Who Could the Padres Acquire From the Yankees in Juan Soto Trade?
The San Diego Padres and New York Yankees are close to finalizing a trade that would send Juan Soto to The Big Apple. It seems that the deal will be finalized on Wednesday, as the teams are in the late stages of working out the details.
There have been tons of names mentioned as potential candidates to be sent back to San Diego, so here are all those potential players who have been mentioned that could become Padres when a Soto deal is finalized.
Michael King: The right-hander had a 2.75 ERA in 104.2 innings for New York last year. He would headline the package as immediate pitching help for a Padres team that needs it. He could work out of the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever, or be worked up to be a starter.
Drew Thorpe: The No. 5 prospect for New York, Thorpe had a 2.52 ERA in in 23 starts across High-A and Double-A last season. He's expected to be ready for the MLB by 2025 and would also headline the package.
Clarke Schmidt: Another decent pitcher, Schmidt had a 4.64 ERA in 32 starts last year, his first full season as a starter. He could slide in as the No. 5 starter in San Diego's rotation, or work out of the bullpen — he had a 3.12 ERA in 2022 as mainly a reliever.
Johnny Brito: The right-hander had a 4.28 ERA in 25 appearances (13 starts) with the Yankees in 2023, his first season in the MLB.
Kyle Higashioka: The righty catcher hit .236 with 10 home runs and 24 RBIs with New York in 2023. He's someone the Padres really want, according to reports.
Ben Rice: Another backup catcher option, Rice is the No. 23 ranked prospect for New York. He hit .324 with 20 home runs, 68 RBIs and an OPS of 1.049 across Single-A, High-A and Double-A in 2023.
Yoendrys Gómez: The No. 26-ranked Yankees prospect made one appearance at the MLB level in 2023, his debut in which he threw two scoreless innings. He had a 3.58 ERA in Double-A.
Who Else Could the Padres Trade to the Yankees in the Juan Soto Deal?
It's been reported that the Padres also want to include Trent Grisham in a Soto trade. Grisham struggled mightily in 2023, hitting just .198 with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs in 153 games. He's expected to get around $5 million in arbitration.
The Padres are also trying to trade Jake Cronenworth and his seven-year, $80 million contract, but that seems unlikely in this deal.
