With San Diego Padres slugger Juan Soto expected to be available, there will be no shortage of interested teams.
You can count on the usual characters to inquire. However, there are always mystery teams that emerge in these situations.
According to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, he expects the New York Mets to be a real dark-horse in the Soto pursuit.
Appearing on the “Baseball Is Dead Podcast,” Passan explained that the Mets have expressed keen interest in Soto. He believes that the 24-year-old All-Star would be a perfect fit in Queens.
Jeff Passan said he believes in the end Juan Soto will be traded this off-season and the Mets are a “scary possibility” pic.twitter.com/p3DoAlqiE9
— Sam (@TreIindor20) September 27, 2023
For the Padres, trading Soto would signify a significant shift in their strategy, possibly leading to a comprehensive team rebuild.
In such a scenario, the Mets could explore acquiring other pieces from San Diego, such as pitchers Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove.
When you talk about the Mets and Padres, you’re talking about the two most disappointing teams in all of baseball (with the Yankees not too far behind).
Clearly, a lot of work needs to be done in both New York and San Diego.
With a billionaire owner like Steve Cohen, it’s hard to imagine the Mets sitting back too much this offseason. He has hinted at the need to watch the payroll. However, that isn’t going to fly with the Mets fan base, and he knows it.
Do you think the Mets should aggressively pursue Soto?
Should the Padres trade him? Or should they build around him?