The Yankees and Padres completed a deal than sends Juan Soto to New York:
The San Diego Padres traded Juan Soto to the New York Yankees late Wednesday night, marking the second trade in less than 17 months for the 25-year-old outfielder who has established himself as one of this era’s most gifted hitters.
The Yankees also received outfielder Trent Grisham from the Padres as part of the seven-player deal. In exchange, San Diego received right-handers Michael King, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez, starting-pitching prospect Drew Thorpe and catcher Kyle Higashioka.
ESPN.com
The Padres get King, a good pitcher with two prime years left, and two years of control. In his minor league career, Brito posted low numbers in all three-true outcomes; he walks few and gives up few home runs, but batters put the ball in play against him. Good defense will be key when he’s pitching. He’s also not young, as 2024 will be his age 26 season. Vasquez also limits home runs, but tends to walk batters more. The Padres needed pitching, and they received major league ready pitching.
Thorpe is the prize here, as he rose quickly to AA in his first year in the minors and pitched extremely well there. He had an injury concern, but the Padres were obviously satisficed with his medical condition. Higashioka gives the Padres a solid backup at catcher, and a catcher who knows the major league pitchers.
The Yankees got left-handed quickly. Soto, Grisham, and the recently acquired Alex Verdugo all bat in a sinister manner. New York takes a risk in trading lots of talent for potentially one year of Soto. Then again, they Yankees have the resources to keep him away from free agency.
I actually find the inclusion of Grisham fascinating. He’s not a good hitter, but his defense helps make him a two-WAR player. It’s also possible to set up a platoon with Grisham and Verdugo, as Grisham is a reverse lefty at the plate for his career. So Verdugo plays most of the time, since right-handers are prevalent in the game, but Grisham can start against left-handers, giving the Yankees a chance to rest other players. He’ll also allow New York to put better defense on the field late in the game.
This deal will need to be judged long term, as it depends on the Yankees ability to sign Soto long term and if Thorpe develops into a superlative major league pitcher.