JUAN SOTO IS A YANKEE AND MICHAEL KING IS A PADRE - NOW WHAT?

Who is happy the Juan Soto drama is over? I am ready to move on to the next target, because we all know there is more to come. Brian Cashman is in the hot seat. He needs to deliver and save what he can of his destroyed reputation.

The Yankees needed to make a splash, and Juan Soto is a big fish. He's a WHALE, actually. It's a move reminiscent of George Steinbrenner himself. I never thought I'd be able to say that. Juan Soto makes the Yankees better offensively, but does losing Michael King make the starting rotation worse?

Nope. I know a lot of people who are high on King. I don't dislike King at all.... he was the team's most valuable reliever when he was healthy in 2022, but I don't see him as a starter. I believe King has a lot of potential, but I think he's a risky bet to stay healthy as a starter. He has an extensive history with elbow injuries including a fracture in 2022. He recovered well from that surgery but, I think his mechanics and endurance are a huge risk for the Yankees. His velocity was down for a while and the Yankees really had to work with him to build him back up and when they did that, he never pitched without at least two days' rest. It's hard to ignore.

I think King overall did well last season, but he's getting older and will be 29 and his workload just doesn't support his role as a starter. Last season was his career high for innings pitched at 104 and pushing him drastically beyond that is not only very unrealistic, but also a big risk given his history. He's not the workhorse the Yankees are going to need, and honestly a goal of 150 innings is even lofty. I like King as a reliever, he's not the solution for building a solid rotation beyond Gerrit Cole no matter how badly we needed and wanted him to be.

As much as some dislike the idea of giving King away for Soto I don't think it is a catastrophic loss. King is going to be a free agent in two years, and the Yankees know he just had a good season, and his trade value is the highest it has ever been. Who knows, maybe King will give us even more proof that the Yankees medical staff is dumber than a box of rocks and the Padres can help him stay healthy. I wish him well.

On to the next task.... Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Yankees don't move pitching like this without plans to restrengthen. Plus, Cashman's ass is on the line. I just hope giving up Drew Thorpe doesn't come back to bite us later.

Stay tuned.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj