Looking Back At The Juan Soto Trade One Year Ago Today
The New York Yankees made one of their most impactful trades in recent memory one year ago today.
The Yankees acquired Juan Soto and Trent Grisham from the San Diego Padres on December 6, 2023. The deal was the biggest trade of the offseason and signified that the Bronx Bombers wanted to put another star-level bat alongside Aaron Judge in the lineup.
The acquisition propelled the Yankees to being a 94-win team and AL East champion. Soto helped get the Yankees their first American League Pennant since 2009 as well.
The slugger produced a career-high 41 home runs and 7.9 wins above replacement, one spot ahead of Judge in the Yankees’ lineup. Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 while also driving in 109 runs and leading the AL with 128 runs scored. The outfielder also started the All-Star Game for the American League, won a Silver Slugger award, and finished third in the AL MVP voting.
The Padres brought back five players in the deal. Kyle Higashioka hit a career-high 17 homers in 2024. He recently signed a two-year deal with the Texas Rangers in free agency.
Michael King was one of the best starters in the National League last season. The righty went 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA in 173.1 innings. He recorded 201 strikeouts and received Cy Young votes.
The Padres also acquired three other pitchers in the deal. Randy Vázquez provided the team with 20 starts while their rotation battled injury. Johnny Brito made 26 relief appearances for the Padres. Drew Thorpe was used in a separate trade to net the team Dylan Cease who finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting this past season.
Soto’s free agency has left the Yankees as one of the few teams bidding for his services. The trade would likely be seen as a major success if he were to remain in the pinstripes.
Casey Fahrer is a 2024 graduate of Syracuse University and a contributor to Inside The Pinstripes. He can be reached at caseyfahrer716@gmail.com.
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