Soto2NY

The deal is done and Juan Soto is on his way to the Bronx for 2024.  The price was hefty -- reliever turned starter Michael King, top pitching prospect Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez, plus veteran catcher Kyle Higashioka.
The return for the Yankees could be even bigger.  Finally, a batter to protect Aaron Judge in the lineup and an imposing lefty to balance out those righty bats such as Stanton, Torres and LeMahieu.
Is Soto really Ted Williams 2.0?  That's a stretch; there are questions about his defense and doubts about his baserunning.  Still, compared to the players the onetime Washington Nationals star will be replacing (Bauers, Cabrera, McKinney, Cordero), he's a bolt of lightning.
But there's also the element of risk: as a Scott Boras client, it's virtually certain that Soto hits free agency a year from now, open to the highest bidder; a year, even a successful one with the Yankees, won't assure them of anything.
Soto2NY... that makes for a great license plate number.


(My images of Juan Soto are from the Padres/Phillies NLCS game on Oct. 21st, 2022.)

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