Agent Scott Boras said his client Juan Soto would not have ended up with the New York Yankees if not for the death of former San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler.
“Peter and I were deep in Juan Soto (contract) discussions,” Boras said, according to Bob Nightingale of USA Today. “He was at an advanced stage. His illness stopped the process because we knew the organization would be different. He wanted to move forward even though he was sick.”
The Padres traded the 26-year-old star to the Yankees in a massive seven-man bullpen three weeks after Seidler’s death in November 2023.
“This doesn’t happen if Peter is alive,” Boras added. “Where we were, Peter was going to get the deal done. We were very close. And Peter wasn’t afraid.”
The 71-year-old is convinced Seidler would never have dealt Soto after San Diego acquired the soon-to-be free agent from the Washington Nationals at the 2022 trade deadline in a deal that included Mackenzie Gore, C.J. Abrams and James Wood. .
“Peter wasn’t trading Juan Soto,” Boras said. “No way. He kept saying, ‘I traded for a franchise. “And I will not give him up. He couldn’t believe (the citizens) traded Juan Soto. He loved Juan.”
Soto, who is expected to sign one of the largest contracts in MLB history when he hits the open market, helped the Yankees reach the World Series this season. Meanwhile, the Padres were eliminated in the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
