CNN —The New York Yankees have acquired superstar outfielder Juan Soto in a blockbuster seven-player trade, the team announced Wednesday.The 25-year-old arrives in New York alongside fellow outfielder Trent Grisham, as five players head in the opposite direction from the San Diego Padres; pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez and catcher Kyle Higashioka.
MLB Pipeline — the league’s official portal for evaluating young players — lists Thorpe at No. 99 on its Top 100 list; He finished the 2023 season on the injured list with a subluxation in his non-throwing shoulder.
Soto is a three-time All-Star who hit 35 home runs and knocked in 109 runs (RBIs) with a .275 batting average for San Diego last season.Soto led Major League Baseball (MLB) with 132 walks and finished sixth in the National League MVP race after an outstanding personal season“He IS the best offensive player there is,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Soto before the trade was completed.
“He’s an offensive machine – in terms of base and power, and he’s accomplished a lot at a young age.”After a disappointing 2023 – in which they finished the year 82-80 and finished fourth in the AL East – Soto could have a transformative impact on the Yankees’ prospects next season.“He’s been one of the absolute players in our sport on the offensive side of the ball, year in and year out,” Boone said.It’s the second trade in just a few days for the Yankees, who acquired outfielder Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday in exchange for three pitchers.
Soto and Verdugo will likely form a revamped outfield in the Bronx, bolstering a lineup that includes sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.The Padres acquired Soto from the Washington Nationals before the trade deadline during the 2022 MLB season. Soto, entering his seventh year in the big leagues, was part of the national team that won the World Series in 2019.
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