Jeff Passan, ESPN7 December 2023, 4:11 p.m.
Close Insider ESPN MLB
Author of “The Arm: The Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Asset in Sports”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After months of pursuing Juan Soto, the New York Yankees finally traded for the star outfielder on Wednesday night. And now, general manager Brian Cashman says he hopes Soto stays long-term and helps make the organization “the mecca of baseball.”
Following the deal that sent Soto from the San Diego Padres to the Yankees in exchange for five players, Cashman, baseball’s longest-serving general manager, said the Yankees weren’t done maneuvering after failing to qualify for the playoffs and finished 82-80. , their worst record in three decades.
After trading for left-handed outfielders Soto, Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo during a 24-hour period at the end of the winter meetings, the Yankees’ focus, Cashman said, will now be on pitching.
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Excitement over the acquisition of Soto, 25, a three-time All-Star considered one of the five best hitters in baseball, continued to reverberate Thursday. While acknowledging “this is a possible short-term situation” with Soto’s free agency looming after the 2024 season, Cashman said the Yankees’ desire to return to World Series contention — even amid the challenge of an American League East division – is the main priority.
“The culture that we have with the Yankees and that we constantly project is our intention to win,” Cashman said. “We are here. We are here to win. So it’s a message that is constantly reinforced. … We’re not going to fool anyone. We’re not going to be something we’re not. We”We have good people here, whether it’s the manager, the coaches, his new teammates as well as our fans and the tri-state area. There is a lot to offer.
“So I think it’s a recruiting beacon for anyone. I know the question is specifically about Juan Soto, but I think we certainly want to try to always, under Steinbrenner’s leadership, make this the mecca of baseball.”
The possibility of pairing Soto with another top hitter, Yankees star Aaron Judge, “improves us significantly without a doubt,” Cashman said. “And the nice thing about crazy 8s” – in scout parlance, an 8 is a high-end, Hall of Fame caliber player – “is that they create a tougher lineup to deal with for opposing pitchers. “.
New York’s offense finished 25th in MLB in runs scored this year, and adding an impact bat was one of the team’s top priorities this winter. The fit between New York and San Diego was obvious, and with the Padres needing to reduce their payroll and fill out their rotation, the Yankees’ pitching depth and payroll flexibility made them ideal partners.
The deal didn’t happen overnight.
Cashman said he discussed trading Soto with Padres general manager AJ Preller in July. The Padres were in the same position as the Yankees – underperforming and taking stock of their future – and no deal was made. Talks resumed at general managers’ meetings, and within the last week the Padres had requested a seven-player package, which the Yankees flatly refused.
A few days later, conversations resumed, and as of Tuesday night, they had the parameters of a deal in place: Soto and Grisham for right-handed pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez as well as catcher Kyle Higashioka.
The Padres’ return for one year of Soto, evaluators said, was excellent — and they were simultaneously optimistic that the Yankees were landing a player of Soto’s caliber and giving themselves a year of runway to convince him that he wanted to stay in pinstripes for the rest of his career.
It won’t be cheap.
Two years ago, before being traded from Washington to San Diego, Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract extension that would have made him the highest-paid player in baseball history, but which would not have been part of the 25 best contracts in terms of terms. of average annual value. While Shohei Ohtani is expected to sign a contract that could approach $600 million, Soto – who will hit the market at 26, three years younger than Ohtani – is set to sign a deal well above the current record – the Mike Trout’s $426.5 million contract. .
Soto and Verdugo playing corner spots will push Judge, who missed nearly a third of the season last year with a toe injury, to center field, a much more demanding position.
Judge has plenty of experience at center — he spent about half his games there during his AL MVP-winning 2022 season — but at 6-foot-7, 282 pounds, he’s an unlikely option at the position. Presumed Yankees center fielder Jasson Dominguez, 20, underwent Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss a significant portion of next season.
The injury to the judge’s toe, Cashman said, is “resolved; we think this problem is behind him.” And while Judge could move to a corner spot in the later innings as Grisham comes off the bench to take over at center, Cashman is confident trotting Judge to center.
“If Opening Day was today, he would definitely be running center, which I know he loves,” Cashman said. “I think if you put truth serum on him, that’s what he’d want to do anyway.”
Next up for the Yankees: Address their pitching needs, perhaps with the second-best free agent on the market: Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Yankees are expected to contact him in the coming days as he meets with teams in person before making his decision, expected in mid-December.
2023-12-08 01:11:37
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