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

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.