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The San Diego Padres will acquire 23-year-old, two-time All-Star outfielder Juan Soto in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN , the Padres will also get one-time All-Star first baseman Josh Bell in the deal.
The Nationals will get back 21-year-old shortstop C.J. Abrams and 23-year-old starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, along with a trio of top minor leaguers: outfielder Robert Hassell III, outfielder James Wood and right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana, who were ranked by MLB.com as the first, third and 14th best prospects in the Padres’ system, respectively.
Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer was reportedly part of the deal as well, but had the Nationals on his no-trade list and rejected the move. He was later dealt to the Boston Red Sox, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. He was replaced in the deal by Luke Voit, who will head to the Nats.
Soto is an emerging superstar who is on the verge of joining Wade Boggs and Frank Thomas as the only players in the last 60 years to begin a career with five consecutive seasons with an on-base percentage above .400. His career OBP of .427 is second in the last century behind only Hall of Famer Ted Williams.
Earlier this season, Soto reportedly turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension offer from Washington that would’ve been the largest in baseball history in terms of total value, but behind several contracts in annual average.
Bell, 29, is also a coup for San Diego as he’s batting a career-best .301 this season with 14 home runs and 57 RBI.
Washington was already in a rebuild after stripping down the roster following its 2019 World Series victory. Last season, the Nationals traded pitcher Max Scherzer and infielder Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the team currently has the worst record in MLB this season.
In San Diego, Soto and Bell join a team that is 58-46 and currently in line to earn the second of three wild-card berths in the National League. The Padres also six-time All-Star third baseman Manny Machado and 23-year-old All-Star Fernando Tatis Jr. on the roster.
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