NASHVILLE-.Los New York Yankees they acquired the star Dominican Juan Soto coming from some San Diego Padreseager to reduce their spending.
San Diego will receive in exchange right-handers Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez and Drew Thorpe, in addition to catcher Kyle Higashioka. Aside from Soto, the Yankees get center fielder Trent Grisham. Both Brito and Vásquez are Dominican.
Both teams announced the trade Wednesday night.
It is the second mega-trade involving Soto, a 25-year-old left fielder, in less than two years.
The three-time All-Star still has one year of team control left. He is expected to earn a $32 million salary in 2024 after hitting .275 with 35 home runs, 109 RBIs and a .930 OPS in his only full season with the Padres.
San Diego acquired Soto from the Washington Nationals on August 2, 2022 after the slugger rejected a $440 million, 15-year offer.
Soto joins a group of Yankees outfielders that would have fellow superstar Aaron Judge in center and Alex Verdugo, acquired Tuesday in a trade with Boston, at the other corner.
Soto and Verdugo will add left-handed bats to a lineup that relied heavily on right-handers for several seasons. The Yankees’ left-handers hit 55 home runs and drove in 171 runs last year, while the right-handers contributed 164 home runs and 479 RBIs. New York missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The trade was finalized amid press reports about the Padres’ desire to reduce their payroll spending by $50 million after a disappointing season in which they had ambitions of winning the World Series championship. San Diego also lost pitchers from its starting rotation after NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo declared free agency.
Soto’s precocious age entering free agency is comparable to that of Bryce Harper, another client of his agent Scott Boras.
Harper was 26 years old when he signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with Philadelphia prior to the 2019 campaign. In six seasons in the majors, Soto has a .284 batting average with 160 home runs, 483 home runs and a .946 OPS. He won the World Series with Washington in 2019.
The Padres argued that the agreement with the Nationals was worth having Soto for three trips to the playoffs. With Soto, they reached the NL Championship Series in 2022. But the Padres failed last season despite having stars Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts in the lineup.
The Padres have reportedly tried to work out an extension, but Boras prefers his biggest clients to hit the free agent market.
King, a 28-year-old right-hander, averages 94-96 mph with his fastball and had a 2.75 ERA last season while going 4-8 in new starts and 40 relief appearances.
Source: AP
