Originally reported by The Athletic (subscription required), the San Diego Padres took out a $50 million loan to help pay short-term expense,s including player salaries. Could this mean a potential fire sale for the Padres is coming this offseason?
With the Padres currently paying their players salaries for a combined $256+ million, the Padres reportedly weren't able to pay all of their players, forcing them to take out the loan. With some players coming off the books this offseason, the Padres could look to move some of their bigger contracts, with one of those being superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who is scheduled for arbitration this offseason.
Could Juan Soto be a fit with the Philadelphia Phillies?
While it may not exactly be a position of need, if Dave Dombrowski has a chance to reunite Juan Soto with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, there should be no hesitation. Adding Soto to this Phillies lineup and doing it with the chance to sign Soto to a long-term deal should be a no brainer.
While the construction of this Phillies lineup is currently designed to hit home runs, Soto could potentially be the missing key to this lineup. When the bats went cold, the small ball hitters had no one to drive them home. Adding a player who can hit for average and make this lineup lethal in the first four hitters is sorely needed.
During the NLCS matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia's inability to hit the long ball showed the cracks in the armor that is Red October. While I know a majority of Phillies fans want to bring home Mike Trout, I believe it just doesn't make sense to bring in an injury-prone power hitter.
While Johan Rojas has displayed elite defensive abilities, his bat left a lot to be desired, batting under .100 in the entire playoffs is something that cannot happen while this team is currently in win now mode. While Rojas wasn't the only player to struggle, a lot of fans and media won't forget the bottom of the fourth inning with bases loaded and two outs in Game 7 when he struck out atrociously.
With the need to potentially move expensive contracts, the Padres aren't exactly going to be in a position of power to do a deal, meaning Dombrowski might be able to poach Soto. Obviously there are some moving parts still in motion for the Phillies, but obtaining Soto not only extends their window to win a World Series, but makes the Phillies an instant favorite.