Juan Soto Trade Fantasy Baseball Impact | Which Yankees Could Benefit from Soto's Presence?

The MLB made the top sports headlines on Wednesday evening when Juan Soto was traded from the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees.

Soto is one of the biggest young stars in the league and now joins a Yankees’ lineup that’s already loaded with talent. How will Soto’s fantasy outlook change, and will any other Yankees outlooks also improve with Soto around? Let’s discuss.

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What Soto Brings

Soto has played six years in the MLB, but is still just 25 years old. He started his career with the Washington Nationals before being traded to the Padres in August of 2022.

Soto has a .284 batting average for his career. In the seasons that were 162-game schedules (so not including 2020), he’s clubbed at least 22 home runs and drove in at least 62 runs. 

The outfielder has walked over 100 times in four seasons, which helps him have a career .421 on-base percentage. He’s finished with between 90-100 strikeouts three times and had 132 and 129 strikeouts in 2019 and 2023, respectively.

He’s not really a big stolen base threat, but he did tie his career high of 12 steals last season, which is something to keep in mind considering all the new MLB rules.

Soto has scored 77 runs in the full seasons, and has topped 100 runs in two campaigns. He’s usually pretty durable and is coming off a 2023 season in which he appeared in all 162 games.

Soto’s Fantasy Outlook

It really shouldn’t matter what team Soto is on, he’s going to produce for anybody. Having good hitters in a lineup around him is always a plus though.

I enjoy looking at projected lineups after blockbuster trades like this. Most projections I’ve seen have him hitting second or third, with Aaron Judge being flip-flopped with Soto in each instance.

It also shouldn’t matter where Soto hits in the lineup. He’d have a better RBI total hitting behind Judge, but probably would score more runs if he hit before Judge.

What Soto really needs is DJ LeMahieu to have a bounce back season. LeMahieu is the favorite to bat leadoff right now, but batted just .243 last season.

Yankee Stadium is a ballpark that gives up a ton of homers, so after playing in the pitcher-friendly Petco Park last season, this is definitely a positive for Soto.

Soto is usually one of the first few picks in fantasy drafts, and he should again be with his trade to New York.

Other Yankees’ Fantasy Outlooks

Let’s start with Judge, as he’s the face of the Yankees. 

Getting a talent like Soto to either hit just in front or behind him is going to do wonders for Judge. Opposing teams won’t be able to pitch around him as easily as in the past. That could mean an increased average and home run and RBIs totals for Judge. He will also be a high pick in fantasy drafts for the upcoming season.

LeMahieu is a career .292 hitter, but his average has dropped considerably over the past few seasons. I think it’s unlikely that his average dips again, and a bit better average would mean more runs scored, which will in turn make him a better fantasy asset. His draft stock is going to be pretty low, and if he can bounce back, he’s a sleeper pick option.

Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton are two more big boppers that should benefit from more baserunners on when they step to the plate. Games played is the biggest issue for the two veterans, as Rizzo played just 99 games last year, while Stanton was at 101 contests. They are going to likely go lower in drafts than in recent seasons, and if they can remain healthy will likely be draft steals.

Gleyber Torres, Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo, the latter of which was traded to New York from the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, are the three other big names in the Yankees’ lineup that appear to have pretty safe roles going into the upcoming season.

All three are probably destined for spots lower in the lineup, so they might not have Soto or Judge on base all that often when they come to the plate. Depending on exactly where they slot into the lineup though, they could be on base when Soto and Judge come up, which could give them a boost in runs if they can get on base at good clips.

Anytime you have the number of stars and power hitters as the Yankees do in a lineup, there’s a lot of pressure put on some of the other players. The team’s overall success will likely come down to how guys like LeMahieu, Torres, Volpe and Verdugo play. All should be in the lineup pretty regularly, making them all decent fantasy options.