Padres manager explains positive outcome of Juan Soto trade

The San Diego Padres manager sees the silver lining of his team trading Mets slugger Juan Soto to the New York Yankees.

Sep 24, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto (22) flips his bat after hitting a three run home run in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

Despite superstar slugger Juan Soto being only 26 years old, he had already played for three MLB franchises before signing a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets back in December.

Soto started his career with the Washington Nationals and spent the majority of his first five MLB seasons there before getting traded to the San Diego Padres in August 2022. He then spent the rest of 2022 and the 2023 campaign with the Padres before getting dealt to the New York Yankees on December 7, 2023, in a deal that brought starting pitcher Michael King, catcher Kyle Higashioka, and right-handed hurlers Randy Vásquez, Jhony Brito, and Drew Thorpe to San Diego.

The #Padres have acquired outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals.

Details: https://t.co/orhwRJEWLh pic.twitter.com/B1CLnNL704

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 2, 2022

It's hard to argue that this trade worked out well for the Yankees, given that Soto's presence was a major factor in them making it to the 2024 World Series. And while losing Soto was seen as a massive loss for San Diego when it happened, Michael King has developed into a front-line starter for them, while Higashioka was a crucial part of their 2024 success.

Read more: Why Steve Cohen was convinced he lost Juan Soto

What's more, Drew Thorpe was a key part of a trade to that brought ace Dylan Cease to the Padres last season.

This is the basis of Padres manager Mike Shildt's recent reflection on the Soto trade, which was shared in a March 26 article from Padres on SI's Gabe Smallson.

"We lost a known commodity, a multi-generational talent in Juan [Soto]," Shildt is quoted as saying in the article. "But the return is we get an Opening Day starter a year later and a guy that helped contribute to get to and win playoff games."

Juan Soto arrives for Opening Day pic.twitter.com/sgoPym8qEk

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 27, 2025

While Shildt might be feeling good about how the Soto trade ended for his Padres squad, Mets fans only care that the 26-year-old slugger is in their starting lineup for Opening Day.