Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals smiles in the dugout after a solo home run against the New York Mets at Nationals Park Monday in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
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Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals smiles in the dugout after a solo home run against the New York Mets at Nationals Park Monday in Washington.
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres acquired superstar outfielder Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals on Tuesday in one of baseball’s biggest trade deadline deals, skipping their playoff chances by adding one of the best young hitters in the game.
The Padres also got first baseman Josh Bell while sending a group of players to Washington, including rookie left-hander MacKenzie Gore, first baseman/DH Luke Voit and prospects James Wood, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana.
Voit was a late addition to the deal after San Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer refused to waive a no-trade provision, according to a person with direct knowledge of the move who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity as negotiations were ongoing at the time. .
Soto is a generational talent who turns 24 at the end of October, when the Padres still hope to play for a title.
After contributing to the first Nationals championship in franchise history in 2019, Soto hit .351 in 2020 to win the NL batting title. He has been marketed more than any other Major League Baseball player in the past two seasons.
“The atmosphere here is that they want to win, and not just go to the playoffs, but win a World Series,” said Josh Hader, closer to the All-Stars, who was obtained by San Diego on Monday in another big contract with Milwaukee. “It’s an infectious atmosphere to be a part of.”
San Diego started the season with a luxury tax payroll of $229.3 million, just below the first threshold, and the trades are pushing the Padres into tax territory for the second straight season. Soto owes $5,978,022 for the remainder of this season and Bell owes $3,516,844.
The prospect group heading to Washington is one of the most touted groups ever involved in a single deal. Gore and Abrams made their San Diego debuts this season after ranking among the sport’s elite minor leaguers, Hassell and Wood are both top 100 prospects according to MLB.com, and Susana was considered the best available pitcher in the 2021-22 international free agent class.
Washington general manager Mike Rizzo set a steep price tag last month after reports emerged that Soto had turned down the team’s latest contract offer of $440 million over 15 years.
Soto remains under team control for two more seasons after this one, so it’s unclear if the Nationals would trade him now. The Padres got him for potentially three playoffs, even without a new deal, made him the pinnacle of Soto’s value.
That uncertainty began to weigh on Soto, who said after Sunday’s game against St. Louis, “I just want to get it over with and see what happens. Start over here or wherever I am.”
He’s starting fresh in San Diego midway through his second All-Star season, part of a packed roster that also includes All-Star Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. when the shortstop returns from a left wrist broken.
“It’s pretty impressive to have these three types of guys on a team in the same roster,” said Wil Myers, the Padres’ longest-serving player. “Glad to see this trio hopefully in the next week or two.”