Having expected to stay a Padre, Juan Soto returns to San Diego with Yankees and his future uncertain

SAN DIEGO — With navy Yankees apparel on his body and a brown Padres tablecloth adorning the table from which he spoke, Juan Soto said that he expected to stay in San Diego on Friday.

It wasn’t until a week or so before the blockbuster trade that sent Soto to the Bronx that he realized Padres general manager A.J. Preller planned on dealing him. San Diego had surrendered a haul to acquire Soto from the Nationals in 2022, and he figured he’d play the 2024 season in California.

“I didn’t expect to be traded until the last second,” Soto said in a press conference prior to his return to Petco Park. “I was keeping in touch with A.J. We were talking up and down. He definitely told me I was going to be the third-hole hitter of the lineup next season, and I was expecting to be back in San Diego. And probably a week or two weeks before the trade, he just tells me, ‘I’m sorry, we’re looking at trading you,’ this and that. It just happens. I was really preparing myself to come back to San Diego.”

The 25-year-old Soto admitted that he felt “a little uncomfortable” when he found out he’d be leaving the Padres, but he’s pretty pleased with where he ended up.

“There’s no hard feelings or anything like that,” Soto continued. “He just changed my plans. At least he changed it for good. He was trading me to a great team, a great organization. So I was happy to be traded to an organization like the Yankees and really excited about it.”

Soto, hitting .312/.409/.563 with 13 homers and 41 RBI before the Yankees’ series-opener against the Padres, added that the Nationals trade taught him that baseball is a business. He will surely take that lesson into free agency this winter.

Soto and Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner have said they’re open to in-season negotiations, but signing an extension seems more than unlikely. That’s just not how Scott Boras clients typically roll, and a bidding war could help Soto secure a $500 million contract and the sport’s highest salary among position players.

“I’m rooting for him to get as much as he can,” said the Padres’ Manny Machado, a former teammate of Soto’s. “We all want that as a player and we all know what type of player he is. So yeah, it’s gonna be an interesting offseason for him for sure. I’ve been there before. I know he’s excited for it.”

Machado mentioned that Soto had privately expressed a desire to stay in San Diego when they played together, but the stars didn’t align. Soto said that he and the Padres “never got the chance to keep talking a little bit farther” about an extension, but he described his time with the organization as “unbelievable.”

“At the end of the day, we just couldn’t get it done,” Soto said.

Perhaps the two sides could in the future, as Soto was asked if he’d be open to signing with the Padres as free agent.

Soto answered the hypothetical in an affirmative manner, but Yankees fans shouldn’t read into that too much. Remember, Soto knows this is a business.

“We’re going to be open to listen to anybody and everybody,” Soto said. “We ain’t closing any doors. Whoever wants to talk about deals and stuff, I’m open to deal with anybody. I don’t have any problem. But that’s gonna be in the future. We’re gonna see if we make it to the future. But right now, I’m focusing on 2024, and I’m part of the Yankees. I’m a Yankee right now throughout 2024, and my goals are really clear. That is win a championship here.”