Juan Soto Rumors: Some MLB GMs Predict Padres Have 'No Choice' But to Trade Star

Some MLB general managers believe the San Diego Padres "have no choice" but to move star outfielder Juan Soto before the 2024 season, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported.

"Several GMs are now predicting that the Padres have no choice but to trade outfielder Juan Soto after their horrific season," Nightengale wrote.

The Padres recorded their 70th loss of the season to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. They sit 20 games back of the National League West-leading LA Dodgers.

Soto is eligible for arbitration for one more season and is slated to hit free agency after the 2024 season, which could lead to him becoming one of the first players in MLB history to sign a $500 million contract.

The Padres currently have one of the most expensive rosters in MLB, third only to the New York Mets and New York Yankees with a 26-man payroll of just under $194 million, according to Spotrac.

Given the sizable contracts handed out over the past two years by the San Diego club, including 11-year deals of $350 million for third baseman Manny Machado and $280 million for shortstop Xander Bogaerts as well as a six-year, $108-million contract for pitcher Yu Darvish, fitting in a historic deal for Soto could be a challenge.

Nightengale also noted that the Padres' lack of a TV deal could impact the team's ability to retain Soto.

A deal between the Padres and Diamond Sports Group, a regional sports network operating under the Sinclair Broadcast Group's Bally Sports, ended in May after the network chose to miss a rights fee payment, according to Sports Business Journal. The 20-year, $1.2 billion agreement had been set to run through 2032.

ESPN's Alden Gonzalez noted that Diamond had not paid full rights fees in other agreements with the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks or Cleveland Guardians at the time of its broken deal with the Padres.

Although MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has said the MLB will step in to ensure teams receive a majority of these broadcasting deals even if Diamond doesn't pay them, according to the Wall Street Journal's Lindsey Adler and Sarah Krouse, just how lucrative MLB.TV deals will be for the teams involved remains to be seen. That brings into question how long the Padres will be able to continue expanding their payroll without a traditional local media agreement in place.