Cubs expected to be in the hunt for Juan Soto |
When Bryce Harper talked about spending the money to reach the pinnacle, it had many fans around the league talking. On the one hand, you can see his point as the more money you spend, the better chances you have to win a lot of games. However, paying to acquire talent is one thing, but what happens when the talent you acquire doesn't pan out or they don't play well together?
Take San Diego and the New York Mets, for example. They have spent more money than anyone in the past two seasons and yet have nothing to show for it. It has gotten so bad that both teams are looking to shed payroll to regain some assets to help retool for the future. Depending on who the Mets get as their manager will decide if they want to sell some pieces where, as the Padres appear locked into a sell now mode. After letting Bob Melvin interview and eventually take the San Francisco job, San Diego will be looking for their third manager in the past five seasons. That is a bad look for a team that already underachieved, especially when you have as much money invested in several key players. With the Padres expected to shed payroll this season, Juan Soto comes to mind as the most likely player to be dealt, and initial reports indicate that the Cubs are expected to make a run at Soto if he is made available. Initially, when you heard the Cubs being linked to Soto as a trade destination, many felt that it was a dream scenario as Jed Hoyer values his prospects much more than others. However, if recent days indicate anything, this dream could become a reality as the Cubs want Soto and will make a run at him for the right price. Soto may not be the same player he was in Washington from a power perspective, but he is still a top-10 player in baseball and, at just 25 years old, would be a massive get for anyone, let alone the Cubs. A .284 career hitter, Soto has always had 40-50 homer potential, as he has slugged 160 career homers up to this point. That includes a 35-homer 109 RBI campaign in 2023 as he quietly put together another impressive season. While his average was a bit down this season at .276, Soto made up for it in different ways, including his .410 OBP and .929 OPS. A big reason for that was his league-leading 132 walks, as he walked 132 times in 2023 compared to 129 strikeouts. All of those statistics are better than what anyone on the Cubs did this season, and he would be a welcomed sight in the Cubs lineup for a variety of reasons. Anytime someone adds a player like Soto to their lineup, it instantly improves your lineup as he not only provides you with some thump from the left side but has one of the best, if not the best, eyes in baseball, making it challenging to pitch to him. Add in his cannon for an arm in the outfield, and he has all the tools you look for in a player and is still just 25 years of age. Getting Soto is where the question comes into play, as it won't come cheap. If the Padres and Cubs are to discuss a Soto trade, prospects will be included, but Christopher Morel could be the centerpiece that makes the deal happen. The 24-year-old utility man played primarily DH last season but has experience in all three OF spots and three of the four infield spots. Sure, there is a lot of swing and miss in his game, and he is far from a polished player, but you can see the potential that he has. Morel started the season in AAA, but after getting called up in early May, he finished the season with 26 homers to lead the team and posted an .821 OPS in 107 games. Throw in what he did with Iowa before his call-up, and he finished with 37 homers and more than 100 RBIs combined. The biggest selling point of Morel would be the cost and how long you would have him under control. Morel is under team control through 2028 and isn’t arbitration-eligible until the 2026 season. The Padres are high on Morel, sources said. Morel has been mentioned in trade talks for a few years, but the Cubs haven't been willing to budge knowing his potential. Now could be the time for the departure, especially if a player like Soto is available. Trading Morel for Soto straight up would be the best possible scenario, but that isn't realistic. You know the Padres are going to want a ton of prospects similar to what they gave the Cubs as part of the Yu Darvish deal. Alexander Canario and Kevin Alcantara will be discussed in a trade, as would Matt Mervis and other power-hitting bats. Also, expect Ben Brown to be discussed in the trade, as the Cubs will most likely keep Cade Horton and Pete Crow-Armstrong out of any trade discussions. While trading away assets to get Soto will be a must, the Cubs need to be careful not to gut the farm system again so they don't have a repeat scenario of what happened following the 2017-2019 seasons.
