Published by
The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
As the clock hit 11 p.m. on Monday, just 16 hours before the MLB trade deadline, Padres VP of Pro Scouting Pete DeYoung reached for something celebratory to cap perhaps the biggest trade in the history of baseball. The ink was all but dried on a deal that would deliver 23-year-old sensation Juan Soto of the Nationals, pending some medical tire-kicking and peeks under the health hood. DeYoung pulled out a bottle of sake, known for its “finely polished specialty rice and pristine mountain water from the Niigata Prefecture” of Japan. Drinkability street cred was not what brought a smile to the fa…