According to Andy Martino, of SNY, this Friday (1), the negotiation between the New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres for outfielder Juan Soto has not progressed in recent days and has encountered some obstacles that could jeopardize the agreement.

In exchange for the Dominican, the Padres requested reliever Michael King and pitcher Drew Thorpe, as well as up to five prospects, including pitchers Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez. In return, the Yankees also inquired about the availability of outfielder Trent Grisham.

The possibility of sending King to California isn’t as popular in New York, as Soto only has one year left on his contract. This would be the main obstacle to negotiation at the moment. A second offer was therefore made, with Thorpe, Brito, Vásquez and pitcher Clarke Schmidt.

Martino also advises that catcher Austin Wells, second baseman Gleyber Torres, shortstop Anthony Volpe and outfielders Jasson Domínguez and Everson Pereira have not been involved in any conversations thus far.

The Toronto Blue Jays are also interested in Juan Soto, according to Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin and Brandon Kuty of The Athletic. The outfielder could become the Canadiens’ primary plan if they fail to sign pitcher Shohei Ohtani, currently a free agent.

Since San Diego’s biggest interest is in young pitchers, as also reported by The Athletic, Toronto could involve Ricky Tiedemann (top prospect on the mound), Bowden Francis and Alek Manoah.

Soto will receive $30 million for the final year of his contract, in 2024. It is expected that due to his young age – 25 – and his strong batting performance, he will sign a long contract after the end of this contract. .

Photo: Twitter reproduction / San Diego Padres