Earlier this week it was reported that Yankees and Padres exchanged names according to Andy Martino of SNY, adding that the initial asks included names like Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez. Now, more names are being revealed as Andy Martino has revealed that the Padres asked for Michael King and six prospects in return for Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, and it’s clear that San Diego’s price tag is set pretty high. This is standard in negotiations, but it was also revealed that the Toronto Blue Jays are throwing their hat in the ring for Soto per Ken Rosenthal.
It seems that the two sides are still far apart on negotiations, and they’ve stalled out for now as the two sides enter the Winter Meetings far apart on a potential deal.
Padres’ Asking Price Remains High From Yankees
The Yankees trading seven total players for one year of Juan Soto and two years of Trent Grisham would certainly be a far-fetched idea, and the Yankees turned down the offer pretty fast. With the Winter Meetings a week away, the two sides will get a chance to further advance talks, but for now, these conversations have stalled. According to Andy Martino, the Yankees have not included names like Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza, Austin Wells, and Gleyber Torres in these talks.
Martino reported that a deal centered around Clarke Schmidt could get a deal going, and it makes sense given the Padres’ need for pitching. The asking price is high, as it should be for the Padres as they look to negotiate with potential suitors and find a package they like. Pressure has been placed on the Yankees with the reported interest from the Blue Jays, who are also looking to do something big this winter and have heavy interest in Shohei Ohtani.
Jon Heyman reported in his column regarding the subject matter that the Yankees could look elsewhere, but would not be surprised at all to see talks start up again. It’s clear that the Padres want to get more out of this deal than what the Yankees are willing to give, but from New York’s perspective, they’re going to wait until they see a better offer from anyone else. It’s San Diego who needs to free up the financial capital, not the Yankees, who can wait for as long as they need to in order to get a deal done.
The Yankees desperately need left-handed hitting, but the Padres only have so much time to free up the over $30 million they’d open up by dealing Soto. Pitchers are going to look for homes at the Winter Meetings, and they have over 600 innings of work on the open market. Nick Martinez, who logged over 100 innings for them with a 3.43 ERA, has already signed with the Reds, and the Yankees know that the Padres don’t have the money to make a notable addition to their pitching staff.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Padres are looking for three starting pitchers, multiple relievers, outfield depth, and catching help, and the Yankees certainly fit that bill well. Other teams definitely want Juan Soto, but as Jeff Passan and Jon Heyman have reported, it seems that the Yankees have the most motivation to get a deal done. It is plausible that this information is being revealed to place pressure on the Yankees, and it’ll certainly be interesting to see how Toronto fits into the equation.
Andy Martino also added that the Padres believe the Yankees are “acting” as if they’re the only realistic suitor for Juan Soto, and that could have caused San Diego to try and look elsewhere. The two teams considered moving on to other business, and the Yankees have also engaged with representatives for Cody Bellinger in case they can’t pull off a trade. It remains to be seen how these talks continue, but as of now, they’ve stalled between the two parties.