Juan Soto Rumors: Yankees Won't Trade King or Thorpe; Volpe Not in Talks with Padres

The New York Yankees reportedly won't trade pitchers Michael King and Drew Thorpe to the San Diego Padres, even if it would mean bringing back star outfielder Juan Soto.

"There's not enough eggnog in all of Manhattan to make them trade pitcher Michael King, pitching prospect Drew Thorpe, and a handful of other prospects while also taking on Padres center fielder Trent Grisham's projected $5-6 million contract," USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote of the Yankees while also noting shortstop Anthony Volpe hasn't come up in the trade discussions.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the Yankees and Padres haven't spoken since San Diego asked for six players in return for Soto and Grisham. That six-player package included King and Thorpe.

There is plenty to consider in any Soto discussions.

On the one hand, he is one of the best players in the league and would drastically elevate the ceiling of the Yankees or any other team that traded for him. On the other hand, he is under contract for just one more season and could sign elsewhere as a free agent next offseason.

Mortgaging the future for just one year of a player, even one as good as Soto, would be quite the risk for any team.

According to MLB.com's 2023 prospect rankings, Thorpe is the organization's fifth-best prospect. If he lives up to expectations, he could eventually be one of the team's anchors in the rotations for years to come.

As for Volpe, he is just 22 years old. The front office surely views him as an important part of the organization's future after he appeared in 157 games as a rookie in 2023.

King, 28, made 49 appearances with nine starts for New York last season and finished with a 2.75 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 127 strikeouts in 104.2 innings. He was versatile enough to both start and pick up six saves out of the bullpen, giving the Yankees more options moving forward if he is on the roster.

Giving up all of those pieces for one year of Soto would be difficult for the organization, although the argument could be made that trading for him would give the Yankees an inside track on convincing him to re-sign on a long-term deal.

In that case, giving up important pieces of the future would be much easier to accept. After all, Soto is just 25 years old and figures to be among the league's best power hitters for the foreseeable future.

For now, he remains a member of the Padres. But he will be a major talking point this offseason until some type of conclusion is reached.