Superstar outfielder traded to Yankees in offseason’s first blockbuster deal

The first major deal of the MLB offseason has been made, and there’s no surprise it involves the New York Yankees.

The Yankees have reached a deal to acquire superstar outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. Starting pitcher Michael King and right-handed pitching prospect Drew Thorpe are part of the package heading back to San Diego.

Thorpe is New York’s No. 5 prospect, and King is a 28-year-old righty who posted a 2.75 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 104.2 innings last season. He made the transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation midway through the year and thrived, posting a 2.23 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and 5.67 strikeouts per walk.

Soto, 25, has been one of the game’s premier offensive players since breaking into the league in 2018. He owns a career .284 average, .421 on-base percentage, and .524 slugging percentage in 779 career games.

Last season, Soto led baseball with 132 walks while posting a .410 OBP and hitting 35 home runs. He walked more than he struck out for the fourth year in a row.

Soto is one year away from hitting free agency for the first time, and he’s expected to command a massive contract. The Yankees likely hope to gain the inside track to locking him up long-term.

This isn’t the Yankees’ first move of the week. They acquired outfielder Alex Verdugo from the rival Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.