New York Yankees Trade for World Series Champion in Blockbuster Deal

The New York Yankees just got a little stronger for the 2024 season. On Wednesday night, the team acquired Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres in a seven-player blockbuster trade. Soto comes to the Yankees with outfielder Trent Grisham in exchange for five players —pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez, plus catcher Kyle Higashioka. Thorpe is ranked No. 99 in the MLB Pipeline rankings, while Vásquez was the Yankees' 13-ranked prospect. 

"He's as good an offensive player as there is," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Soto before the trade was completed, per MLB.com. "He is a machine offensively — on base, power, and has accomplished a ton already at a young age."  

Juan Soto. New York Yankee. pic.twitter.com/onD87MqmMd

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) December 7, 2023

Soto, 25, spent nearly two seasons with the Padres after being traded to the team from the Washington Nationals. In 214 games, Soto hit 41 home runs with 125 RBIs and an OPS of .893. Last season, Soto was named an All-Star after hitting 35 home runs and 109 runs driven in. 

In 2018, Soto made his  MLB debut with the Nationals and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. The following season, Soto finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting and helped the Nationals win the World Series. In his career, Sooto has been named an All-Star three times, won the Silver Slugger Award four times and was named to the All-MLB Team three times. 

"They clearly made it known that this was a deal and a player [they wanted]," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said. "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."  

The addition of Soto gives the Yankees a strong chance of reaching the World Series next season. The team now has its version of the Big Three with Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. In 2023, Judge hit 37 home runs and 75 RBIs in just 106 games. Stanton hit 24 home runs and 60 RBIs in 101 games.