Juan Soto to the Yankees is becoming closer to reality.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported that trade talks between the Yankees and Padres are “gaining steam” on Wednesday on the final day of the Winter Meetings.
Soto, 25, would give a much-needed boost to a stagnant offense, but only has one year left on his contract and will likely cost the Yankees pitching depth.
Reliever Michael King and top prospect Drew Thorpe were at the top of San Diego’s trade wish list.
YES Network’s Jack Curry called the deal “likely” and noted that with “a trade of this magnitude … many issues need to be resolved, including medicals. And when multiple pitchers are involved, those various injury histories need to be reviewed. It’s all part of the process.”
It would be the second Yankees outfield trade in as many days, if the sides can agree to terms before leaving the Winter Meetings in Nashville.
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On Tuesday night, the Yankees acquired Alex Verdugo from the Red Sox for reliever Greg Weissert and minor league pitchers Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice.
But Soto, an MVP-caliber lefty slugger approaching his prime, is the prize in the eyes of Yankees fans.
“He’s a transformational bat,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s one of the best hitters in the game. So he’s an impact, period. But currently he’s an impact for somebody else.
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“I know [Padres GM] A.J. Preller’s being open-minded to a lot of different things, as all of us should be as we enter the wintertime and try to figure out how to reconfigure our clubs to be what Texas turned out to be this year. And so we’ll see. But certainly he’s a great hitter.”
