Dodgers Rumors: Could Padres add Juan Soto extension to Manny Machado offseason deal?

Money's not supposed to grow on trees, but the San Diego Padres are making us doubt that aphorism every single day.

Remember when the baseball world decided the Dodgers were the runaway spenders who needed to be stopped, packed with "Super Team" potential a la the Lakers? Well, several years into the Andrew Friedman ERA, and Los Angeles still has yet to give out a free agent contract larger than Freddie Freeman's $162 million deal (though, of course, Mookie Betts would like us to point out here how much money he makes).

The Padres? After reportedly offering Aaron Judge $400 million and Trea Turner $342 million to forget the Wil Myers trade and come back home, they signed Xander Bogaerts for $280 million over 11 years, then extended one of their own in Yu Darvish for an additional $108 million through his age-42 season.

They are apparently a team to watch in the Shohei Ohtani chase next offseason. They've got a preseason Manny Machado extension in their sights. And now, according to Hector Gómez, they've also got a Juan Soto contract on their radar? Come on, now. Simply come on.

Dodgers Rumors: San Diego Padres making things painful with Juan Soto extension?

Entering 2023, the Padres' payroll stands near $220 million, though the team actually saved $3.5 million against the tax by shredding Darvish's deal on Thursday and extending it deep into the future.

You'd think they'd be more prudent with their long-term commitments with Machado reportedly around the corner, Soto on the burner, and Ohtani in their sights, but apparently, Peter Seidler thinks this is being prudent.

The Dodgers should've been prepared for a Soto extension the minute the deal went down last deadline. After all, you don't typically gut your farm system in order to only enjoy a player for 2.5 years (God, that is SO much control, what are the Nationals doing?).

Fans likely did have hope, though, that Machado's opt-out, mixed with a few shiny new objects, might distract San Diego from their grand plan. No dice. This money tree might get watered again before you know it. That's just how I feel.