Historic Michael King start in Padres' WC win has fans revisiting Juan Soto trade

The Friar faithful were rocking at Petco Park on Tuesday night and starting pitcher Michael King was a big reason why. The San Diego Padres shutout the Atlanta Braves 4-0 in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series and will look to move on to the National League Division Series with a win in Game 2.

King was about as close to perfect as one can be in such a situation. The Padres' right-hander went seven innings, allowed just five hits, while striking out 12 batters without giving up a run or a walk. No other pitcher in Major League Baseball history has done that during the postseason.

Jason Adam and Robert Suarez tidied up in the eight and ninth innings respectively, and San Diego walked off the field with a 1-0 advantage in the series. King's performance was so good, that a number of Padres fans are beginning to rethink their stance on the Juan Soto trade.

Michael King's historic start in Padres' NL Wild Card Game win has fans rethinking the Juan Soto trade

Pads fans didn't like it when their superstar outfielder was traded to the New York Yankees this past offseason. Soto had just one year of arbitration remaining, and knowing that a long-term deal was not possible, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller pulled the trigger on a deal that sent both Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham to the Bronx.

At the time, the trade was hailed as a major win for the Yankees and a bit of a dud for the Padres. New York had just landed what some might call a generational talent, while the Friars were left with four young, relatively unproven pitchers, and a backup catcher. But a lot has changed since last winter.

Few, if any, believed that King had the ability to become a full-time starter and lead the charge for the Padres in Game 1 of a playoff series. King got off to a rough start in San Diego, but rallied over the second-half of the season to become one of the most reliable starters in the majors this year. King's playoff performance proved exactly why manager Mike Shildt turned to the 29-year-old rather than Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish, or Joe Musgrove.

Don't forget the Padres' acquisition of Dylan Cease is somewhat linked to the Juan Soto trade as well

Speaking of Cease, he's vaguely linked to the Soto trade as well. Another player San Diego received from New York was Drew Thorpe, who was an essential piece of the Padres' offseason trade with the Chicago White Sox. Preller pulled another rabbit out of his hat this past offseason after sending Thorpe and a few other prospects to the South Side of Chicago in exchange for the Padres' frontline starter.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Realizing that San Diego essentially was able to flip one year of Soto for what will amount to two years (hopefully more) of King and Cease has to have the Friar faithful asking themselves, "Juan who?"

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