Boras: Seidler would have never allowed Soto trade to Yankees

Baseball super agent Scott Boras said late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler would never have allowed Juan Soto to be traded to the New York Yankees.

"Peter Seidler talked throughout his illness about Juan," Boras told USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale. "He kept saying, 'We're going to sign him. We're going to get that done. We know what he means to us.'

"From everything Peter said to me, there is no way he would have traded Juan Soto. I don't think that was in his DNA. It was very personal to him."

Soto was traded to the Yankees on Dec. 7, 2023, less than one month after Seidler died at 63.

The 25-year-old phenom was entering the final year of his contract, and the Padres were looking to reduce payroll. Soto, who has performed well in the Bronx this season (14 HRs, .977 OPS) is expected to receive one of the largest contracts in baseball history this offseason.

Boras also mentioned Seidler's affinity for Soto's now-teammate Aaron Judge. Seidler even secretly met with Judge during free agency before the 2023 campaign and offered the slugger a 10-year, $400-million deal, according to Nightengale.

"Peter talked to me about Judge, too, and how serious he was inquiring about him," Boras said. "He was very secure in his thinking about the game. The only cost he worried about was building a statue for him."

Judge confirmed the meeting happened, calling Seidler "a very special guy" who impressed him thoroughly. Judge mentioned things may have been different had he not already formed a solid bond with the Yankees, who re-signed him to a nine-year, $360-million contract that same offseason.