Yankees acquire Juan Soto in 7-player trade with Padres

The San Diego Padres traded Juan Soto to the New York Yankees on Wednesday night, marking the second trade in less than 17 months for the 25-year-old outfielder who has established himself as one of the most gifted hitters of this era.

The Yankees also received outfielder Trent Grisham from the Padres in 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.

The Yankees entered the offseason looking for two everyday left-handed outfielders and acquired both this week. On Tuesday night, they completed a rare trade with the rival Boston Red Sox to acquire Alex Verdugo in exchange for three pitchers.

A little over 24 hours later, the Yankees reached a deal that had been the subject of much speculation for several weeks. The Yankees and Padres had agreed on the names for this deal Tuesday night and appeared to want to finalize the deal the following afternoon, but concerns over some medicals temporarily halted the deal until to almost midnight on the East Coast. a source told ESPN.

The trade places Soto in an outfield mix with Verdugo, Grisham, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the latter of whom is more of a designated hitter at this point.

Verdugo, 27, and Soto, 25, are both entering their final year before free agency, but the Yankees would undoubtedly love to keep Soto long-term. Neither Judge nor Verdugo are primary center players, but one of them will have to play the position full-time as part of this build.

Grisham, also a left-handed hitter, comes in as a fourth outfielder who can be replaced for defensive purposes late in games and also make some starts against righties.

Grisham's departure could open the way in San Diego for Fernando Tatis Jr. — a longtime shortstop who won a platinum glove in his first full season as a right fielder in 2023 — to play the field center, although the Padres have also expressed interest in Korean center fielder Jung Hoo Lee.

The Padres initially acquired Soto by sending an impressive group of prospects – headlined by shortstop CJ Abrams, starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore and three other highly regarded young players – to the Washington Nationals in August 2022. The Padres' plan was to have Soto for three playoff runs before hitting free agency, pairing him with fellow superstars Tatis, Manny Machado and, eventually, Xander Bogaerts.

Instead, they only got one.

The Padres benefited from the acquisitions of Soto and star closer Josh Hader through the 2022 National League Championship Series, but they failed to make the playoffs during a thoroughly disappointing 2023 campaign. The ensuing offseason found them wanting to trim a payroll that topped $250 million and fill a rotation left barren by several free agent departures.

Trading Soto – a highly coveted player heading into his final season before free agency – proved to be the best and most efficient route for the Pads.

But it was also painful.

Since debuting at age 19 in 2018, Soto, with his combination of patience and power, has slashed .284/.421/.524 with 160 homers and 483 RBIs in 779 games, making three All-team teams. Star and capture four Silver Sluggers. During that six-year span, Soto had 640 walks and 577 strikeouts, a rare ratio in an era where pitchers routinely throw triple-digit pitches with devastating pitches.

Soto won a batting title during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020 and led the majors in walks each of the next three years, racking up 412 free passes — while striking out 94 fewer times — but accumulating also 91 home runs. His adjusted OPS of 157 is the fifth-highest all-time single-season OPS for a 24-year-old, behind Ty Cobb, Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

The Nationals' trade of Soto, whom they originally signed from the Dominican Republic, came after he turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension, prompting them to go into rebuilding mode. Soto finished this season with a career-low .853 OPS, but his numbers picked up in his first full season with the Padres in 2023, in which he slashed .275/.410/.519 with 35 homers and 109 RBIs while playing in 162 games.

The Padres began the offseason with only Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish remaining from their 2023 rotation, as the free agency of Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, Nick Martinez and Seth Lugo left them with as many as three holes to fill. The Soto business helps alleviate some of that need.

King, a 28-year-old who posted a 1.88 ERA in eight starts after joining the Yankees' rotation late last season, will likely fill one of the vacant spots. Brito and Vasquez, both 25-year-olds who debuted last season, are also options. So did Thorpe, who dominated in High-A and Double-A during his age-22 season in 2023, going 14-2 with a 2.52 ERA while striking out 182 batters and issuing 38 walks in 139⅓ innings. Brito posted a 4.28 ERA in 25 games (13 starts) in 2023; Vasquez had a 2.87 ERA in 11 games (five starts).

Higashioka, who is one year away from free agency, gives the Padres another option behind the plate alongside 25-year-old catcher Luis Campusano.

But the real prize, of course, is Soto, whose transition from San Diego's spacious Petco Park to the short right field porch of Yankee Stadium could open up a new level for his already illustrious offensive prowess. He's only guaranteed one year in the Bronx, but the Yankees would love to extend his stay in some way.