“Both will become the heart of the New York Yankees’ batting lineup.”

Juan Soto wore a Yankees uniform. On the 7th (Korean time), the Yankees announced on social media (SNS), “We have acquired three-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner Soto and two-time Gold Glove winner Trent Grisham from the San Diego Padres. Right-handed pitchers Michael King, Johnny Brito and Drew. “We traded for Thorpe, Randy Vasquez, and catcher Kyle Higashioka,” he said.

Soto appeared in all 162 games in a San Diego uniform this season, recording 156 hits, 35 home runs, 109 RBIs, 97 runs, a batting average of 0.275 and an OPS of 0.929.

Soto will become a free agent after the 2024 season. However, San Diego spent a lot of money ahead of this season, recruiting Xander Bogaerts from the Boston Red Sox and signing an extension with Yu Darvish. He was even in a situation where he had to take out a loan. San Diego expected that they would not be able to retain Soto after a year, and began seeking out prospects through trade.

Teams interested in a Soto trade include the Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees succeeded in reinforcing their outfield by acquiring Alex Verdugo through a trade from Boston on the 6th. They then strengthened their outfield depth by bringing in Soto and Grisham.

On the 8th, Major League Baseball’s official website ‘MLBcom’ said, “It remains to be seen whether Soto, a free agent after 2024, will work with Aaron Judge for a long time in the Yankees. However, at least next season, both will be the heart of the Yankees’ batting lineup. Opponent pitcher “It’s a threat to them,” he said.

“Two great hitters don’t necessarily make a great batting lineup, but having two good hitters is a big help,” he said. “The much-rumored Soto trade has finally become official. Heading into the 2024 season, it is the most dynamic team.” “Let’s take a quick look at the duo, focusing only on their offensive power.”

The duo that ‘MLBcom’ mentioned first was Judge and Soto. Judge won the American League MVP in the 2022 season with 177 hits, 62 home runs, 131 RBIs, 133 runs, a batting average of 0.311, and an OPS of 1.111. 62 home runs is the record for most home runs in a single season in the American League.

Judge entered the free agent market ahead of this season and signed a 9-year contract worth $360 million (about 471.4 billion won) with his home team, the Yankees. This is the highest free agent contract amount of all time. This season, he was briefly out of action due to a toe injury after hitting the fence while fielding, but recorded 98 hits, 37 home runs, 75 RBIs, 79 runs, a batting average of 0.267, and an OPS of 1.019.

Soto tied the record for most home runs in a single season in San Diego this season and played in all games for the first time in his career. 안전놀이터

‘MLBcom’ said, “Judge had the best offensive season in baseball history in 2022. Although he only played in 106 games this season due to a bizarre injury, he was brilliant when he was on the field.” And then there is Soto. Yankee Stadium is a place where people are. “We may be helping Soto less than we’d like, but he doesn’t need it. He’s already on his way to becoming one of the best hitters of all time.”

“Soto is one of 44 hitters to reach 3,000 plate appearances by the age of 24. Soto has a 157 OPS+, joining Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Jimmy Fox and Mike Trout (LA Angels). “This is the record above,” he added.