Juan Soto compared to Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth after Yankees acquired the 25-year-old in blockbuster trade with San Diego by Michael Kay: ‘An all-time great and that’s not hyperbole’
- The Yankees acquired Soto and Gold Glove-winning outfielder Trent Grisham
- Soto has 160 home runs so far in his career after playing with the Nationals and Padres
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Baseball analyst and play-by-play announcer Michael Kay had high praise for outfielder Juan Soto shortly after it was announced that he had been acquired by the New York Yankees in a trade on Wednesday.
While labeling Soto the “all-time great,” Kay compared New York's newest addition to legends Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth.
“They achieved an all-time great performance, and that's no exaggeration,” Kay said. “You look at his numbers at 25 and they can compete with the DiMaggios, and the Williams, the Babe Ruths, that's the type of player they have.”
Kay praised the Yankees for landing Soto after a disappointing season.
“That's why you give up the package that they gave up to get this guy for what's essentially a year,” Kay added, referring to Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Kyle Higashioka, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez heading to San Diego went.
Analyst Michael Kay compared 25-year-old Juan Soto to legends Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth
The Yankees acquired Soto from the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster trade on Wednesday
Soto played for the Nationals before joining the Padres and has 160 career home runs
“They might end up signing him to a long-term deal, but he's so important, so impactful, he changes the whole thought process of the way people look at the Yankees now.”
Soto spent the first four years of his career with the Washington Nationals before playing for the Padres last season.
In addition to winning the World Series in 2019, four Silver Slugger Awards, three All-Star and two All-MLB first-team selections, Soto has a whopping 160 home runs with a .284 batting average.
The acquisition has fans excited as Soto now joins forces with reigning MLB MVP Aaron Judge. The Yankees are also expected to enter the sweepstakes to sign another 25-year-old top prospect in Japan's RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Yankees are reportedly meeting Yamamoto on Monday, with the Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants and Mets also in the running.
The Yankees finished this season with an 82-80 record and missed the playoffs. However, they are looking to strengthen their roster around Judge as they hope to win their first title since 2009.