The Yankees were heavily rumored to be in on Juan Soto, and the deal came to fruition late on December 6. Juan Soto was officially sent to the Yankees via trade, in a trade that saw the Padres get four pitchers, including one of New York’s most valuable pitching prospects. Here’s a look at the move and the pieces involved.
Related: Eduardo Rodriguez Joins Diamondbacks: What to Make of Move
The Yankees’ Return
- OF Trent Grisham (.198/.315/.352 with 13 HR and 45 XBH in 555 PA)
- OF Juan Soto (.275/.410/.519 with 35 HR and 68 XBH over 708 PA)
The 2023 campaign was not kind, at least in the beginning, to Juan Soto.
Between the start of the year and April 30, Soto hit just .202/.373/.384 (.757 OPS), far removed from what fans were accustomed to seeing from him. There was debate about whether Soto was pulling off the ball, but those concerns went away when May arrived.
Soto finished tied 15th in the Majors in total extra-base hits (60) from May 1 to the end, as well as the 10th-highest OPS (.966) in the league (min. 250 PA). The 25-year-old put an exclamation point on his 2023 when he hit 10 home runs over the final month.
There’s no player in the Majors today that has the skillset of Soto. The 25-year-old possesses arguably the best eye in the game and his .421 career OBP — the highest among active hitters — is proof of that.
Not to mention, he’s an exceptional hitter with elite bat control and can punish hitters in nearly every part of the zone, both up and inside.
The other piece in the deal is Trent Grisham. Grisham possesses plus speed, plus defensive ability, and a very good eye at the plate, hence why he walks over 13% of the time.
However, the 27-year-old posted a .647 OPS over 1,079 PA between 2022-23 is far removed from what he did in his first three MLB campaigns (.758 OPS). Grisham is poised to be a bench bat that can come in games late for defensive purposes.
The Padres’ Return
- C Kyle Higashioka (.236/.274/.413, 10 HR and 23 XBH over 260 PA)
- SP Jhony Brito (4.28 ERA, 72 K over 90.1 IP)
- SP Michael King (2.75 ERA, 127 K over 104.2 IP)
- SP Drew Thorpe (2.52 ERA, 182 K over 139.1 IP (A+ and AA))
- SP Randy Vasquez (2.87 ERA, 33 K over 37.2 IP)
The big piece in this deal is Michael King, who flourished late last season as a starter.
Primarily a reliever with the Yankees, injuries thrust the reliever into a starting role and King succeeded in a big way. As we noted in our 2023 Yankees recap, King struck out 51 and walked just nine batters over 40.1 innings of work as a starter.
The 28-year-old pounds the zone with a mid-90s sinker, a pitch that did net him a fair amount of strikeouts and was used primarily against righties. However, the bulk of his swing-and-miss action came off the sweeper (39.5% Whiff%) and changeup (41.0% Whiff%).
King wasn’t the only starter the Padres got in this deal. San Diego also acquired Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez, both of whom saw time in the Yankees rotation last season.
Brito possesses a mid-90s two-seamer, a pitch he mainly used to his arm side against both lefties and righties. He paired it with a good changeup that can be considered his best pitch, as well as a curveball and four-seamer.
Vasquez, like King, doesn’t throw very hard, as he tops out in the mid-90s. However, he does have several decent offerings, including a cutter, slider, changeup, and curve.
Both Brito and Vasquez project as back-end starters. However, the one piece to this deal with the highest ceiling is Drew Thorpe. Thorpe ranked #5 on the Yankees’ prospect rankings list per MLB.com.
Thorpe was a second-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft and his first pro season went extremely well. The 23-year-old struck out 182 over 139.1 IP between High-A and Double-A, owned a WHIP of .98 and opposing hitters batted just .200 off him.
Scouting reports laud his plus changeup, which pairs well with his sinker and MLB.com describes it as a plus pitch. The righty also can work in a low-80s slider that reportedly has more depth to it.
San Diego also acquired longtime Yankee Kyle Higashioka, who figures to be a backup for Luis Campusano.
Analysis
The top trade target is now off the market — and he’s headed to The Bronx.
The acquisition of Soto was one made out of necessity for the Yankees. New York ranked in the bottom half in several offensive categories last season and the Yankees’ depth lacked greatly when Aaron Judge was on the IL.
With the trade done and Juan Soto in tow, the Yankees can now form a powerful lineup that could include the 25-year-old batting right in front of Judge — something that should have Yankees fans salivating given Soto’s ability to get on base.
The move also sets the Yankees’ outfield up for 2024. New York added left-handed hitter Alex Verdugo a day earlier, who will likely be a stopgap in the outfield as Jasson Dominguez recovers from Tommy John surgery.
As for the Padres, San Diego didn’t net the same value that was given up for Soto. However, the trade did help the Padres fill their need for multiple MLB-ready starters.
The Padres lost Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, and Seth Lugo to free agency and all are set to receive larger contracts. With San Diego in need to cut payroll, the Juan Soto trade to the Yankees did give the Padres three arms that can conceivably step into the rotation right away, plus a fourth when Thorpe is ready.