Michael King or Clarke Schmidt? Who Will the Yankees Keep in a Juan Soto Trade?

After a long battle for the long-cherished glory, the MLB off-season is here. However, the competition has not ended, as the challenge for the future has already begun. Multiple teams have different tasks, including the New York Yankees, who have a tough choice to make: Whether to keep or let go.

Players are up for grabs if teams match the correct price tag during the off-season. This is the case with Juan Soto, who may leave a cash crunch Padres. However, his move to a different team faces a battle as the Padres are not ready to let him go easy. For this, they have put a choice in front of the Yankees: Which player they need to keep for the Soto Sweepstakes.

Michael King or Clarke Schmidt, Anyone of the Two May Be a Way Out of the Bronx

The Yankees have a choice to make. They have been asked to give their future stars if they want the present on their squad. It happened after the request to include Michael King or Clarke Schmidt in the deal for the one famous exchange.

However, it seems the Yankees may have to lose more players. As per SNY, apart from King and Schmidt, the Padres have asked for Drew Thorpe and four or five other prospects for the trade. Given that these all are part of the plans of the Bronx, the agreement can cost the Yankees a lot. Will they cope with the pressure?

What Will Be the Next From the New York Yankees?

Given that the last season went poorly for the 27-time champions, they are in the process of a buildup for the future. Due to this, Soto has become one of the candidates due to his hitting and outfield abilities. But the roadblock is still there. Though money is one aspect of it, the problem is bigger because of the demand for pitchers and prospects to be included in the deal. Even if the Yankees agree to trade the players, barring the prospects, they need to select one. It brings the question: What will the Yankees choose: A year of Juan Soto or a pitcher for the future?

Although the season for Michael King and Clarke Schimdt has not been that well, both hold the potential. In limited opportunities, they have done well. Notably, King has helped in four wins at an ERA of 2.75 with 127 strikeouts. The same goes for Schmidt, who has claimed 149 strikeouts in 159 innings at an ERA of slightly over 4.

In light of this, both players have demonstrated their potential as valuable assets for the team, thereby mitigating the risk associated with acquiring a player without a long-term commitment. However, when considering a short-term solution and factoring in higher contract statistics, Schmidt may emerge as a viable candidate to be included in the deal.

Read More: Will Juan Soto Bag an Even Bigger Deal Than Aaron Judge’s $360M in 2024?

However, given that the deal might still not go through, even if one of them is traded. Thus, it will be interesting to see what step the Yankees take next. Will they sell their pitching prospect, Drew Thorpe, to have the 25-year-old outfielder on the squad or raise the compensation to the Padres? What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.