The San Diego Padres' trade of Juan Soto to the New York Yankees included lesser-known players, notably Jhony Brito and Randy Vazquez. While Brito is recovering from surgery, Vazquez has become a crucial part of the Padres' pitching rotation, showing significant improvements in performance.
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. An uptick in Vazquez's velocity seems to be paying dividends.
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"But now that his offspeed stuff is up to snuff and inducing all sorts of chases, we're inclined to believe this breakout is legitimate," Miller added. "He won't maintain a 1.02 ERA or anything like that, but VĂĄsquez could be a big key to the Padres getting back to the postseason."
It took some time, but the Padres seemed to do their homework on Vazquez quite well.
Randy Vazquez has emerged as a pivotal piece of the Padres' rotation, showing improved performance with a higher whiff rate on all his pitches and increased velocity.
Jhony Brito was placed on the 60-day injured list as he recovers from UCL surgery, missing the entire 2025 season.
The key players involved in the Juan Soto trade to the Yankees included Michael King, Kyle Higashioka, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vazquez.
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