National Reporter Likes Padres' Return For Juan Soto, 'Most Overrated Superstar of All-Time'

San Diego reluctantly traded the star outfielder in December.

The San Diego Padres' offseason has been defined by their trade of star outfielder Juan Soto. Soto was sent to the New York Yankees in December, along with center fielder Trent Grisham, for a package of four pitchers and one veteran catcher. 

The Padres needed pitching help, and they surely got it. The team acquired Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vásquez along with backstop Kyle Higashioka. 

It was a good haul considering the Padres were unlikely to re-sign Soto next year in free agency. Whether it makes their 2024 team better or not is debatable.

National baseball reporter Scott Miller has chosen a side in the debate. The longtime San Diego reporter spoke with the Gwynn and Chris Show on 97.3 The Fan in San Diego this week. Not only does Miller like the Padres' return in the Soto trade, he also had some choice words about the outfielder.

"I think trading Juan Soto was a good move. To me he’s the most overrated superstar of all-time. Getting back Michael King and Randy Vasquez, they have to get some starting pitching behind Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove."

— MLB reporter Scott Miller

Miller, a regular contributor to the New York Times, didn't exactly offer a glowing endorsement of Soto to the Yankees' fan base. Soto, 25, was awarded the highest salary ever for an arbitration-eligible player ($31 million) on Thursday.

Last year, Soto finished sixth in National League MVP voting. He helped keep the Padres alive in the playoff race until the final week of the regular season, and he put up some incredible numbers.

Soto hit .275 with 35 home runs and 109 runs batted in. If that is overrated, it isn't clear what "elite" looks like. 

While the Padres did get a nice haul back for Soto, most fans wouldn't have minded keeping him around. Players like Soto rarely fall in the lap of small-market franchises. The Padres' front office was reluctant to even move him.

Clearly, however, San Diego is under a mandate to shed salary this offseason. Moving Soto – whether "overrated," or merely a bona fide future Hall of Fame in his prime — was the easiest means to that end.