Padres would like to have Soto ‘for many years to come’

By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The sudden end of a season that went unexpectedly deep left the San Diego Padres with questions to answer and holes to fill, as well as a hunger to play further into October next year. They will also begin pondering a long-term deal for superstar Juan Soto, their marquee trade-deadline acquisition who was heating up just as the Padres were eliminated in the NL Championship Series by Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies, three wins shy of the World Series. General manager A.J. Preller says the team will begin exploring the possibility of a multiyear contract for the 24-year-old Soto.