The San Diego Padres think big: they won the Juan Soto derby on Tuesday.
At least that’s what several media, including the MLB Network, said at the end of the morning. The Padres also acquired Josh Bell in this transaction, they who, the day before, had added the excellent reliever Josh Hader to their formation.
The California squad, however, paid top dollar for Soto and Bell, sending pitchers MacKenzie Gore and Jarlin Susana, outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams, as well as a major league player , who was to be first baseman Eric Hosmer, at the Washington Nationals. The latter, however, has a non-exchange clause in his contract and the “Nats” would be on this list. He thus refused the transaction and the Padres must now find a solution to finalize the exchange.
Soto, 23, is batting .246 this season, having hit 21 homers and driven in 46 runs. He also leads major league baseball with 91 walks.
The Dominican recently rejected a 15-year, $440 million offer with the Nationals, paving the way for that trade. He is due to become a free agent in 2024.
Reconstruction begins in Washington
Although they’ve lost one of major league baseball’s best players, the future remains bright for the Nationals, who have secured several of the Padres’ top prospects. Abrams was considered the hottest prospect of the latter by Baseball America, while Hassell was the second. The formation of the American capital also acquired two other hopes of the top 10 of the Padres, namely Wood (4th) and Susana (10th).
The No. 1 ranked player made his major league debut in 2022, posting a .232 batting average in 46 games. He also hit two long drives and drove in 11 runs.
For his part, Gore, who was once considered one of major league baseball’s top prospects on the mound, also made his Manfred League debut in 2022, going 4-4 in 16 games, including 13 as a starter. . In 70 innings of work, the 23-year-old left-handed pitcher maintained a 4.50 ERA and struck out 72 opponents.