New York Yankees, San Diego Padres nearing Juan Soto trade that will reportedly include Michael King

The market can no longer wait for Shohei Ohtani to make his decision.

After news broke Tuesday night that the Boston Red Sox were sending outfielder Alex Verdugo to the New York Yankees, word quickly came the pinstripes were hard at work securing Juan Soto.

And now, on Wednesday afternoon, that deal is becoming a reality. The reported deal, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, is expected to see pitcher Michael King, and their number five prospect, Drew Thorpe, heading east.

Word heading into last weekend was that while the Yankees were believed to be the front-runner, the price was getting too high for them, with both King and Thorpe’s names being thrown around.

Now, days later, the Bronx Bombers have evidently softened their stance on that, with a deal that could be finalized as soon as today. They’re active on other fronts, too, with SNY’s Andy Martino reporting the team could continue to raise their payroll in pursuit of posted pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who will meet with teams in the U.S. next week.

The Toronto Blue Jays have been linked to Soto over recent weeks, with the club looking to make a significant splash in the MLB market this winter. They’ve gone all-in on Shohei Ohtani, with a reported rival executive believing they are the front runners for the once-in-a-millenium two-way superstar.

Soto appeared to be the plan B for the Jays, but with chatter suggesting that one of Alek Manoah or prospect Ricky Tiedemann needed to be involved, who knows how willing Ross Atkins and co. were willing to part with them. If Ohtani signs the Dodgers, as some continue to predict, the Jays will be forced to pivot quickly, and could look to Cody Bellinger as the strong lefty bat they so desperately covet.

The Padres, meanwhile, are looking to replace over 609 innings, 42 percent of their total from last year, with a sextuplet of arms hitting the market this winter, including the likes of Blake Snell, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Nick Martinez, Luis Garcia and closer Josh Hader. Their desire to move Soto stems from the club’s financial woes this past season.

Things became so difficult for the club that they were forced to take out a $50m loan in September to help with short-term cash flow issues, which included needing to make payroll.

In all of this, Toronto could very well have proven to be a club that not only helped drive the price up, but also forced the Yankees’ hands. Ohtani reportedly had no interest in playing in New York, despite early offseason chatter pegging the Yanks and Mets as potential suitors for his services.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.