The MLB Hot Stove did not just warm up today. It blazed with the power of a raging furnace. The New York Yankees secured the first blockbuster deal of the 2023 offseason, acquiring three-time All-Star Juan Soto and Trent Grisham from the San Diego Padres.
In exchange, the Padres are believed to have received pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito, and catcher Kyle Higashioka. The already competitive AL East just got that much tougher.
This MLB offseason had been quiet on all fronts aside from Shohei Ohtani rumors. When a superstar of his magnitude is on the open market, all media attention tends to steer in that direction. Under the shroud of Ohtani though, the New York Yankees were playing chess, moving pieces around in order to grab a key player before anybody knew what hit them.
However, you could say it all started with the trade for outfielder Alex Verdugo
That move had many people scratching their heads on both sides. Why would the Yankees acquire an outfielder when so many of their young players and prospects are outfielders? Why would the Red Sox flip one of the main pieces they got in the Mookie Betts deal for three mid-tier prospects? Well, at least for the Yankees, their reasoning was clear. It was all part of their play to land Soto, revamping their entire outfield, one of their weakest units in 2023.
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Level up:Yankees landing superstar Juan Soto in blockbuster trade with Padres. Is ‘Evil Empire’ back?
