Baseball fans who were waiting to see if the Juan Soto trade between the Yankees and Padres would be completed were left waiting for hours before the deal was made official in the late hours of Wednesday night.
The players involved in the trade were agreed upon, according to reports throughout the day, but the deal was not accepted by one or both sides. Something was holding it up, and we now know what it was.
According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the medicals of at least one player moving from the Yankees to the Padres slowed the deal’s completion. Martino adds that the hiccup made the Yankees nervous, but San Diego was ultimately satisfied with the medicals.
According to Martino, the player’s medicals revealed nothing major, such as a pitcher’s arm.
Seven players were involved in the trade between the Yankees and the Padres. Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham were acquired by the Yankees, while New York sent catcher Kyle Higashioka, pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vasquez.
It makes sense for the Padres to conduct due diligence on all of the players returning in a trade for one of the game’s best players. San Diego GM A.J Preller stated shortly after the trade was announced that the Yankees were “aggressive” in their pursuit of Soto, but they are pleased with the return, especially with King set to join the team’s rotation.
A day later, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman lauded the move and expressed confidence that Soto will transform the team’s offense next season.
“It significantly upgrades us without a doubt,” he went on to say. “And the great thing about the ‘crazy 8s’ is that one is right-handed and one is left-handed, making the opposing pitchers’ lives more difficult… We know there is still work to be done, but we are very excited about what this acquisition can do for both balance and impact, and we are especially excited about the opportunity to bring him here.”
The Yankees will have one guaranteed season with Soto, but the young outfielder will be a free agent after the 2024 season. It will be interesting to see if New York can reach an extension agreement before that happens.
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