In Major League Baseball, making a trade is so easy. Just pick the players you want from the opposing team, decide who you’re willing to give up and, if they don’t want to pay your ransom, you just force the trade through anyway because you’re The Boss here.

Wait. Hold on. You’re telling me how it happens in “The Show” isn’t how it happens in real life? Welp.

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Look, general manager Brian Cashman and his front office will spend the offseason scouring the free agent market, taking the temperatures of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Cody Bellinger and other stars. But they’ll also take a peek at the trade market and see what’s cooking.

As things appear quiet with the team heading into the long Thanksgiving weekend, we drummed up a few ideas that you might love. Or maybe you’ll hate them. Or maybe you’ll come up with something better in the comments.

The trade just about every Yankees fan is waiting for. There isn’t a single pinstripes diehard that wouldn’t want to see Soto, perhaps the best left-handed hitter in the game, playing in the Bronx next season. In what could be considered a down year for Soto, he posted a 158 OPS+, hitting 35 homers with 109 RBIs and a .275 batting average while playing in all 162 games. He led the league in walks with 132. While he’s a bad defender, the bat would make up for it, especially considering Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field. So, why would San Diego want to trade him? Simple. It’s the money. Speculation is that the Padres will look to cut payroll going into next season, and MLB Trade Rumors projects Soto to make $33 million via salary arbitration next season, his last before he becomes a free agent. The Yankees have the dough to absorb that kind of salary, though they won’t be the only team in the market for Soto.

So, as for the trade? Let’s use the criteria our own Jim Bowden put forth recently in a hypothetical scenario for Soto. Bowden said it might take an “average major-league player, a top-three to top-seven prospect (ranking within an organization), a top-12 to top-15 prospect, and maybe even a top-35 to top-40 type prospect.”

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What would that look like for the Yankees? Maybe a little something like this:

Average major-league player: Schmidt, 27, put up a 4.64 ERA in 33 games (32 starts) — his first full-time look in a big-league rotation.

Top-three to top-seven prospect: Pereira, 22, was ranked No. 51 on Keith Law’s midseason prospect list this year and could slide into left field for San Diego. He’s got thump but a lot of swing-and-miss.

Top-12 to top-15 prospect: Vasquez, 25, was mostly solid in 11 games (five starts) in his debut season, posting a 2.87 ERA but also a 4.98 FIP.

Top-35 to top-40 prospect: Barclay, 25, is a lefty who throws strikes, has solid secondary offerings and is eligible for the Rule 5 draft.

According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees have considered Margot, the 29-year-old center fielder who’s great defensively but pedestrian on offense. Over parts of eight MLB seasons, Margot has a career 91 OPS+. The Rays may be looking to cut salary, and Margot is due $10 million next season and has a $12 million team option for 2025. What if the Yankees ate all of Margot’s salary and offered the 25-year-old Spence, who had a 4.47 ERA in 29 starts at Triple A last season for the Yankees, but who might benefit from a move to the bullpen where his mid-90s sinker could play up?

It would be a difficult pill to swallow for the Yankees to trade Torres, for many reasons. He was their most consistent hitter last year behind Aaron Judge. Last season, he rebounded after two down years. And he’s become part of the fabric of the clubhouse. But if the Yankees are looking to trim a little salary in the event they add Soto, moving Torres could be an option. MLB Trade Rumors projects the Venezuela native to make $15.3 million next season via salary arbitration, and he’ll be a free agent going into 2025. The Yankees could look at trying Oswald Peraza at second base for a season.

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In Thomas, the Yankees would get a capable hitter (114 OPS+ last season compared to Torres’ 118). They would also get someone they could move to center field at a projected $7 million next season. Thomas won’t be a free agent until after the 2025 season. The downside? Thomas is another right-handed hitter at a time when the Yankees should be focused on getting lefty bats. Plus, giving up the fan-favorite, multi-positional Cabrera (making just $740,000 next season) would hurt, but the Yankees should be able to find another utility type.

A lefty outfielder who hits for power, plays solid defense and strikes out a lot? We’ve heard of that kind of Yankees trade target before. All jokes aside, Suwinski looks like he could pop 40 homers into the Yankee Stadium short porch, he’s 25 years old and he won’t be a free agent until after the 2028 season. (Yes, his 30.1 percent whiff rate and 32.2 percent strikeout rate weren’t good.)

So, why would the Pirates trade Suwinski? It would be a tough call for them, but Peraza would be an immediate starter at shortstop and might make a nice pairing with top Pirates prospect and second baseman Termarr Johnson in the near future. Last season, Hamilton was a 28-year-old rookie-eligible reliever who put up excellent numbers (2.64 ERA, 10.7 K/9) in 39 games.

In the original version of this story, I left out the fact that Oneil Cruz will return as the Pirates starting shortstop next season. Peraza would still be a valuable, high-ceiling infield piece who could bounce between all non-first base positions. (Hey, it’s the offseason for all of us.)

(Top photo of Juan Soto: Denis Poroy / Getty Images)