Juan Soto Trade update: Insider reveals 2 teams 'involved in talks' for star hitter apart from the Yankees

Juan Soto was a primary target for teams at the start of the offseason as the former World Series winning slugger had one year left on his contract. He was expected to receive around $33 million in arbitration for 2024 and with the Padres looking to reduce their payroll by a significant margin, it was expected that he'd sign elsewhere.

Soto slashed .275/.410/.519 (155 wRC+) with 35 home runs that saw him earn a third consecutive All-Star appearance. But that wasn't enough as the rest of the Padres failed to live up to the hype, missing out on the playoffs and finishing the season with a 82-80 record.

The Dominican has been well sought after teams like the New York Yankees have pursued him steadily. As per the latest reports, the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets are also in the mix as they look to add a big at-bat to their lineups.

Earlier reports stated that San Diego Padres star Juan Soto will be leaving the organisation with one year left on his contract. But those reports seem to be a thing of the past as per Insider Hector Gomez, the club is looking to keep the player and extend him for the future.

"SOURCE: A person very close to Juan Soto just told me that although the Yankees have a very good chance of getting him, he believes that Soto has a better chance of staying with the Padres in the 2024 season than of being traded," Gomez said on Twitter.

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Juan Soto's expected contract value

Juan Soto has said in the past that he is likely to accept offers above $500 million if they are long term deals. If the Padres want to keep him for the future, they will have to dish out a sizeable contract near that mark.

They already have a payroll of $255 million and are expected to reduce it to $200 million and are down in the pitching department as a number of aces left for free agency. So there is no surety if they'll be able to keep Soto.