For the second time before his 26th birthday, is on the move. The Yankees and Padres announced a trade sending Soto and fellow outfielder from San Diego to the Bronx. The Friars receive five players right-hander , top pitching prospect , right-handers and , and catcher in return. Sotos time in San Diego concludes after a season and a half. The Padres acquired the star slugger from the Nationals in one of the biggest deadline blockbusters in history. Hed go on to appear in 214 games with the Friars, hitting .265/.405/.488. It wasnt immediately the smoothest tenure, as Soto was hitting below his established lofty standards down the stretch in 22 and early this past season. By May, he turned a corner and was back to performing at an elite level. The three-time All-Star ultimately turned in a .275/.410/.519 line with 35 home runs while playing in all 162 games. He narrowly established a career mark in longballs despite the generally pitcher-friendly nature of Petco Park. Sotos generational plate discipline remained on full display. Among hitters with 400+ plate appearances, only new teammate walked more frequently. Soto trailed just the respective league MVPs, and , in on-base percentage. He was one of four hitters to walk more often than he struck out. Its what weve come to expect from Soto, who now owns a .284/.421/.524 slash over five and a half MLB seasons. Hes on a Hall of Fame trajectory and will immediately step into the middle of the New York batting order. He and Judge now comprise the games most fearsome corner outfield tandem. Along with Grisham and last night from the Red Sox theyre part of an almost completely overhauled outfield in the Bronx. The trade is a firm win-now strike for the Yankees, the kind of headline-grabbing splash thats reminiscent of the Bronx Bombers of old. Its a bold push on the part of ownership and the front office after a fourth-place finish in the AL East. In all likelihood, Soto is a one-year acquisition. He is in his final offseason of arbitration eligibility. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $33MM salary that would break the all-time record for an arb-eligible player. While the Yankees are likely to inquire with Sotos representatives at the Boras Corporation about a po sible long-term extension, it is widely expected hes strictly a one-year rental. The three-time All-Star from the Nationals prior to his trade to San Diego. The price would surely only be higher now that Soto is a season and a half closer to the open market. The chance to discu s extension figures with Sotos camp isnt entirely without value, yet its far le s important than ensuring hell be a Yankee in 2024. Manager Aaron Boone said this morning the Yankees were comfortable playing Judge in center field if nece sary. thinks the teams most frequently used outfield would indeed feature Judge in center despite the increased injury risk of that position, with Soto in right and Verdugo in left. Given Giancarlo Stantons injury history, the Yankees should also be able to rotate their stars in the DH mix and use the glove-first Grisham in center. Top center field prospect could factor in at some point later in the year after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, while young left fielder is likely to head back to Triple-A. Grisham, who recently turned 27, played four seasons in San Diego. The Padres acquired him from the Brewers in a four-player trade after the 2019 campaign. Grisham had an excellent showing in the abbreviated 2020 season but has trended down offensively through the past few years. He was still a slightly better than average hitter in 21 before falling below that in the last two seasons. The left-handed hitter has run sub-Mendoza line batting averages in each of those campaigns. The Padres neverthele s stuck by him as their primary center fielder. Grisham has been patient enough to work a fair number of walks and reached double digits in homers for all four years in San Diego. His .191/.300/.347 line going back to the start of 2022 remains grisly, but the walks and serviceable power have been enough to make him a bottom-of-the-lineup regular. Grisham is a plus defender in center field, annually receiving strong marks from Defensive Runs Saved and Statcasts Outs Above Average. DRS has rated him 25 runs above average in his nearly 4100 career innings; Statcast has Grisham 30 runs better than par. The glove was enough for the Padres to tender him an arbitration contract projected around $4.9MM. Grisham will go through that proce s once more before qualifying for free agency after the 2025 campaign. Between Verdugo, Soto and Grisham, the New York front office has added a trio of left-handed bats within a little more than 24 hours. Early in the offseason, general manager Brian Cashman called it a priority to bring in two lefty-swinging outfielders. There may not be one in the majors better than Soto. It comes at the cost of a good chunk of their upper level pitching depth and significant cash. The Padres went into the offseason broadcasting a need to cut spending. The Friars had emerged as a surprising behemoth in recent years. Late owner Peter Seidler signed off on repeated sprees that pushed the Friars into the realms of the games top spenders. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller has never been shy about pursuing star talent. That evidently hasnt been entirely sustainable over the long haul. With reports of a need to scale back payroll toward the $200MM range to become compliant with MLBs debt service ratio, speculation about a Soto trade has been rampant throughout the winter. Hed been projected for the highest 2024 salary of anyone on the roster. Yet the short-term commitment made it easier to move Soto for a noteworthy return than it would have been to shed money from a lengthy deal (e.g. , or ). With no intention to rebuild, the Padres needed to find a way to bring in rotation help. San Diego had arguably the sports best starting pitching last Hideki Matsui Jersey season. With each of , , and hitting free agency, they were down to e sentially , and a host of unproven options with limited payroll room. The Yankees obliged, sending a handful of upper level arms. The package is headlined by King, a 28-year-old righty who broke out as a starter late last season. The Boston College product had been an effective multi-inning reliever for the bulk of his time in the Bronx. Reeling with rotation i sues late in the year, the Yankees gave King a shot as a starter. They couldnt have anticipated it going as well as it did. In his nine starts, King pitched to a 2.23 ERA through 40 1/3 innings. He held opponents to a .243/.284/.355 line while striking out a stellar 31.3% of batters faced. The Yankees gradually built his workload, keeping him to five or fewer innings in all but two of those appearances. King found succe s in both outings he did work into the sixth, each against the Blue Jays, highlighted by a 13-strikeout performance on September 20. Theres certainly risk in betting on King to hold up as a starter. This years 104 2/3 innings is a personal high at the MLB level, plus King was on the 60-day IL in 2021 and 22 for a finger injury and an elbow fracture, respectively. The Padres hit on their gamble that Lugo could convert from the bullpen last offseason, though. King held his 94-95 MPH average fastball velocity and mixes four pitches. He has dominated hitters from either side of the plate and owns an overall 2.60 ERA with a 30.6% strikeout rate in 155 2/3 frames since the start of 2022. Its a gamble, but theres also significant upside. The Padres control King for two seasons via arbitration. His earnings have been capped by his career rsum as a non-closing reliever. Swartz projects him for just a $2.6MM salary in 2024. Even if he performs well over a full season as a starter, hed likely be capped in the $8-10MM range for 25. Brito and Vsquez held depth roles in the rotation as rookies in 2023. The former is a 25-year-old righty who worked 90 1/3 innings over 25 outings (13 starts). Brito pitched to a 4.28 ERA overall but fared much better out of the bullpen. He turned in a 1.43 ERA with a solid 24.3% strikeout rate in relief compared to a 6.32 mark with a 16.4% strikeout percentage from the rotation. That could point to a future in long relief, although prospect evaluators generally projected Brito as a po sible back-end starter. Vsquez, 25, posted a 2.87 ERA through his first 37 2/3 MLB frames. His strikeout and walk numbers were more middling. Vsquez also struggled to throw strikes in Triple-A, although he punched out nearly 27% of batters faced in 17 starts at the top minor league level. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he mixed six pitches (four-seam, sinker, cutter, sweeper, changeup and curveball) in his limited big league time. Both hurlers still have two minor league options remaining. Neither has yet reached a full year of service. San Diego can control them for at least six seasons. Theyre each reasonably valuable trade pieces, but Thorpe is the true secondary piece behind King. A second-round pick in 2022, the 64 righty was excellent in his first full profe sional season. Thorpe combined for a 2.52 ERA in 139 1/3 innings between High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. He punched out more than a third of batters faced compared to a modest 7.1% walk rate. had recently ranked him seventh among Yankee prospects. According to BA, he sports a deep arsenal headlined by a plus changeup and good life on a 92-94 MPH fastball. He also has plus control and projects as a back-end or better starter. Hell likely start the season in Double-A, but as an advanced college draftee, its not out of the question hes on the mound at Petco Park sometime next summer. Preller suggested as much in a post-trade pre s conference . Rounding out the return is Higashioka, a veteran catcher to back up 25-year-old . Higashioka had spent a decade and a half in the Yankee organization dating back to his selection in the 2008 draft. He has settled in as a respected #2 presence behind the dish. Higashioka runs bottom of the barrel on-base grades but has reached double digit homers in three straight seasons. He has excellent pitch framing marks throughout his career, although Statcast metrics suggest his typically solid blocking ability plummeted this year. Swartz projects the 33-year-old for a $2.3MM salary in his final season before free agency. With no cash considerations involved in the swap, the financial elements of the trade are limited to the players respective arbitration salaries. King and Higahioka are projected to make a total of $4.9MM; Soto and Grisham will combine for something in the $37.9MM range. It represents around $33MM in savings for the Padres. projects the Friars around $156MM in actual spending. Theyre at roughly $209MM in luxury tax commitments, around $28MM below the base threshold. Theres room for the front office to dip into the middle tiers of free agency. Theyll likely still look for some reliability in the back of the starting staff, a back-end reliever and add at least one outfielder. Tatis could theoretically slide from right to center field, although its widely expected theyll pursue KBO center fielder . Additionally, Preller tonight to look to add more starting pitching. The cost for the Yankees goes well beyond the $33MM difference in arbitration projections. The Yankees were already into luxury tax territory. Roster Resource now projects their CBT mark in the $290MM range, well into the third tier of penalization. The Yankees have paid the tax in each of the last two years, so theyre charged significantly higher penalties as repeat payors. New York will pay a 50% tax on spending between $237MM and $257MM, 62% on their next $20MM, and 95% for spending between $277MM and $297MM. Theyd be taxed at a 110% rate on every dollar past $297MM. The Yankees pretty clearly still need to add a starting pitcher and perhaps a reliever, and its worth considering that the cost of those additions would roughly double in 2024 due to the luxury tax barring payroll subtractions in other places. In total, todays trade adds around $24.75MM in expected tax obligations. It amounts to a nearly $58MM investment for whats primarily one season of Sotos services and two years from Grisham. The Yankees could recoup a draft choice if Soto walks in free agency next year once he declines a qualifying offer, although thatd fall only after the fourth round because of New Yorks CBT status. Between the huge financial cost and the notable pitching talent, its a ma sive investment. Thats a testament both to Sotos talent and the Yankees all-in approach to turning things around. It will likely be the biggest trade of the offseason and, unlike some blockbusters, its between two clubs that fully expect to compete for a playoff spot in 2024. Things are just beginning for both franchises. reported this morning that a Soto trade was likely. reported the Padres would receive King, Thorpe and at least two others. confirmed Grishams inclusion. had the likely inclusions of Vsquez, Higashioka and Brito. first reported the deal was agreed upon. Images courtesy of USA Today Sports. Oswaldo Cabrera Jersey