After what felt like an eternity and an entire day of being “on the one-yard line”, a deal was finally reached to send the three-time All-Star and World Series champion Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees, along with Trent Grisham, late Wednesday night. This blockbuster of a trade, which ships Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez, Drew Thorpe, and Kyle Higashioka to the Friars, has the potential to be lucrative for both sides. Soto, arguably a top-5 hitter in the MLB, will be slotted into a star-studded lineup alongside 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge and household names Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, and DJ LeMahieu. This lineup will be scary for opposing pitchers. What’s also scary is that Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman gave up four pitchers in the process, many of whom are high ranking prospects in the Yankees’ farm, for only one guaranteed year of Soto.
This leaves the Bronx Bombers with two viable options: simply win the World Series this upcoming year or extend/re-sign Soto – which may prove to be a tall task, as he turned down an enormous 15-year, $440 million deal in July of 2022 from the Washington Nationals. Additionally, his agent is Scott Boras, who is notorious for squeezing every last penny out of teams for his clients. If the Yankees are unable to do either of those two things, Brian Cashman’s seat could get hot.
On the other hand, this trade could be just what the Yankees need. It’s hard to be mad about bringing a lefty bat who has a .410 OBP with 35 home runs to the short porch in right. In fact, everyone in Yankee-land is feeling great. With franchise cornerstones Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole being in the midst of their prime, the time is now for the Yankees to go all-in to bring a trophy to the Bronx. Adding Soto, one of the biggest superstars in the game, and a player who led his team to a World Series victory, could be the missing piece to a puzzle that Cashman, the Steinbrenner Family, and the Yankees have been trying to solve since 2009.
Losing Michael King, who posted a 2.75 ERA last season as both a starter and reliever will be a huge loss for the Yankees. The Yankees will now need to improve their pitching staff, which was certainly underwhelming last season outside of Cole. Rodon will return for his second season in pinstripes, with Nestor Cortes Jr. and Clarke Schmidt in the fold. That being said, pitching still remains a massive gap in the roster. The Yankees have been linked to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a starter with a filthy curveball. He is the real deal, as he has thrown two no-hitters for the Orix Buffaloes, one with Cashman in attendance. Reports say that the Yankees would be willing to go over the luxury tax to acquire him, and he will be in the Bronx Monday for a meeting. After acquiring Soto, Cashman told reporters that he wants to make New York, “the mecca of baseball” once again. We will soon see if Cashman lives up to his word, and his name.
