Yankees Get Soto

[Mike Sixel]

Looks like the Yankees get Soto.....I don't know much about what is going back....

[CRF]

Last report I saw...five pitchers to SD. Yanks were supposed to get Grisham in the deal too. Correction...catcher Kyle Higashioka is in there somewhere. Four pitchers and Higashioka? I guess we'll know soon enough. 

[Mike Sixel]

It seems delayed for some reason...... But I'm not longer in Twitter....

[tony&rodney]

Soto is quite a bat but few teams can add $38 million to their payroll for only a 26th player/depth OF plus Soto ($33 for Soto & $5 for Grisham). San Diego must have felt they were desperate. The return (when completed) is reputedly a backup catcher, three prospect starting pitchers (FV 45, 40+, 40+) who are more control than stuff, and a good relief pitcher. Only Thorpe (MLB - 99) made any top list.

I find it curious that the Padres will not get any top prospects, although Thorpe is a fringe top 100 guy.

[Nashvilletwin]

Yankees picked up  three outfielders in the past 24 hours - two starters (Soto in right; Verdugo moves to left) and the go to back up fielding specialist (Grisham).  Lost 3 young pitchers who started games (and were more than decent) for them this season, a very promising AA arm, and their 1/2 time catcher.

Padres shed payroll, would never have resigned Soto next year any way, and pick up four solid, cheap controllable starting pitching options.

This is a classic example of why teams like the Twins need to develop internally and transition their prospects into solid major leaguers. All four of the pitchers the Yankees gave up would have been darlings of all of us here on the TD.  The Yankees couldn’t care less.  Go all in this year and then buy what they need and replenish the next.  

[tony&rodney]

11 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Yankees picked up  three outfielders in the past 24 hours - two starters (Soto in right; Verdugo moves to left) and the go to back up fielding specialist (Grisham).  Lost 3 young pitchers who started games (and were more than decent) for them this season, a very promising AA arm, and their 1/2 time catcher.

Padres shed payroll, would never have resigned Soto next year any way, and pick up four solid, cheap controllable starting pitching options.

This is a classic example of why teams like the Twins need to develop internally and transition their prospects into solid major leaguers. All four of the pitchers the Yankees gave up would have been darlings of all of us here on the TD.  The Yankees couldn’t care less.  Go all in this year and then buy what they need and replenish the next.  

Hey, I agree that it is really important to draft, trade for young prospects, and develop pitching (catchers too).

The Twins managed to identify three guys to trade for: Lopez, Ryan, and Paddack. They have a few players that they drafted coming along as well: Ober, Festa, and Raya. Woods Richardson has been in the Twins system and should get a shot this year too.

The Yankees have money, which is why they can make this trade. I like the guys that San Diego acquired, but was surprised that they were not able to get better talent, even if fewer numbers. The pitchers are not slouches, like I said  - I like them. The comparisons are quite loose but fairly proximate: King = Jax, Thorpe = Woods Richardson, Brito = Canterino, Vasquez = Prielipp. The Yankees guys have a little experience from last year, which should be credited to push them ahead of the Twins guys, but they actually are not as highly rated by neutral sites such as Fangraphs, which places a premium on stuff over experience. That is still an impressive haul though.

I don't believe it is possible to do a very good job of comparing the former Yankees to pitchers in the Twins system but I just did a read through the prospectus of various guys and their relative FV scores on Fangraphs. This is just for kicks because people might wonder how this compares ..... minimally. Festa and Soto are graded well above all of these guys and Raya slightly better or about the same as Thorpe. Thorpe gets love from MLB Top 100 (99) because of his command and control over stuff.

In any event, the money eliminates the Twins from players like Juan Soto. This then goes back to your point of the importance of signing and developing players. The Twins need to get something exciting from their prospects if they are to compete.

[Nashvilletwin]

8 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Hey, I agree that it is really important to draft, trade for young prospects, and develop pitching (catchers too).

The Twins managed to identify three guys to trade for: Lopez, Ryan, and Paddack. They have a few players that they drafted coming along as well: Ober, Festa, and Raya. Woods Richardson has been in the Twins system and should get a shot this year too.

The Yankees have money, which is why they can make this trade. I like the guys that San Diego acquired, but was surprised that they were not able to get better talent, even if fewer numbers. The pitchers are not slouches, like I said  - I like them. The comparisons are quite loose but fairly proximate: King = Jax, Thorpe = Woods Richardson, Brito = Canterino, Vasquez = Prielipp. The Yankees guys have a little experience from last year, which should be credited to push them ahead of the Twins guys, but they actually are not as highly rated by neutral sites such as Fangraphs, which places a premium on stuff over experience. That is still an impressive haul though.

I don't believe it is possible to do a very good job of comparing the former Yankees to pitchers in the Twins system but I just did a read through the prospectus of various guys and their relative FV scores on Fangraphs. This is just for kicks because people might wonder how this compares ..... minimally. Festa and Soto are graded well above all of these guys and Raya slightly better or about the same as Thorpe. Thorpe gets love from MLB Top 100 (99) because of his command and control over stuff.

In any event, the money eliminates the Twins from players like Juan Soto. This then goes back to your point of the importance of signing and developing players. The Twins need to get something exciting from their prospects if they are to compete.

Excellent analysis.  I guess if I had to choose, I’d take the four Yankee pitchers over the comparable four Twins pitchers (even though Jax is the most proven of them all).  
 

Regardless, this is how a mid market franchise rebuilds - trade the unsignable FA to be for between 2-4 starters/relievers who will be on your roster for five years at minimal cost.  Not stupid at all.  If I’m a Padres fan, this trade is a post 2024 win and a future building move that can be supported.  

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, Nashvilletwin said:

  Not stupid at all.  If I’m a Padres fan, this trade is a post 2024 win and a future building move that can be supported.  

This is a ridiculously one sided trade in favor of the Yankees. 

[tony&rodney]

2 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

This is a ridiculously one sided trade in favor of the Yankees. 

If the Twins were going to push a budget of around $160M, which they are not, a guy like Soto would be fun to have ..... except for his defense. Because the Yankees have money, I believe the trade favors the Yanks too. However, it is also true that it is way too early to know how this trade turns out.

FWIW, those who like to use BTV would see that this trade would never be accepted under any circumstances as it heavily favors the Padres by 57 to 34.

In any event only a couple of teams can roster Soto for one year while giving up a pile of players and the Twins never even lifted an eyebrow in that direction.

[Riverbrian]

I find it interesting to compare the players the Padres currently in Washington to the players heading to San Diego from New York. James Woods alone is worth the entire package of players that the Yankees gave up for Soto... not to mention Gore and Abrams who are also high value players.  

Hats off to the Padres on the impressive attempt to go for it, it was certainly entertaining for us to witness. Hats off for the braveness of a poodle trying to be a Doberman for a brief moment in time.

However... a poodle is a poodle and there was always going to be a bill to pay in the future for going all in. 

The Soto trade was just one payment, there will be more to come.  

  

[Riverbrian]

46 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

If the Twins were going to push a budget of around $160M, which they are not, a guy like Soto would be fun to have ..... except for his defense. Because the Yankees have money, I believe the trade favors the Yanks too. However, it is also true that it is way too early to know how this trade turns out.

FWIW, those who like to use BTV would see that this trade would never be accepted under any circumstances as it heavily favors the Padres by 57 to 34.

In any event only a couple of teams can roster Soto for one year while giving up a pile of players and the Twins never even lifted an eyebrow in that direction.

The Yankees can play this game.

The Padres can't. 

If the Yankees burn their farm system down to acquire the big names (They didn't in this deal). They can in theory keep spending to keep the team productive without cheap prospects available.   

San Diego can't play that game. Once they burn the farm system down... without cheap young talent to bring in... they leave themselves with no other option but to keep spending and it's San Diego... they can't do it. They are not the Yankees who can play this game. There was always a bill due that they must pay now.   

I really have a lot of respect for BTV and grains of salt are always needed with BTV.

I agree with you. This is one of those situations where the BTV numbers say the Padres won the trade big but the reality is that the Yankees won big. 

They got one the best hitters in the game.,, another major leaguer who can at least defensive play CF and they kept the top of their top prospects all while knowing that they can simply buy more if Jasson Dominquez is traded for a top end pitcher.  

 

[Nashvilletwin]

47 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

This is a ridiculously one sided trade in favor of the Yankees. 

Well, I guess that’s why there are markets.

Seriously though, any truly good CEO or company understand their true competitive advantage, or lack thereof.  This is no more than the Padres coming to their senses and realising how they need to compete. 

[Riverbrian]

8 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Well, I guess that’s why there are markets.

Seriously though, any truly good CEO or company understand their true competitive advantage, or lack thereof.  This is no more than the Padres coming to their senses and realising how they need to compete. 

Agree 100%... Although it's more like their senses coming to the Padres and beating them with a heavy object. 😄   

[gunnarthor]

Yankees be Yankees. 

I think having Juan Soto in New York is good for baseball. The best players need to be seen more. Trout and Ohtani have been wasted in LA. Soto, Tatis and Machedo were wasted in SD.

[Mike Sixel]

14 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

Yankees be Yankees. 

I think having Juan Soto in New York is good for baseball. The best players need to be seen more. Trout and Ohtani have been wasted in LA. Soto, Tatis and Machedo were wasted in SD.

good point.

I love this trade for both teams, given the context of who they are (money wise) and the competitive position they are in.