Report: Yankees acquiring Soto from Padres
The San Diego Padres have traded All-Star outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees per multiple reports. The Yankees will also reportedly acquire Trent Grisham in the deal.
Full trade, per ESPN sources:
Yankees receive: outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham.
Padres receive: right-handed pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito and catcher Kyle Higashioka.@Joelsherman1 was on top of the deal.
Soto, 25, was an All-Star and awarded a Silver Slugger for National League outfielders in 2023 after he hit .275 with 35 home runs and 109 runs batted in.
The Yankees will also receive outfielder Grisham from San Diego. The 27-year-old hit .198 in 153 games with the Padres a season ago, with 13 HR and 50 RBI. He won a Gold Glove award in centrefield in 2020 and 22.
Headed back to the Padres is right-handed pitcher Michael King and a host of prospects, including right-handers Drew Thorpe and Randy Vasquez.
King, 28, pitched to a 2.75 earned run average in 49 games (nine starts) for New York last season - his fifth with the team. He struck out 127 batters in 104.2 innings pitched.
Thorpe is the fifth-ranked prospect in the Yankees' system, per MLB.com's prospect rankings, and 99th overall across MLB. Vasquez is the 13th-ranked prospect in the Yankees' farm system.
In six major league seasons, Soto has been selected to three All-Star Games, finished with four Silver Slugger awards and finished in the top 10 in NL Most Valuable Player voting four times.
Soto is due to hit free agency after the 2024 season, and is expected to command a massive contract extension.
Originally signed as an amateur free agent in 2015 by the Washington Nationals, Soto spent the first four seasons of his career in Washington, but was dealt to the Padres after he reportedly declined a $440 million contract extension in 2022.
The Padres shipped out two prospects ranked in MLB.com's top 100 list at the time in 2022, with two others involved in the deal – CJ Abrams and Mackenzie Gore - recent graduates from the list to the majors.
In 779 career MLB games played, the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native has hit .284 with 160 HR and 483 RBI. His career on-base percentage of .421 is the highest among active players, and he has led the majors in walks in three consecutive seasons.
The Yankees will also acquire pitcher Jhony Brito and catcher Kyle Higashioka.
