Padres Manager Reflects on Blockbuster Juan Soto Trade One Year Later

Sep 25, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto (22) hits a single during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres have had their fair share of superstars roaming the halls of the clubhouse in recent years.

One main piece that was acquired in the midst of the 2022 season was four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger Juan Soto.

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Soto helped take the Padres past the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and to Game 5 of the NLCS before falling to the Philadelphia Phillies.

After a disappointing 2023 — although Soto still shined playing all 162 games — there were no postseason games for the superstar to play in. He had 35 home runs, a WAR of 5.3, and 109 RBIs in the regular season.

That offseason, Soto was shipped to the New York Yankees in exchange for Michael King, Jhony Brito, prospect Drew Thorpe, and catcher Kyle Higashioka.

While Higashioka is no longer in San Diego, Thorpe was included in a trade to make Dylan Cease a member of the Padres. King is the Opening Day starter for the Padres, and Brito is continuing to show promise in his 26 appearances last year.

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Although many around the baseball world may see the Soto experience in San Diego as a failure, manager Mike Shildt reflected positively on what the Padres gained.

"We lost a known commodity, a multi-generational talent in Juan [Soto]," Shildt said. "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."

King and Cease were dominant in 2024 and look to continue that kind of play in the new year.

Cease went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA over a career-high 189.1 innings. His 224 strikeouts to just 65 walks contributed to his fourth place Cy Young award finish.

King was on another level last season, finishing with a 2.95 ERA and a 13-9 record over 173.2 innings. His 201 strikeouts to only 63 walks was good for a seventh place Cy Young award finish.

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