3 Dodgers-Padres trades LA fans wish would happen, but won’t

Juan Soto would be a pipe dream even if the Padres were willing to trade him to the Dodgers

This one is a bit harder to visualize because, while it may be possible that San Diego decides to sell some players at the trade deadline this season, they almost certainly want to compete in 2024, and Juan Soto is under contract through next season. With the core that the Padres have, they still look very good on paper next year. And with all they have invested, trading away a superstar of Soto's stature is a bit tough to sell.

However, let's assume a world where the Padres decide the return they could get for Soto would help their roster more in 2024 than hanging onto him. All of a sudden, moving him makes a lot more sense. This is particularly true if the Padres also decide that trying pay Soto in the long-term is just too much considering how thin their payroll is stretched already.

For the Dodgers, getting a player like Soto would be an enormous upgrade. David Peralta, Chris Taylor, and Jason Heyward have their moments, but they're not even in the same stratosphere as Soto. The Dodgers don't have a ton of places where they can upgrade their offense, but the outfield is one of them, and Soto would be the upgrade to end all upgrades.

Unfortunately, trading for Soto presents the same financial challenges that trading for Snell would, to an even higher degree. Soto is making $23 million this season, and while the Dodgers would only be responsible for less than half of that, that's still a lot of money to count against the luxury tax. There's also the prospect cost problem, as Soto with an extra year of team control would require the Dodgers to clean out the top of their farm system even if they didn't play in the same division as the Padres.

In short, this isn't going to happen because there are just too many hurdles to overcome. However, it is fun to dream about how amazing this already potent lineup would be with Soto in it.