The San Diego Padres have become known for being an aggressive organization that is not afraid to hand out long term contract extensions. They also have acquired multiple players via trade throughout the years in which guys like Blake Snell, Josh Hader, Juan Soto, Rich Hill, and Garrett Cooper will become free agents in either 2024 or 2025.
According to a report from Hector Gomez, one Padres star is having his chances of a contract extension increase by the day. He cites his sources as a person who is very close to outfielder Juan Soto.
San Diego Padres and MLB star Juan Soto is increasing his chances of a contract extension (report).
Hector Gomez’s report should not be too shocking. Juan Soto has been on a tear at the plate since the All-Star break in which he is slashing .333/.446/.747 with a 1.192 OPS. His strong performance is only increasing his odds of an extension.
It is important to note that in this report there is no indication of a timeline or mention of active talk of an extension. Rather the wording is ‘his chances of a contract extension are increasing by the day’. Simply put this implies that the Padres are considering extending him at some point in the future. Given that he is not a free agent until the conclusion of the 2024 season there currently is no urgency.
Another thing to consider in regards to a contract extension is that Juan Soto is a Scott Boras client. The Scott Boras corporation has been historically good at getting players paid and suddenly having Soto agree to an extension a year and a half before he hits the open market for the first time in his career would be unusual.
There is a lot of time left before Juan Soto signs a contract extension, but in summary this report indicates that his recent strong play is increasing the Padres interest in attempting to retain him.
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