Bronx, NY—The New York Yankees are making moves for the 2024 season. Coming off a horrendous 2023 season, the pressure was on owner Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman to make the Yankees a championship-caliber team. On Wednesday, the Yankees made a mega trade for superstar and generational talent, Juan Soto.
The blockbuster trade sent starting pitchers, Michael King, 5th ranked prospect Drew Thorpe, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito and catcher Kyle Higashioka in the deal for San Diego Padres outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham. The Yankees were desperate for left-handed hitting and Soto fits the mold for Yankees Stadium.
On Monday, Yankees latest trade news involved the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers completed the first mega deal of the century signing two-way player Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract. The move freed up two open roster spots for Ohtani and relief pitcher, Joe Kelly.
Ohtani signing was announced two days ago, the signing is the highest paid in MLB history. As a result of the Ohtani trade, the Yankees were able to acquire another lefty bat and left-handed pitcher from the Dodgers. Yankees traded 8th ranked prospect SS Trey Sweeney for Dodgers’ 10th ranked prospect 2B/3B Jorbit Vivas and left-hand reliever, Victor Gonzalez.
Yankees Addition
Juan Soto was at the top of the Yankees list this offseason and they were able to check off that box. Soto is one of the best hitters in the game. He led MLB with 132 walks last season and has a career OBP of .421. Soto hit a career high 35 home runs in 2023 and was just one RBI short of his career-high 110. He made his MLB debut with the Washington Nationals in 2018 and was a World Series champion in 2019. Soto is a three time All-Star and was traded to the Padres at the trade deadline in 2021.
Padres could only keep the superstar for one and half seasons. With his impending free agency next season, it was nearly impossible for Padres to extend him. Hopefully, the Yankees are able to lock in a long term deal with him down the line.
2023 Stats: 35 HR, 109 RBI, 12 SB, .930 OPS
Trent Grisham is a light hitting outfielder with elite defense in centerfield. Grisham made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019. He’s spent his last four seasons with the Padres. Grisham’s Padres tenure was highlighted by a strong Postseason in 2022, where he hit three home runs and drove in seven runs. Another lefty bat that could get an upgrade with the short porch in Yankees Stadium. Grisham will also be a weapon to use as needed, Cashman spoke to media this week and said “Boone will have a lot of good decisions to make and that’s a good thing”.
2023 Stats: 13 HR, 50 RBI, 15 SB, .666 OPS
Victor Gonzalez is a 28-year-old, lefty reliever that pitched three seasons for the Dodgers and made his debut in 2020. He pitched 6.2 innings in the playoffs with an ERA of 2.70 and helped the Dodgers win the World Series in 2020. The move for Gonzalez helps the Yankees fill bullpen need after Yankees parted ways with a total of four pitchers to acquire Soto. Gonzalez compares to Wandy Peralta, who the Yankees contacted and said to be interested in bringing back next season.
Gary Phillips of the Daily News writes: “A southpaw from Mexico, González leans on a sinker-slider combo and inducing soft contact. He had a 4.01 ERA and a 54.3% groundball rate over 34 games in 2023 after elbow surgery cost him the 2022 season. The 28-year-old owns a 3.22 ERA over 93 career games – all with the Dodgers – and comes with an option”
2020-2023 Stats: 89.1 IP, 86 SO, 3.22 ERA
Jorbit Vivas is an infield prospect who can play second base and third base. He signed a Minor League Deal with the Dodgers in 2017. Vivas got called up to the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate in late August and hit 13 home runs and stole 25 bases in 2023. He is one year younger than Trey Sweeney and was the Dodgers’ No. 10 prospect.
Scouts: "Vivas' impressive bat-to-bat skills helped him overcome a lack of physicality and earn a $300,000 bonus from the Dodgers out of Venezuela in 2017. He has ranked among the Minor League leaders in strikeout rate in each of the last two seasons."
2018-2023 Stats: 39 HR, 259 RBI, 61 SB, .805 OPS
Yankees also added more outfield depth with a rare trade with their rivals, the Boston Red Sox. They acquired Red Sox OF Alex Verdugo for right-handed pitchers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice. The Yankees remained persistent with a shot at acquiring Verdugo, they initially tried last year at the trade deadline and earlier this offseason, and finally got it done at the Winter Meetings.
Verdugo was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round in 2014. He spent three season on the their MLB roster from 2017-2019 and was a big piece in the trade that brought Mookie Betts to the Dodgers before the 2020 season.
Verdugo played three seasons for the Red Sox and evidently wore out his welcome in Boston. Rumors about his work ethic and lack of hustle on the field were revealed, along with tension in the clubhouse between him and Coach Cora. Verdugo has questionable character and Red Sox reporter Chris Cotillo of MassLive said, “according to multiple industry sources, Cora wasn’t shy about expressing his desire for Verdugo to be dealt, it was clear the sides were headed for divorce.”
He will have to clean up his act and button up to fit in better with the Yankees. What does Verdugo bring to the Yankees? He offers elite defense in the corner outfield spots, but he is a below average centerfielder. His lefty bat and good contact skills will provide more balance in the Yankees lineup.
2023 Stats: 13 HR, 54 RBI, 5 SB, .745 OPS
Yankees subtraction
Michael King, a bullpen reliever who made a jump to the starting rotation for the Yankees in the second half of the season. King started nine games and pitched 40 games out of the bullpen in 2023. His season was highlighted by a seven innings of one-run ball with 13 strikeouts against the Toronto Blue Jays in September. King will now be a full time starter with the San Diego Padres.
2023 Stats: 104 IP, 2.75 ERA, 127 SO, 1.15 WHIP
Randy Vazquez, 23 years old, Dominican Republic native signed in 2018, 14th ranked Top Yankee Prospect, another addition to 40-man last year. Vazquez season in Double-A is highlighted by the combined no-hitter to lead Somerset to a Championship win, pitching eight no-hit innings. He learned to pitch a curve-ball by spinning bottle caps and has one the nastiest curveball in the system with great spin rate - scouts grade at 60. Vazquez had five starts for the Yankees.
2023 Stats: 37 IP, 2.87 ERA, 33 SO, 1.27 WHIP
Jhony Brito, 24 years old, born in Dominican Republic, signed with Yankees in 2015, He is currently ranked 27th in the 2023 MLB Prospect Rankings and was added to the 40-man roster last season. Brito's change-up and fastball are his best pitches. His fastball reached 98+ and gives us the change-ups to produce ground balls. The best part of Brito's pitching is his control and poise on the mound. Brito pitched 13 starts for the Yankees.
2023 Stats: 90 IP, 4.28 ERA, 72 SO, 1.22 WHIP
Drew Thorpe was the Yankees' fifth ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. His ability to pound the zone and provide length is very impressive. Thorpe struck out 11.7 batters per nine innings and his 182 strikeouts lead MILB. He also leads MILB with a 26.9% K-BB ratio. His location and breaking pitches are his bread and butter.
That helped him have a ground-ball rate of around 50%. Thorpe’s Cambio is one of the best pitches in MILB. It clocks in the lower 80s and his third pitch is a low 80s slider. Thorpe was one of the most valuable pitching prospects the Yankees had in their farm. Do not be surprised if you see him playing in the majors during the 2024 season.
2023 Stats: 139 IP, 2.52 ERA, 182 SO, 0.98 WHIP
C Kyle Higashioka was the longest tenured Yankee before he was sent to San Diego. Higashioka was drafted in the seventh round in 2008 and spent 16 years in the Yankees organization. He worked his way up to Majors after nine years of Minor League ball. He made his MLB debut in 2017. Higashioka’s strength is his defense and the pitchers loved working with him.
2023 stats: 10 HR, 34 RBI, .687 OPS
SS Trey Sweeney was the Yankees 1st draft pick in 2021. He was Yankees’ No. 8 ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline. He played all of his games at shortstop in the Yankees Farm System. He had 13 HR’s & 20 SB last season. Sweeney talked about his improvements from 2022 to 2023 at Somerset Patriots media day in September.
“I’ve been a lot more patient this year and seen a lot more pitches and that’s helped me grow as a player,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney will now hope to build on his 2023 season with the Dodgers. He’ll have have a much better opportunity to break their big league club. He was blocked by Volpe and Peraza with the Yankees.
2023 Stats: .252/.367/.411 13 HR, 49 RBI, 20 SB, .778 OPS
Richard Fitts was the Yankees 12th ranked prospect. He took a huge step forward this season, pitching the entire season for the Somerset Patriots. Fitts provided 16 quality starts out of the 28 starts he made and he rarely walked hitters. He spent two seasons in the Yankees organization and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. Fitts talked about what he would have to do to take the next step in his game at Somerset Patriots media day in Late July.
“I have to stay consistent and work on everything the Yankees want me to work on. Adding more velocity and getting a little bit better slider start getting more swing and miss,” Fitts said.
2023 Stats: 158.2 IP, 171 SO, 3.47 ERA 1.13 WHIP
Greg Weissert was drafted by the Yankees in the 18th round in 2016. Weissert got the chance to live out his dream being born in Bayshore, New York. He spent most of his 2023 season with the Scranton Rail Riders. Weissert did get a few brief stints with the Yankees in 2022 and 2023. His strikeout stuff has been there at every level and his slider is an elite pitch. Weissert should have a clearer path to playing time in the Red Sox bullpen.
2023 Minors stats: 40.1 IP, 58 SO, 2.90 ERA, 10 Saves | 2023 MLB stats: 20.2 IP, 22 SO, 4.05 ERA
Nicholas Judice was drafted by the Yankees in the 8th round out of Louisiana-Monroe. He pitched 53 innings, with 66 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.74 last season in college. His career numbers over four season are 114.1 innings, 133 strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.09.
Other Trades/Signings:
Billy McKinney and Anthony Misiewicz have signed minor league deals with the Yankees.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Next?
Yankees top executives met with the 25-year-old Japanese pitcher on Monday in California. The free agent is a right-hand pitcher, who has won three consecutive Pacific League MVP and Sawamura Awards winner. Yamamoto is the Yankees' second mission after Soto. Notable Yankee Japanese players, Hideki Matsui, and Masahiro Tanaka, also assisted in recruiting Yamamoto to the Bronx. In September, Brian Cashman traveled to Japan to see Yamamoto and he responded as he delivered his second career no-hitter as Cashman watched from the front row. Yankees want to continue their tradition in bringing the greatest Japanese pitchers to New York and Yankees may have the advantage in this bidding war.
Yamamoto Stats: 17-6, 171 IP, 176 K, 1.16 ERA over 24 games.
Scouts rave about the command of his pitches and high-spin splitter and curve. He is the complete package and the three teams with the best chances to sign him are the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees. YES Networks' Jack Curry advised, that the Yankees appear to be positive and confident in the ability to sign Yamamoto.
This week Cashman sat with the media on a zoom call and said “Steinbrenner always felt the best players play here for the Yankees in New York", he continued and added that the effort is to make the Yankees "the Mecca of baseball". If the Yankees pull off a Yamamoto signing this offseason, how long before fans can say The Evil Empire is back.
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