Michael Felger and Michael Holley react to the rare trade between the Red Sox and Yankees, as Boston send Alex Verdugo to New York for three pitchers
Someone check on David Ortiz.
The New York Yankees have acquired superstar outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, the team announced late Wednesday night. Initial reports suggested the Yankees may send Alex Verdugo to the Padres as part of the deal, but the outfielder will remain in New York after the team acquired him from the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday. Here are the full details of the deal:
Yankees receive: OF Juan Soto, OF Trent Grisham
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Padres receive: RHP Michael King, C Kyle Higashioka, RHP Jhony Brito, RHP Randy Vásquez and RHP Drew Thorpe
The Yankees gave up a lot in this deal, but they're getting a generational talent in Soto, a three-time All-Star and World Series champion whose career .421 on-base percentage leads all active players.
There's a reason why Ortiz told our John Tomase he doesn't want to see Soto wearing a Yankees uniform: The 25-year-old should thrive in the Bronx, where his left-handed power stroke is perfect for the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. New York can now roll out an outfield featuring Soto, 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge and Verdugo, who was a Gold Glove finalist in 2023.
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New York finished fourth in the American League East last season at 82-80, but the Soto trade immediately vaults the Bronx Bombers back into contention. Many sportsbooks now have the Yankees as the favorites to win the American League, vaulting ahead of other strong AL East contenders like the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays.
That makes Boston's path back to relevance even more challenging and places even more pressure on new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. The Red Sox finished last in the AL East three times during Chaim Bloom's four-year tenure, and Breslow will need to make some serious improvements to the roster to prevent a similar result in 2024.
Breslow's job could get even harder if Shohei Ohtani joins the AL East as well; the two-way star is believed to have met with the Toronto Blue Jays recently, so if the two sides can reach a deal, the Red Sox would have to contend with two of the sport's best players in 2024.
Soto to New York is the first major domino to fall this offseason and ramps up the pressure on Breslow and the Red Sox to acquire high-end talent.
