Washington Nationals superstar Juan Soto has been traded to the San Diego Padres in one of the biggest blockbuster deals in MLB trade deadline history. First baseman Josh Bell is also headed to San Diego in the deal. Soto had previously turned down a $440 million, 15-year contract with the Nationals.
Breaking Down The Trade
Soto is a generational talent, so naturally the Nationals’ asking price was going to be high. Soto is just 23 years old, and he is already a 2x All Star, 2x Silver Slugger, MVP runner-up, and World Series champion. In the end, Washington received a mix of prospects and MLB players in the move. Here is the full breakdown:
San Diego gets:
- OF Juan Soto
- 1B Josh Bell
Washington gets:
- LHP Mackenzie Gore
- DH/1B Luke Voit
- OF Robert Hassell III
- SS C.J. Abrams
- OF James Wood
- RHP Jarlin Susana
San Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer was originally part of the trade, but his contract with the Padres featured a no-trade clause, and the Nationals were one of the teams he could reject being traded to. For a while on Tuesday afternoon, Hosmer was the most powerful man in baseball.
Eventually, Hosmer chose not to go to Washington, and San Diego had to scramble to find another piece for the deal. Thankfully for the Padres, the Red Sox swooped in to take Hosmer, and San Diego ended up including DH/1B Luke Voit in the trade to Washington in Hosmer’s place. It was one of the wildest trade sequences we have seen in a long time.
What’s Next For The Nats?
It wasn’t long ago when the Nationals were taking down the Houston Astros to win the 2019 World Series. While the Nats have not been back to the postseason since then, their roster still featured talented players. In the last few years, Washington has let go of big name players including Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Max Scherzer, Anthony Rendon, and now, Juan Soto.
With these marquee players no longer on the roster, Washington will now focus on the development of young players as their rebuild moves forward. The Nationals currently own a record of 35-69, and have the lowest win percentage in all of baseball at .337.
Optimistically, trading Soto away instead of dishing out $440 million opens up a lot of interesting possibilities for the organization. Washington could use that money to sign veteran free agents in the offseason that complement the young core of players that they hope to develop in the coming years.
AP Photo/Nick Wass
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