For the better part of a month, MLB has been consumed with discussions about how to appropriately value Juan Soto: If a team is intent on trading a generational talent who may have yet to enter his prime, a 23-year-old superstar, what’s a fair return? Is there a fair return? Finally, hours before the deadline hit on Tuesday, baseball found its answer. After plenty of buzz from teams like the Cardinals and Dodgers, the winner in the end was the Padres, who stepped up and paid out big.
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The Padres get Soto and first baseman Josh Bell—a valuable trade candidate in his own right thanks to his performance at the plate this year. The Nationals get a haul comprising 23-year-old major-league pitcher MacKenzie Gore, 21-year-old major-league shortstop C.J. Abrams, 19-year-old Low-A outfielder James Woods, 21-year-old High-A outfielder Robert Hassell III and 18-year-old complex pitcher Jarlin Susana. (And, no, there’s no Eric Hosmer: While the veteran (and his hefty contract) were reportedly part of an earlier version of the deal, he declined to waive his no-trade clause to approve a move to Washington.) Then, a few hours later, it was reported that first baseman/DH Luke Voit was the final piece of the trade, going from the Padres to the Nationals. Other than Voit, this is a group that just about clears out the top of the system for the Padres and moves a lot of young talent to the Nationals. And it’s still a massive, incredible, near-unprecedented win for San Diego.
