San Diego Padres rumors: Juan Soto "preliminary" trade talk with New York Yankees happened

According to Andy Martino of SNY.com, "The (New York) Yankees have already had one preliminary conversation with the San Diego Padres this offseason about superstar outfielderJuan Soto, league sources say."

The fact that the Padres and Yankees have had a conversation comes as little surprise as Soto is expected to be a name that is on everyone's lips when it comes to MLB trade rumors and possibilities this offseason. Additionally, the Yankees are looking for ways to bolster an offense that was anemic in 2023. Sean Casey just announced that he won't be back as New York's hitting coach, putting an end to a run where he couldn't get the Yankees offense to do much damage. In his 71 games of overseeing the team's hitting effort, New York hit just .221 with a .688 OPS.

Juan Soto would boost the New York Yankees, but will San Diego Padres trade him?

According to Martino's article, the deal could be tough to manufacture because, "the Yankees have been reluctant to give up high-end prospects or young players with years of team control, even in exchange for superstar rentals." Soto is eligible for arbitration next season and then becomes a free agent before the 2025 campaign. With that in mind, the Yankees or any other team that would trade for him would likely need to work out a long-term deal to make sure they can keep him beyond just next season.

Soto is also reportedly in line to make around $30 million next season, ensuring that any team that trades for him will need to have that kind of room in their budget. The Yankees would likely be one of those teams, but with contracts already on the books with four players (Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton and Carlos Rodon) for more than $27 million each next season, can even the Yankees afford the monetary and prospect cost of landing Soto?