Padres star Juan Soto has since walked back his depressing and damaging comments on his team's spirit in the final stretch of the season.
The San Diego Padres are going through the ringer in the 2023 season, and star Juan Soto can't help but let his frustrations bubble over the surface every now and then.
Following a brutal 6-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners last Wednesday, Soto looked dejected during the post-game interview and said he thought the Padres "gave up". San Diego had just gotten swept by Seattle, and rather than offer any silver linings, Soto went straight for the white flag, saying that he and his team "literally just give up instead of keep grinding." Sound the alarms — a disgruntled trade candidate is jumping ship.
A few games after that loss, Soto has decided to backtrack his comments and regrets saying anything to disparage the team. Call it a bad day at the office.
Soto's apology comes during a slumping Padres season that also happens to be a pivotal year for the 24-year-old slugger. Soto is under contract with the team for one more season and will be arbitration eligible for the last time this winter.
Padres: Juan Soto regrets saying his team 'gave up'
Those who believe Soto is some kind of Padres-hating defector are probably looking too much into his comments. Plenty of athletes get caught up in a whirlwind of emotions after tough losses, and Soto's words seem sprung out of frustration and disappointment.
Those two words describe the Padres' 2023 season to a tee, considering San Diego reached the NLCS last year and tallied 89 wins in the regular season.
They had the experienced, tried-and-true talent in Soto, Fernando Tatis, Xander Bogaerts, Blake Snell, Manny Machado, and others. Well, the Padres tried to repeat last year's success and truly failed this time around.
15 1/2 games behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West, San Diego is inching farther and farther away from playoff baseball. It's no fault of Soto's, who has hit .271 with 24 homers and 75 RBIs this season.
Heading into the offseason, the Padres aren't giving up on a potential Soto extension, but the latest reports suggest he's ravenously eyeing free agency. Can anyone blame him? Maybe he just doesn't want to play for a losing team anymore.
