New Padres Pitcher Part of Juan Soto Deal Says Friars 'Won the Trade' Over Yankees

San Diego's newest starting pitcher is excited to begin his next chapter with the Padres.

When the San Diego Padres traded Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the New York Yankees in December, they received five players in return. 

Starting pitcher Michael King was one of those players and believes the Padres got the better end of the deal.

“I continue to praise [Padres general manager] A.J. Preller and be confident in saying I feel like the Padres won the trade,’’ King said by phone from San Diego on Monday. “I feel like the talent we’ve gotten, I was shocked to see the Yankees part with that many people. Obviously, it’s Juan Soto, so you have to give up a big package, but I was pumped to see who was coming with me to San Diego. I know they’re gonna contribute this year and for years to come.”

Per Michael King via The New York Post

Preller told reporters shortly after the trade that he fielded calls for Soto from 10 teams. He knew that if he traded away the young star, he would need to fill holes in return.

"It's very difficult to make a deal where you're trading a player the caliber of Juan Soto," Preller said. "But if we did that, we wanted to make sure we shored up a bunch of needs. We were able to get some depth with quality."

Per A.J. Preller via ESPN

King, who began last season in the bullpen, transitioned to the starting rotation late in the season. As a starter, he posted a 1.88 earned run average in eight starts.

A trio of pitchers including Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito and Drew Thorpe were included in the trade package. So was veteran catcher Kyle Higashioka, who spent parts of seven seasons with the Yankees. He batted .210 in 314 games.

Michael King believes new Padres team ‘won the trade’ with Yankees for Juan Soto https://t.co/dJPV0KXl7r pic.twitter.com/6mLiPgEAcW

— New York Post (@nypost) January 23, 2024

Brito appeared in 25 games last season and made 13 starts. He was 9-7 (one save) with a 4.28 ERA in 90.1 innings.

Vasques appeared in 11 games and started five while Thorpe spent all last season in the minors split between Single-A and Double-AA.

“I don’t know Thorpe too well, but I’ve watched video and you look at his stats and you know he’s gonna be a stud,’’ King said. “And the ceilings of Brito and Vasquez are through the roof. I’ve seen them develop this past year and their stuff is incredible.”

Per A.J. Preller via ESPN

King and the rest of the trade package have some work ahead of them to prove that the Padres did, in fact, win the trade.