Yankees Acquire Juan Soto in Blockbuster Deal With Padres

The Yankees are expected to acquire star outfielder Juan Soto, along with outfielder Trent Grisham, from the Padres in exchange for five players, per multiple reports. San Diego will get pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Johny Brito, Randy Vásquez and catcher Kyle Higashioka back in the deal.

The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the deal is now complete, while Sherman and Yes Network’s Jack Curry reported the full, seven-player package.

Soto’s trade to New York has been of much discussion over the past few weeks, as the Yankees and Padres have reportedly gone back-and-forth in negotiations. While the two sides were “far apart” on a deal as recently as last Friday, they came together to find common ground at the Winter Meetings this week.

Soto, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, is one of MLB’s top hitters and coming off a season where he hit a career-high 35 home runs. The 25-year-old was traded from the Nationals to San Diego at the 2022 trade deadline, but the Padres reportedly wanted to clear his salary to add much-needed pitching depth.

Grisham is a strong defensive centerfielder who hit under .200 in each of the past two seasons. He and Soto join Alex Verdugo as new additions in the Yankees’ outfield.

King is the headliner of the return, as the righty was an ace reliever for the Yankees before excelling as a starter in the final month of the ’23 season. Thorpe is one of New York’s top pitching prospects, accumulating a 2.81 ERA in 18 minor league games last year, while Brito and Vásquez are young pitchers with major league experience.

Higashioka is a seven-year veteran catcher who has spent his career as a Yankees backup catcher with 40 home runs and a .648 OPS in his career.