New Padres Pitcher Part of Juan Soto Deal Says Friars ‘Won the Trade’ Over Yankees
When the San Diego Padres traded Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the New York Yankees in December, they received five players in return.
Starting pitcher Michael King was one of those players and believes the Padres got the better end of the deal
Preller told reporters shortly after the trade that he fielded calls for Soto from 10 teams. He knew that if he traded away the young star, he would need to fill holes in return.
King, who began last season in the bullpen, transitioned to the starting rotation late in the season. As a starter, he posted a 1.88 earned run average in eight starts.
A trio of pitchers including Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito and Drew Thorpe were included in the trade package. So was veteran catcher Kyle Higashioka, who spent parts of seven seasons with the Yankees. He batted .210 in 314 games.
