How 'throwaway piece' from Juan Soto Yankees trade could be key factor for Padres
This could be game-changing for the Padres and their rotation.
How 'throwaway piece' from Juan Soto Yankees trade could be key factor for Padres originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . When the San Diego Padres traded Juan Soto to the New York Yankees three offseasons ago, many fans may not have been familiar with a few of the players the NL West club had received in return.
Michael King and Kyle Higashioka were well-known names at the time, but right-handers Jhony Brito and Randy Vazquez had each spent just part of one season with the Yankees. Brito missed the entire 2025 season and started this year on the 60-day injured list as he recovers from UCL surgery. Vazquez has emerged as a pivotal piece of San Diego's rotation.
"On each of his seven pitches, he has a higher whiff rate than he did in 2025, with the changeup in particular becoming a wipe-out pitch against lefties," Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller wrote Monday. "His average velocity is also up across the board, now pumping in both the four-seamer and the sinker at nearly 95 MPH after hovering in the 93. 0-93.
5 range last year. " Vazquez posted a 1. 08 ERA through his first three starts, striking out eight in six scoreless innings in his 2026 debut against the Detroit Tigers .