NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Yankees promised “big changes.” Juan Soto certainly fits the bill.
One of MLB’s worst offenses in 2023 is adding one of the game’s best hitters, with the Yankees on Wednesday finalizing a deal to land Soto from the Padres in a blockbuster move at the winter meetings, The Post’s Joel Sherman reported.
Along with the superstar slugger, the Yankees will receive outfielder Trent Grisham.
The trade brings a much-needed splash for the Yankees, who are coming off a season that GM Brian Cashman labeled a “disaster” and led to Hal Steinbrenner pledging changes.
Steinbrenner said last month that some of the changes might be subtle, but the addition of Soto is hardly that.
While only guaranteed one year of Soto — the 25-year-old is set to hit free agency after next season and seems unlikely to sign an extension as a Scott Boras client — the Yankees are getting a major jolt in the form of one of the game’s best hitters.
He offers two things the Yankees have been sorely lacking in a left-handed presence and a high on-base percentage, with his .421 career OBP the highest among active players.
The Padres needed to slash payroll and the Yankees had quality upper-level starting pitching depth, making the two sides a match to get a deal done.
Talks had cooled off over the weekend leading into the winter meetings, but they picked back up with both front offices hunkered down at the sprawling Gaylord Opryland Resort.
By Tuesday, some Yankees personnel here were talking like they knew it was only a matter of time before Soto was theirs.
“He’s a transformational bat,” Cashman said Tuesday. “He’s one of the best hitters in the game. So he’s an impact, period.”
Soto is expected to slot in as the Yankees’ right fielder, with Aaron Judge shifting to center and the recently acquired Alex Verdugo manning left field. Grisham, a two-time Gold Glove center fielder, will serve as a fourth outfielder and late-game defensive replacement.
The addition of Soto comes after the Yankees muddled through an 82-80 season, the organization’s worst since 1992. Their offense, because of both injuries and underperformance, ranked 25th with 4.15 runs per game, 29th in batting average (.227) and 24th in OPS (.701).
“When you have a player in the marketplace that is an offense among itself, and he has such a dramatic impact on a franchise,you can fully expect that there’s going to be a number of teams trying to grab onto him,” Boras said Wednesday morning.
“You gotta remember, Soto right now would be like Judge in his rookie year, age-wise,” Boras added. “So he would be beginning his career. Then you think about what Soto’s done prior to this time, it tells you what a remarkable talent he is by his age.”
It’s possible that Soto might only be a Yankee for a year, which will only increase the pressure to keep adding to the roster this offseason in pursuit of hunting a championship in 2024.
Boras declined to say whether his client would entertain extension offers once a trade went through, but Soto is in line for a major payday after turning down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals in 2022.
That is an issue for the future, though. For now, the Yankees can revel in adding one of the top offensive threats in the game.
“He’s a machine offensively,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday. “On-base, power, has accomplished a ton already at a young age, durable, has been a central figure on a world championship team. Has come with a lot of fanfare and been one of the rock-solid performers in our sport on the offensive side of the ball, year in and year out. He’s a great player.”
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