Juan Soto traded to Yankees in MLB’s first offseason blockbuster

The biggest domino toppling of all time occurred during the MLB Winter Meetings.

While it's not the long-awaited announcement of where Shohei Ohtani will play baseball next year, it's still a dramatic move.of san diego padres Acquired slugger Juan Soto in a trade. new york yankees.

Throughout the day Wednesday, reports from the MLB Winter Meetings indicated that the deal was nearing completion. Then late at night, I have lost contact with Joel Sherman. of new york post That the transaction has been completed.

in yes network, Jack Curry analyzed the players involved, including four pitchers headed to San Diego: Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Johnny Brito, and Randy Vasquez. Catcher Kyle Higashioka is also on his way to San Diego.

In addition to Soto, outfielder Trent Grisham is also headed to the Bronx.

This move was largely expected given the Padres' current position. Not only does San Diego have a number of holes to fill on the roster, with pitcher at the top of that list as the trade terms indicate, but the Padres enter this offseason in a pretty precarious position.

According to the team, the team had to take out a short-term loan in September to cover salaries. The Athletic, This comes in the wake of some major financial decisions by the organization. As stated in the section, athletic, Last offseason, the Padres signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract, but that wasn't the only big move. San Diego signed pitcher Yu Darvish to a six-year, $108 million contract extension and baseman Manny Machado to an 11-year, $350 million contract.

In January, the team signed Soto to a one-year contract worth $23 million. That allowed the Padres to avoid arbitration (which would have made his contract even more burdensome for the team), but he was scheduled to become a free agent after this season.

This move puts San Diego in position financially while also addressing other needs on its roster.

But what does this mean for both Soto and the Yankees?

From New York's perspective, this agreement makes perfect sense. The Yankees finished the season with 82 wins and 80 losses, finishing in fourth place in the American League East. This is the worst in the division since 1992, when George H.W. Bush was in the White House and seven teams made up the division: Toronto, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Boston, and the Yankees. The results were as follows.

There's pressure on New York to turn things around right away, and Soto is not only a great addition, but fills a clear need for left-handed power. Last season, New York's batting lineup relied heavily on the strength of its right arm. New York's top five home run hitters a season ago — Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Volpe and DJ LeMahieu — all hit home runs as home run hitters. right side of the plate. He will meet a left-handed hitter for the first time until he reaches Anthony Rizzo, who finished sixth on the team with 12 home runs last season.

The team has already added a left-handed hitter this offseason, adding 13 more home runs to the lineup from last season in the trade for Alex Verdugo earlier this week.

Soto is a different story.

Soto's addition will force opposing coaches to play a little differently in late-game situations. In such a situation, instead of relying on right-handed pitchers, it may be necessary to use a few more pitchers and let them compete a little more. This may not make a huge difference in a single-game situation, but throughout the series, and potentially in his seven-game playoff series, it's important to make the opponent's pen work as much as possible.

Plus, Soto doesn't have a hard time hitting left-handed batters. Over his career, he has posted a slash line of .266/.376/.460 against left-handed pitchers and has hit 43 home runs. This isn't close to his numbers against right-handed pitchers, but it's not dramatic.

With the addition of Soto, the Yankees finally have a hitter who can take full advantage of Yankee Stadium's short right field pouch. Soto can be powerful in all areas, but consider this. This is the spray chart for the 2023 season. Provided by: Baseball Savant:

As you can see, 21 of his 35 home runs last season came from right field or right center.

Well, thanks baseball savants Use the handy Illustrator tools to bring your 2023 spray chart to Yankee Stadium.

Suddenly, at Yankee Stadium, many outs and extra-base hits become home runs.

Of course, all of that won't be decided at Yankee Stadium next year, but Soto could play in 81 friendlies and rack up huge numbers.To that point, in just seven games at Yankee Stadium throughout his career, and Appeared in 28 at-bats — He has four home runs.

For example, in May of this year, Soto home run to the right This indisputable statement was sent deep into the stands at Yankee Stadium.

Plus, from a player's perspective, it's a chance to play on perhaps baseball's biggest stage, right at the peak of his career. And in a ballpark that can be customized to suit his swing.

The caveat, of course, is that Soto still has a year left on his contract, but one would think New York would push for an extension with Soto sooner rather than later.

The Yankees are under pressure to turn things around right away, and Soto gives them a chance to do that job. All the while, he was playing half of his games at the perfect park for his game.

This created the perfect combination of players and teams.