New York Yankees Acquire Juan Soto in Blockbuster Trade
NASHVILLE - It has finally happened and the evil empire is back.
The New York Yankees are acquiring superstar outfielder Juan Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham from the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vazquez and catcher Kyle Higashioka.
Joel Sherman of The New York Post was the first to report that the trade was completed on Wednesday night.
Talks had initially stalled because the Yankees were hesitant to give up both King and Thorpe, but they opted to do so in the end to add one of the best players of this generation in Soto, who is still just 25-years-old.
Soto will be playing on the last year of his contract, and is projected to make $32 million in arbitration, which means the Yankees will have to either try and sign him before the end of 2024 or risk losing him in free agency next winter.
This was the move the Yankees had to make, as they look to jettison themselves back into the conversation as World Series contenders after missing out on the postseason last year.
Soto will play right field for the Yankees, shifting fellow superstar Aaron Judge over to center field. Alex Verdugo, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, will likely play left field in the Bronx. The plan is for Grisham to serve as a fourth outfielder and defensive replacement in center late in games.
General manager Brian Cashman said back in November that the Yankees needed to add two left-handed hitting outfielders. Well now they have done so, landing a superstar in Soto and a solid option in Verdugo. Grisham is another lefty hitting outfielder, but he is known for his glove ahead of his bat.
The loss of King weakens the Yankees' pitching staff, but they are still in on Japanese superstar free agent starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and are expected to meet with him in the U.S. next week.
