Yankees need to finish swift rebuild with this blockbuster Juan Soto trade

The Yankees' dual promotion waves of Everson Pereira/Oswald Peraza and Jasson Dominguez/Austin Wells do not appear destined to serve the same purpose.

Dominguez has immediately swiped the narrative away from his fellow kids, and Wells has garnered swift praise as the second half of the blockbuster duo that joined Anthony Volpe as members of the team's young core. Pereira and Peraza, on the other hand, seemed to come up begrudgingly when the Yankees ran out of options -- and when they arrived, the team's losing jag continued.

Both promotions were about evaluation, but the second duo already seems more essential to the franchise's future, whereas the first seemed to arrive as part of a fact-finding mission for Steinbrenner and the front office. Add Pereira, Peraza or both to two or three of the Yankees' prime arms this winter, and you just might have enough to make a blockbuster deal (provided the position players show a big-league spark this September).

Any potentially available megastars on the market? Any left-handed batters Brian Cashman has long coveted (at the past two trade deadlines)? Any outfielders Derek Jeter outright begged for at the All-Star Game, by any chance?

Depending on what the Padres believe themselves to be in 2024, they should consider dangling Juan Soto one year before he's due for a ~$400 million extension, and the Yankees should be at the front of the line to acquire him, (almost) cost be damned.

Yankees potential offseason trade package for Juan Soto

In just about a week, the Yankees have turned their 2024 season from "irredeemable sadness factory weighed down by massive contracts" into "get a power bat to support The Martian." It's remarkable.

Pereira, a top-five Yankees prospect, would have to be a goner in any Soto deal, so this conversation might begin and end with the question, "San Diego, are you impressed?" The Padres don't intend to disappear, and they're going to need controllable assets to surround their high-priced talent, something they no doubt plan to collect more of. Ethan Salas and Jackson Merrill are on the way. The Pads aren't bereft of talent. They're just hitting a chemistry wall.

To round out the package, the Padres could have their pick of three (or four?) of the Yankees' upper-tier pitchers; Soto would certainly be a better use of this new crop than Frankie Montas was. Drew Thorpe is as "off-limits" as anyone, but ... not in this context. If the Padres insist on Thorpe, they probably only get one additional option. Remember, this is one year of Soto before his cost explodes. San Diego won't recoup the assets they surrendered to get him in the first place.

What about Clarke Schmidt, too, who's pitched himself into the spotlight as he's grabbed hold of the Yankees' No. 2 role unexpectedly? Pereira/Thorpe/Schmidt seems surprisingly fair, with an alternative of Pereira/Chase Hampton/Richard Fitts/Yoendrys Gomez. Spencer Jones might be a dealbreaker. He also might not be.

Two weeks ago, we were trying to sell off Clay Holmes and Gleyber Torres while trying to figure out if the Yankees had any chance of competing. Now, it feels like a 2016/17 redux, and Soto could give the Yankees an elite form of power, patience and lineup balance to inject an "Aaron Judge Breakout"-type burst into the roster. If Soto's on the table, a fleet of top Yankees pitching prospects should join him there and jump the line.