A NO-DOUBTER

Soto’s former manager is positive slugger would thrive with Yankees

for Soto and Trent Grisham, another outfielder. Meanwhile, Michael King and Clarke Schmidt, members of the Yankees’ rotation, and pitching prospect Drew Thorpe have come up frequently in rumors and reports.

Soto is a superstar, but the lefty swinger also comes with just a year of control and is projected to make $33 million in arbitration this offseason. A Scott Boras client, he will likely test free agency next winter, so the Yankees don’t want to part with too much for what amounts to a rental.

Soto declined a 15-year, $440 million deal from the Nationals in 2022 before they shipped him to San Diego. The Padres surrendered a haul in that deal, trading

Robert Hassell, Jarlin Susana, James Wood, CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore and Luke Voit.

“Looking at it now? I think we did all right,” Martinez said of the return Washington received, though he joked that he would love to have Soto back.

Soto had more years of control when the Padres acquired him, so they can’t expect an equal return on their investment. However, San Diego needs to rebuild a rotation that’s been thinned by free agency, and trading Soto could do that while shedding some salary.

While the Yankees likely won’t agree to the Padres’ initial demands, they have the pitchers and the financial might to line up a trade. The division rival Blue Jays have also been mentioned as a potential suitor, but that could just be an attempt to scare the Yankees into caving.

Wherever Soto ends up, Martinez will be rooting him on. He knows first-hand the impact that Soto can have, which is why Yankees fans are clamoring for a deal, even if the price is steep.

“I love him,” Martinez said. “I said this since I’ve known the kid. I love him. He’s a competitor. He’s one of the purest hitters in the game. He’s a game-changer. I’ve always wished him the best. Whoever does get him, if San Diego decides to keep him, they know they got a good one. But wherever he ends up, they’re going to get a good player.”

Gold Glove outfielder Mookie Betts is set to become the regular second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, manager Dave Roberts told MLB Network on Monday.

A strong-armed outfielder, Betts played 107 games in right field for the reigning NL West champions this past season and 70 games at second. Roberts confirmed his plan in a text message to the AP on Monday.

“I think it’s pretty safe to say that No. 50, Mookie Betts, is going to be our everyday second baseman,” Roberts told MLB Network. “It’s one of those things where he’s a Gold Glover out in right field, but I think that when you’re talking about putting together a roster and someone who can be so offensive at second base, you can get more games out of him if he is playing second base.”

With the Dodgers bringing back Jason Heyward on a oneyear deal, they have him as an option in right, the manager said.

Roberts’ scheduled media availability at the winter meetings isn’t until Tuesday afternoon in Nashville, which happens to be Betts’ hometown.

The 31-year-old Betts, who also appeared at shortstop in 16 games, hit a career-best 39 home runs with 107 RBIs — second-most in his 10-year big league career — while batting .307. He has won six Gold Gloves, all in the outfield.

STEELERS LOSE QB PICKETT

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to try and move on after a nightmarish loss to Arizona without quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Pickett is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a high right ankle sprain on Monday. Mitch Trubisky will get the start on Thursday night when Pittsburgh (7-5) hosts New England (2-10).

Coach Mike Tomlin declined to get into specifics on how many games Pickett might miss. Pickett had been “managing” the injury recently according to Tomlin only to have it aggravated in the second quarter on Sunday when Cardinals defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter fell on Pickett’s legs at the end of a 2-yard scramble.

U.S. TO HOST COPA AMERICA

Fourteen U.S. cities will play host to Copa América next summer, with the semifinals at East

Rutherford, New Jersey, and Charlotte, North Carolina, ahead of the July 14 championship in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The governing bodies of South America and of North and Central America and the Caribbean made the announcement Monday, filling in the cities that will be part of the 16-team tournament. The quarterfinals will be held July 4 at NRG Stadium in Houston; July 5 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; and July 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The semifinals will be in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 9 and Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium the next day. The third-place game will be in Charlotte on July 13, on the eve of the final.

The draw is set for Thursday in Miami.

ARIZONA ATOP MEN’S BB POLL

It is Arizona’s turn to sit atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll.

The Wildcats rose to No. 1 in Monday’s poll for the first time in nearly nine years, making Tommy

Lloyd’s squad the third team to hold the top spot this season. Last week’s No. 1 team, Purdue, slid after an overtime loss at Northwestern.

Arizona claimed 59 of 63 first-place votes to move up one spot, putting the Wildcats comfortably ahead of preseason No. 1 Kansas. The Jayhawks rose three spots to No. 2 with a win against last season’s NCAA champion, Connecticut.

Arizona hasn’t been No. 1 in the AP Top 25 since an eight-week stint that ended in January 2014 under former coach Sean Miller. Lloyd is in his third season after a long run as an assistant at Gonzaga, and his first two teams each spent multiple weeks inside the top five.

“I know when I came to this program, my dream is to make it one of the best in the country,” Lloyd said of the possible rise to No. 1 after a weekend win against Colgate. “If you’re one of the best in the country, you’re going to stumble into being No. 1 once in a while. So you know what? Handle it. And that’ll be the message.”

It was a busy day for the poll: No team in the Top 25 was in the same spot it was a week ago.

UCONN FALLS TO 17TH

UConn dropped to 17th in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll Monday, its worst ranking in 30 years.

The last time the Huskies were ranked this low was the second poll of the 1993-94 season when they were 18th. The drop also ended a 357-week stretch of being ranked in the top 15, which was the second longest in the history of the poll that dates to 1977 (Tennessee, 428 consecutive appearances).

While Geno Auriemma’s team has struggled so far this season because of injuries,

South Carolina remained the unanimous No. 1 choice in voting by 35 members of a national media panel. The Gamecocks swept a pair of games over North Carolina and Duke last week. UCLA, N.C. State, Iowa and Texas rounded out the first five in the poll. The Longhorns jumped up five spots in the poll after beating then-No. 11 UConn.

The one plus for the Huskies, who last weren’t in the top 15 on Jan. 10, 2005, is that their three losses have come to UCLA, North Carolina State and Texas — all now in the top five.

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