Scott Boras Gives Update On Juan Soto Trade Rumors, Future In San Diego

The general manager meetings are underway, and the future of Juan Soto is one of the key topics up for discussion.

The San Diego Padres reportedly need to cut payroll significantly from the $255 million they spent in 2023, and with few other options, many have assumed Soto and his $33 million estimated salary could be dealt this offseason.

Surprisingly, former manager Bob Melvin even wanted him traded in the middle of the 2023 season. Even though Soto wound up becoming the team's best offensive player.

READ: JUAN SOTO TRADE RUMORS INTENSIFY, FORMER PADRES MANAGER REPORTEDLY WANTED HIM GONE LAST SEASON

Soto is represented by MLB super agent Scott Boras, known for his colorful offseason press conferences. Sure enough, Boras was in fine form on Wednesday, dropping a series of puns and dad jokes.

But more importantly, he also gave an update on Soto and his immediate future in San Diego, and based on Boras' comments, it seems like he might be staying put.

"They laid out their plan for next year, which obviously included a lineup that's definitely includes Juan Soto," Boras said. "They're obviously looking for more left handed bats rather than less."

SAN DIEGO - ARPIL 3: Juan Soto #22 celebrates with Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)

Padres Don't Have Many Options If They Don't Trade Juan Soto

Boras is frequently known to highlight his clients and speak publicly about what's in their best interest, even if clubs disagree. Over the summer, he essentially accused the Dodgers of mishandling Cody Bellinger's injury, leading to a sharp rebuke from Andrew Friedman.

READ: SCOTT BORAS ACCUSES DODGERS OF MISHANDLING CODY BELLINGER’S INJURY

But assuming he's right about the Padres wanting to keep Juan Soto, it severely limits their ability to build a complete roster. Multiple reporters have suggested that the Padres need to cut payroll to around $200 million this season in order to comply with MLB's debt service rules. Despite being one of the league's highest spenders, reports broke last week that they had to take out a loan to cover payroll and other obligations.

According to Fangraphs, the Padres currently have nearly $198 million in payroll for 2024 already, assuming they tender contracts to all of their arbitration eligible players. If they offer contracts to just Soto and Trent Grisham, that would take their payroll down to $186 million. For just 13 players. An MLB roster is now 26 players.

It's hard to see them filling 13 spots with quality players for ~$14 million.

The Padres may be interested in trading other players; Jake Cronenworth, Matt Carpenter or Xander Bogaerts are all expensive and potentially expendable. They also would require the Padres to pay most of their remaining salaries, which is likely untenable for Bogaerts, who's set to make $26 million per season through 2033.

Soto is the obvious trade candidate if the team intends to remain competitive and stay around $200 million. But Boras seems to think that's unlikely. Something's gotta give, and it seems like it may be owner Peter Seidler's pocketbook.