A new star is joining the New York Yankees’ clubhouse. The storied franchise confirmed on Thursday that it acquired All-MLB outfielder Juan Soto in a trade with the San Diego Padres.
The Yankees will receive Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham while sending pitchers Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez, right-hand prospect Drew Thorpe, and veteran catcher Kyle Higashioka to the Padres.
The Padres gave up a massive package to the Washington Nationals in 2022 to bring Soto to San Diego. The franchise expected the deal would get them over the hump and establish them as a perennial playoff contender.
While the Padres reached the NL Championship Series in Soto’s first season with the franchise, they followed that up with a disappointing campaign in 2023 that saw them miss out on the postseason altogether. This, coupled with the fact that Soto is set to become a free agent next offseason and might command a $500+ million deal, prompted the general manager A.J. Preller to explore the market for the 25-year-old player.
The Yankees, themselves trying to bounce back after missing the playoffs, emerged as the most aggressive suitor for Soto, with the teams being engaged in negotiations for the past several weeks. At one point, it seemed that the deal was nowhere near to being completed, but intensive talks in recent days managed to get Preller and his New York counterpart Brian Cashman closer to their expectations and get the deal over the line.
Juan Soto received All-Star nods in each of his previous three seasons while also being honored with the Silver Slugger Award four consecutive times. He has a batting average of .284 with 160 homers and 483 RBIs.
