Mike Shildt says both Juan Soto trades were good for Padres

In 2022 and ahead of the 2024 season, the San Diego Padres were involved in two trades with Juan Soto. The first move had San Diego offloading a haul of prospects for Soto, while the second deal had the Padres shipping him off for a combination of Major and Minor leaguers.

In an article from Dennis Lin of The Athletic, Padres manager Mike Shildt looked back on both Soto trades and viewed them positively for everyone involved.

"The good news about both Soto trades is they were good for both parties, right?" Shildt said. "It allowed this club to go and do some good things in '22 and parlay into the trade we got after that."

While in a vacuum, Shildt's comments ring true, the departure of a superstar like Soto stings. Trading Soto when they did is significantly better than letting his deal expire and hit free agency, likely losing him and getting nothing back. But the Padres still had to trade Soto, which would never be an easy decision.

But, for Shildt, it worked out. The Padres got one and a half seasons of Soto, and he was great while in San Diego. He helped lead the Padres to the NLCS in 2022, and also was an All-Star in 2023, and sixth in MVP voting.

Once the Padres traded Soto, the return they got wans't terrible either. Michael King has turned into a plus starter, though he's injured at the moment; he's been good for the Padres. Randy Vasquez has been a solid starter for the Padres, while Drew Thorpe was used to acquire Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox.

From Shildt's view, the Padres were able to get one and a half seasons out of Soto, which led to an NLCS appearance, and solid production in his brief stint in San Diego. The Padres then turned the Soto deal into more pitchers and prospects, all of whom have been solid during their time in the Majors for the Padres.

In comparison, while the New York Yankees landed Soto and Trent Grisham from the Padres, and they made the World Series, they didn't get anything in return for losing Soto to the New York Mets in free agency. While the Padres no longer have Soto, they at least got something in return, significantly diminishing their losses.

A lot would've been different had the Padres not swung the Soto blockbuster, but for Shildt, both moves were the right call. The Padres had a great run in 2022, and also received a strong return for Soto ahead of 2024. While they paid a hefty price, Shildt views the Padres-Soto trades positively and believes both were good for the franchise.