Padres Manager Reflects on Positive Outcome of Juan Soto Trade
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt sees the silver lining in his team’s trade of Juan Soto to the New York Yankees.
Despite being only 26 years old, Soto had already played for three MLB teams before signing a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets in December. He began his career with the Washington Nationals, spending most of his first five seasons there before being traded to the Padres in August 2022. Soto played for the Padres through the rest of 2022 and the 2023 season before being sent to the Yankees in a trade on December 7, 2023. The deal brought starting pitcher Michael King, catcher Kyle Higashioka, and right-handed pitchers Randy Vásquez, Jhony Brito, and Drew Thorpe to San Diego.
The #Padres have acquired outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals.
Details: https://t.co/orhwRJEWLh pic.twitter.com/B1CLnNL704
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 2, 2022
While the trade seems to have worked out well for the Yankees, with Soto’s impact playing a major role in their 2024 World Series run, the Padres have benefited as well. King has emerged as a key starting pitcher, and Higashioka played a crucial role in their success in 2024. Additionally, Thorpe was involved in another trade that brought ace Dylan Cease to San Diego last season.
Reflecting on the trade, Shildt told Padres on SI’s Gabe Smallson in a March 26 article: “We lost a known commodity, a multi-generational talent in Juan [Soto], but the return is we get an Opening Day starter a year later and a guy who helped contribute to get to and win playoff games.”
While Shildt is optimistic about the outcomes of the trade, Mets fans are simply focused on the fact that the 26-year-old slugger is now in their lineup for Opening Day.
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