*Photo from Arizona Sports*
Here's the blockbuster of the offseason so far. The New York Yankees have acquired outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham from the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Kyle Higashioka and pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vasquez.
Right now, Soto is set to be a one year rental for the Yankees, as he is scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the 2024 season. Soto finished in 6th place in NL MVP voting in 2023 and led the majors with 132 walks. He brings a resume that includes a World Series championship, 3 all star game appearances, and 4 Silver Slugger awards.
Soto is coming off his 3rd all star game appearance and a fantastic season for the Padres. He slashed .275/.410/.519 with a 158 OPS+, blasting 35 home runs and 32 doubles with 109 RBI's and 295 total bases while playing in all 162 games.
New York manager Aaron Boone said of Soto that "He's as good an offensive player as there is. He is a machine offensively, on base, power, and has accomplished a ton already at a young age. He’s been one of the rock-solid performers in our sport on the offensive side of the ball, year in and year out."
Before he was traded to the Padres in 2022, Soto turned down a 15 year extension with the Washington Nationals worth $440 million, prompting the Nationals to put him on the trade market. He is projected to earn $33 million in his final year of arbitration.
San Diego president of baseball operations and GM AJ Preller said of the trade that "They clearly made it known that this was a deal and a player they wanted. Brian is pretty direct, and I think they were pretty clear. Everybody understood they had a need and Juan is an incredible player who fit the need really well. When you have two teams that line up and you have a team that’s calling you consistently, you feel this is something that has a chance to happen."
Grisham is the other piece coming to the Yankees, adding a lot of value on defense. He ended the season with a .198/.315/.352 slash line, hitting 31 doubles and 13 home runs with 50 RBI's in 153 games. He has won two gold gloves in center field over 5 seasons. From 2020 to 2023, Grisham prevented 34 runs and had 38 outs above average.
The only position player coming to the Padres is Higashioka, who adds catching depth. He ended 2023 with a .236/.274/.413 slash line with a 85 OPS+, hitting 13 doubles and 10 home runs to go with 14 walks and 34 RBI's in 92 games.
King is the other established major league option coming to the Padres, with a chance to be in the Padres rotation. He posted a 2.75 ERA, 3.13 FIP, and 1.146 WHIP, averaging 10.9 strikeouts per 9 innings over 9 starts, 40 relief appearances, and 104 2/3 innings.
Vasquez made his MLB debut in 2023 and was ranked as the 13th best prospect in the Yankees system prior to the trade. Across 5 starts and 6 relief appearances, Vasquez had a 2.87 ERA, 1.274 WHIP, and 4.98 FIP, throwing 37 2/3 innings. With Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he posted a 4.59 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 80 1/3 innings and 17 starts.
Like Vasquez, Brito also made his major league debut in 2023 with the Yankees. He ended the season with a 4.28 ERA, 4.74 FIP, and 1.218 WHIP, averaging 1.4 home runs per 9 and 7.2 strikeouts per 9 over 90 1/3 innings, 13 starts, and 12 relief appearances.
Thorpe is a prize of the deal for the Padres, ranked as the 5th best Yankees prospect and second best pitching prospect to go with 99th best in all of baseball before the trade. Thorpe had a 2.52 ERA and 0.983 WHIP over 23 starts and 139 1/3 innings between Double A and Triple A.
Soto, Alex Verdugo, and Aaron Judge will be the Yankees starting outfielders, with Grisham set for a 4th outfielder role. Higashioka and King will have major league roles with the Padres, while Vasquez and Brito present as depth options in the event of injury. Thorpe will likely begin 2024 at Triple A.
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