Parents GM believes the four pitchers acquired in the world-class ace trade will have an impact on the 2024 squad.

On Wednesday, the San Diego Padres finally decided to trade away star outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees. In return, the team received four young pitchers and one veteran catcher.

Pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez and catcher Kyle Higashioka were the return for the Padres. This gives San Diego a ton of flexibility within their pitching staff, especially given the fact that they are expected to lose multiple starts on the open marker.

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller gave some insight into how the Soto trade will impact the 2024 roster. He believes that all four pitchers that the team acquired will play a role in this coming season.

Michael King: King was the big headline piece in this trade, and he should easily slot into the staff. He posted an ERA of 2.75 last season over 104.2 for the Yankees. Expect him to be right behind Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove in the starting rotation.

Jhony Brito: Brito was a starter for New York last season, his first in the big leagues. He did alright, posting an ERA of 4.28 over 35 appearances. Look for Brito to improve this season, while he will likely be a back-of-the-rotation piece.

Clarke Schmidt: Posting an ERA of 4.64 over 32 starts last season, Schmidt has the feel of a back-of-the-rotation starter for San Diego. He could even work out of the bullpen, as well, giving the Padres more versatility.

Drew Thorpe: Thorpe isn’t expected to make too much of an impact for next season, but 2025 looks to be his year. He is a strong candidate for a late-season call-up, however, if anything, just to give him some big-league exposure.

Clarke Schmidt: Posting an ERA of 4.64 over 32 starts last season, Schmidt has the feel of a back-of-the-rotation starter for San Diego. He could even work out of the bullpen, as well, giving the Padres more versatility.

Drew Thorpe: Thorpe isn’t expected to make too much of an impact for next season, but 2025 looks to be his year. He is a strong candidate for a late-season call-up, however, if anything, just to give him some big-league exposure.