MLB Rumors: Juan Soto, Josh Hader, Padres to Discuss New Contracts After Machado Deal

After finalizing a new contract with Manny Machado, the San Diego Padres are turning their attention to Juan Soto and Josh Hader.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network, the Padres are "expected to reach out soon" to representatives for Soto and Hader about long-term contracts for both players.

The Padres finalized an 11-year, $350 million extension with Machado on Tuesday that will keep him with the team through the 2033 season.

No team has been more aggressive with their spending in recent years than the Padres. They have five players currently signed to deals worth at least $100 million.

In addition to Machado's deal, the Padres gave Xander Bogaerts an 11-year, $280 million deal in free agency and re-signed Yu Darvish to a six-year, $108 million extension during the offseason.

San Diego currently ranks fourth in MLB in the 2023 payroll, with $223.2 million in salary commitments. It is one of three teams with multiple contracts worth at least $300 million. The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, who rank second and third in payroll, are the others.

Soto will almost certainly be the more difficult of the two players to sign an extension. He has two more years of team control before becoming a free agent at the age of 26 after the 2024 season.

While it's unclear what a long-term deal for Soto might look like, Heyman noted that Machado joked they will have to "bring a bigger truck for you" in reference to the two-time All-Star.

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has the richest deal in MLB history at $426.5 million for 12 years when he signed an extension at the age of 27. Shohei Ohtani could easily surpass that when he becomes a free agent after this season.

Soto could reasonably expect to sign a deal in the range of what Trout received. He will be one year younger than Trout was when he re-signed with the Angels and has a .287/.424/.526 slash line in 617 career games.

Before being traded to the Padres last July, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension with the Washington Nationals that would have made him the highest-paid player in MLB history.

Hader is in a precarious position entering the 2023 season. He's coming off the worst year of his career with a 5.22 ERA in 56 appearances between the Padres and Milwaukee Brewers.

The playoffs were an excellent return to form for Hader. The left-hander allowed just one hit with 10 strikeouts over 5.1 innings in five games during the 2022 postseason.

If Hader, who will be a free agent after this season, picks up where he left off in October, he will almost certainly command a lucrative contract from the Padres or another club looking to add an elite closer.

Based on how willing the Padres have been to spend in the interest of winning, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Soto and Hader remain with the team for a long time to come. General manager A.J. Preller has a lot of work to do if he wants to make that happen.