after so much talk in the offseason about what a strong lineup San Diego had assembled (and the money it had taken to do so).

With San Diego starting a 10-game homestand on Monday night against Baltimore, Arizona and Miami that could literally enchance or destroy San Diego's postseason hopes, there is plenty of pressure on the Padres to succeed inside Petco Park this week. At 56-62 on the season, San Diego is 5.5 games out of a Wild Card spot and FanGraphs is giving them a 21.9 percent chance to make the postseason.

A lot could ride on how the Padres finish the season. If Melvin can help his team make a run at the postseason, that would bode well for a return in 2024. If the Padres crumble under the pressure, don't be surprised if changes could be on the horizon in San Diego.

San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Padres rumors: More on the Juan Soto extension possibility

In his column, Nightengale also writes, "The San Diego Padres are aggressively trying to sign Juan Soto to a contract extension, just as they have all season, before having to make a decision this winter whether to keep him or risk losing him as a free agent after 2024."

We have talked in previous articles about the potential for a Soto extension and why, while the Padres may be talking, Scott Boras and Soto may not be rushing to sign a deal any time soon. As our own Robert Murray wrote, “Soto turned down $440 million from the Washington Nationals last year, a clear indicator that he and his agent, Scott Boras, want to establish his value on the free-agent market."

With that in mind, Soto may not be ready to sign on the dotted line until he sees exactly how much he could get in free agency. Under team control for one more season with the Padres, Soto will pose some interesting options, as Murray discussed here, for the offseason and next year's MLB trade deadline if the Padres aren't able to sign him to an extension before the end of the season.

As that signing is rumored to be unlikely to happen, expect Soto's name to be on plenty of rumor mills once this season concludes.

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