Nationals Trade Juan Soto, Josh Bell to Padres in Blockbuster
One of the biggest names in Major League Baseball is on the move. Things are about to get crazy.
The San Diego Padres have shocked the sporting world, acquiring outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell in a massive trade with the Washington Nationals. It’s one of the largest deals in MLB history.
In return, the Nationals are receiving left-hander MacKenzie Gore and prospects CJ Abrams, Robert Hassell III, James Wood and Jarlin Susana. The team was also initially set to acquire first baseman Eric Hosmer, although he’s since rejected the trade.
Hosmer, 32, is under contract through 2025 and has $39 million left owing on his deal after this season. Washington is on his 10-team no-trade list, which allowed the left-hander to decline the move.
As part of this historical trade, the Nationals are receiving the Padres’ No. 1 (Hassell III), 3 (Wood) and 14 (Susana) top prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Abrams and Gore were also previously considered premier prospects before losing their eligibility.
That’s an enormous price to pay, but it’s well worth it, considering San Diego is acquiring a generational talent. At 23, Soto will make history when the trade becomes official, putting himself in a class of his own.
In just five big-league seasons, Soto has won a World Series (2019), two Silver Slugger Awards, been named as an All-Star twice and won last month’s Home Run Derby in Los Angeles.
The left-handed slugger has posted 119 home runs, 358 RBIs, a 155 wRC+ score, a 21.4 fWAR rating and a 291/.427/.538 slash line across 565 career games. He’s also walked more times (464) than he’s struck out (414) for his career.
Once Fernando Tatís Jr. returns from his fractured wrist, the Padres’ core will consist of an unprecedented three-headed monster: Soto, Tatís and Manny Machado. No other team in the majors will be able to match that trio.
In addition to Soto, the acquisition of Bell should further improve the club’s roster. This season, the 29-year-old is hitting .301/.384/.493 with 14 home runs, 57 RBIs and a career-high 142 wRC+ score through 103 contests.
Hosmer, on the other hand, only produced eight round-trippers, 40 RBIs, a 107 wRC+ score and a .272/.336/.391 over 90 contests with the Padres in 2022.
There is some risk involved with trading for Bell, though, as he can become a free agent after this season. Still, the veteran lefty should provide improved results from the first base position down the stretch.
Soto, meanwhile, is under team control through 2024 and will be around for three potential playoff runs before entering free agency. Of course, that’s if he even reaches the open market.
Washington’s final offer to Soto was reportedly a 15-year, $440-million contract extension. The deal would’ve featured a $29.3 average annual value, which he turned down, and rightly so.
The Padres’ payroll already includes Machado’s (10-year, $300-million) and Tatís’ (14-year, $340-million) lucrative contracts and is destined to feature a third once Soto is extended. But that probably won’t occur until this winter at the earliest.
For now, however, it appears that San Diego has won this season’s trade deadline, positioning them for a deep postseason run this fall.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.