The Washington Nationals might’ve committed the greatest train robbery in recent memory. Knowing they wouldn’t be competing, they traded away then-budding superstar Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres. In return, they received many promising prospects to kick off their rebuild. Despite having Soto in a lineup with other all-stars, the Padres didn’t advance to the World Series. With Juan Soto now on the Yankees and the players Washington starting to become stars; the Nationals got the better side of the deal.
Juan Soto Becomes Available
Embed from Getty ImagesDuring the 2022 season, Juan Soto turned down a 15-year $440 million extension offer from Washington. That season, the Nationals were hardly competitive and would eventually lose 107 games. Given that the team failed to agree to an extension, being guaranteed to miss the postseason, and looking to start their rebuild, Soto was now expendable. At the time of the trade, Washington’s farm system was ranked 23rd with two players in the top 100. Given how young he still was and the two years of control they had over him, he would fetch a hefty return.
Enter the San Diego Padres. At the time of the trade, the Padres had control of a wild-card spot. They also had aspirations of winning the World Series for the first time in their history. Padres General Manager AJ Preller couldn’t resist pairing Juan Soto with Manny Machado. Soto was also seen as a final piece to help San Diego go on a deep playoff run.
The Trade
On the day of the trade deadline, the Nationals dealt Soto and Josh Bell for prospects CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell, James Wood, and Jarlin Susana. Eric Hosmer initially was going to Washington but declined to waive in the deal his no-trade clause. Instead, Luke Voit was given to the Nationals. The deal was such a blockbuster that it was being compared to the Dallas Cowboys trade of Herschel Walker.
How It Worked Out For San Diego
Embed from Getty ImagesThat season, the Padres would advance to the NLCS before bowing out in six games to the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite having a lineup full of stars, San Diego would finish the following season with just 82 wins and miss the postseason. Soto would finish his time in San Diego slashing .265/.405/.488 with 41 home runs, 125 RBI, and a .893 OPS. He would also appear in one all-star game. This offseason, the Padres traded Soto to the New York Yankees.
How It Worked Out For The Nationals
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Washington Nationals greatly benefited from making the trade. Abrams just made his first all-star team, Gore has become the ace of the rotation, and Wood just made his big-league debut this season. Meanwhile, Hassell and Susana are currently ranked as the eighth and tenth-best prospects respectively in the Nationals organization. Those two aren’t slated to make their big-league debuts until 2025 and 2026 respectively.
Mike Rizzo Took Advantage Of The Padres World Series Aspirations
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo did a great job at squeezing all that he could get out of the Padres. For Juan Soto, Washington acquired two core centerpiece players, another who just made his debut, and two others who are rising in the organization’s prospect rankings. On the other hand, San Diego failed to make it to the World Series and missed the postseason the following season. It’s safe to say that the Washington Nationals robbed the Padres and took advantage of their World Series aspirations.
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