Despite losing Juan Soto to Mets, Yankees' GM gets analyst's approval for under-the-radar win in Padres trade

The New York Yankees reached the World Series last year after trading for Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres ahead of the 2024 season. One year later, the Yankees failed to sign Soto back in his free agency, losing him to the New York Mets.

In the trade overhaul in December 2023, the Yankees traded Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez and Kyle Higashioka to the Padres in exchange for Soto and Trent Grisham.

While the trade was centered around Soto, MLB analyst Ryan Garcia thinks getting Grisham in that trade was a great result, highlighting the prowess of Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

"Landing Trent Grisham as a salary dump in the Juan Soto trade is one of the greatest things Brian Cashman has done as GM," Garcia wrote.

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Garcia's claim comes in the wake of Grisham's offensive output for the Yankees this season. The centerfielder has played 33 games, hitting .276, along with 10 home runs and 20 RBIs. This is after a horrid run at the plate last season, hitting only .190 in 76 games.

Padres also received a big player out of Juan Soto-centered deal with Yankees

While Juan Soto might have been the highlight of the trade, the Padres received a strong overhaul of pitchers in exchange for the Dominican slugger.

Among them was Michael King, a right-hander who went 13-9, posting a 2.95 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 31 starts. What's more important is that the Padres only have to pay him a $7.75 million salary, which can be considered a steal given his elite production.

King is also doing well in 2025. So far, he has started 11 games, posting a 2.22 ERA and a WHIP of 0.99.

However, this is his last season under team control after which he'll become a free agent and is expected to attract a $70-80 million deal over four years.

Another big asset the Padres received in that trade was Drew Thorpe, who was subsequently traded to the Chicago White Sox and the Friars received Dylan Cease in exchange.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash