New York Reporter Reveals Why Padres, Yankees Juan Soto Trade Took so Long

San Diego received much-needed depth in the trade.

The biggest news around the Padres of late has been the trade of star outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees. It was a move that took a little bit of time, but something that was necessary for the future of the franchise. 

The Padres' front office had needed to start shedding some salary after the team went all-in over the last few seasons. With nothing to show for the big moves that they'd made, other than a possible debt-service rule violation and a trip to the NLCS, it was time to cut their losses.

San Diego got back four young pitchers and one veteran catcher in this deal, adding more depth to their overall team. But many have wondered why the deal was so time-consuming when everyone already knew that he was being dealt.

MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY cleared some things up, revealing why it took so long for the two teams to finalize the agreement.

It was indeed concern with the medicals of at least 1 player going from Yankees to Padres that slowed the completion of the deal and got the Yanks a bit nervous Wednesday, per sources. But it was nothing major like a pitcher’s arm, and SD ended up comfortable.

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) December 9, 2023

There was some thought that medicals were holding up the trade, but in the end, it didn't matter much. San Diego got some quality arms to add to their pitching staff and the Yankees landed the star that they had been coveting.

In a deal with multiple players being moved, things can take time. Medicals are one of the biggest reasons why trades fall apart, but the Padres didn't feel that anything was a major issue. 

San Diego got back a useful haul for Soto, even if they moved him reluctantly. Now the real work begins for the Padres' front office, which has a lot of work to do to get this team back into contention next season.