Projected New York Yankees lineup with Juan Soto is an absolute juggernaut
By Mark Powell
The Yankees have completed a trade for Juan Soto of the San Diego Padres, who is arguably a top-5 hitter in baseball. Soto is in his prime, and has one season left on his contract, hence why he was available in the first place.
In acquiring Soto, the Yankees are taking on some risk. He would very well leave after this season as a free agent, as the 25-year-old isn't expected to enter negotiations until after the 2024 campaign. In return, the Padres landed several assets under contract beyond this season, including Michael King and Drew Thorpe, one of the Yankees top prospects.
Full trade, per ESPN sources:
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 7, 2023
Yankees receive: outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham.
Padres receive: right-handed pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito and catcher Kyle Higashioka.@Joelsherman1 was on top of the deal.
The contract was agreed upon, and then hit an unexpected stalemate. However, just a few hours later, the Padres agreed to the Yankees original terms and a trade was reached. As a result, New York will have one of the best lineups in baseball entering the 2024 season -- at least on paper.
Projected New York Yankees lineup with Juan Soto
What will the Yankees lineup look like with Juan Soto in it? Here's an idea of what we're thinking:
New York Yankees Opening Day lineup with Juan Soto |
|---|
1. DJ Lemahieu, 3B |
2. Juan Soto, RF |
3. Aaron Judge, CF |
4. Anthony Rizzo, 1B |
5. Giancarlo Stanton, DH |
6. Alex Verdugo, LF |
7. Gleyber Torres, 2B |
8. Austin Wells, C |
9. Anthony Volpe, SS |
That looks like a tremendous 1-9 on paper, and offers up the kind of lefty-righty versatility that the Yankees were lacking just last season. Of course, Aaron Boone could choose to go in a different direction, especially once the Yankees add even more talent to the roster via free agency or trade.
However, New York has made the baseball world pause in back-to-back nights, adding both Verdugo and Soto to their outfield mix. Grisham is also a notable add, as he is an elite defender who can play most oufield spots. Jasson Dominguez could change the look of this lineup as well once he is cleared to return sometime midseason.
The next step for the Yankees this offseason will be to address the top of the rotation. A meeting with Yoshinobu Yamamoto awaits.
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