Padres 'Did Really Well' In The Juan Soto Trade, Says Yankees Manager

A.J. Preller got the player they did not want to give up.

The Juan Soto trade between the San Diego Padres and the New York Yankees came with mixed reactions. On one hand, the Padres traded away a generational talent. On the other, the Padres likely could not re-sign Soto, so they got a good package of pitchers back for him. 

On the Talkin' Yanks podcast earlier this week, Yankees manager Aaron Boone weighed in on the trade. He believes that the Padres did well in the trade, especially in acquiring right-handed pitcher Michael King.

At the Winter Meetings, we were trying different iterations. In a lot of ways, probably trying to keep Michael King out of the deal. That’s why it probably took a few days. At the end, obviously we gave up a really good package. I think the Padres did really well in the deal. But at the end of the day you’re like, ‘man this is Juan Soto we have a chance to get’.

Aaron Boone on Talkin' Yanks

Evaluating prospects is far from an exact science. However, when a team tries to retain a player, then that says something about the quality of that prospect. 

According to Boone, it looks like the Yankees wanted to hang on to King but eventually yielded. Looking at King's numbers at the major league level, it's plain to see why did not want to let him go.

King, 28, has two years left of arbitration before he hits free agency. He made his debut in the Bronx back in 2019. From there, he has spent time at various levels in the Yankees' organization.

The past three seasons account for 219.0 innings of his 247.2 total innings pitched. In those 219.0 innings, he has a 2.88 ERA and 3.13 FIP. 

Now, coming to a much more hitter-friendly ballpark, he has a chance to improve on those numbers.

It's tough to say that the team that gave up Soto "won," the trade. If King can live up to his potential, that will at least take the sting out of letting Soto go.