Wednesday evening the Yankees took a big step at turning the page from their poor 2023 season. The Yankees acquired hitting savant Juan Soto and 2x Gold Glover Trent Grisham from the Padres for pitchers Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez and Drew Thorpe and veteran catcher Kyle Higashioka. Soto, universally viewed as a generational bat, adds a dimension that the Yankees have not seen in recent history.
With numerous long term injuries helping attribute to a putrid .227 team average (ranking 29th in MLB) and a .304 OBP (ranking 27th in MLB) in 2023, the Bronx Bombers needed to find a hitter that could help get on base while also staying on the field. The dynamic bat of Soto is expected to flourish in Yankee stadium in front of Judge. Soto played in nearly all of his team's games over his career while getting on base at a very high clip (two areas that the Yankees have had significant troubles in recent year) which make the move much lower risk than some previous moves.
The Yankees' achilles heal at the plate last year was not just horrible OBP numbers but also striking out at a high rate (11th most strike outs in MLB). Soto has consistently walked more than struck out over his career and will add a dangerous on base presence ahead of Judge in the lineup.
Not to be overlooked is the additional of Trent Grisham. The former 2x Gold Glove centerfielder will give the Yanks a strong defensive centerfield option on days where Verdugo doesn't play or as a late game defensive sub given both Verdugo and Soto are average at best defenders.
Yankees' fan are optimistic that Soto will be a Yankee long term but his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2024 season. Will he be here long-term? Hard to tell. Regardless, it is clear, the Yankees are a much more dangerous offense today than they were prior to the trade.
Will Yoshinobu Yamamoto be next? Only time will tell.
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