Nationals to trade Juan Soto, Josh Bell to the Padres

Update, 12:49 p.m. ET — Bob Nightengale of USA Today now says that the trade has been completed, and it does not include Hosmer.

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Update, 12:30 p.m. ET — Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic says that Eric Hosmer — also part of the return going back to D.C. — will need to waive his no-trade clause for this deal to be completed. Obviously, he hasn’t yet agreed to do that.

Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times suggests that Hosmer may want more money or even an additional year added onto his current contract. Unless he opts out of his deal after the 2022 season, Hosmer is currently slated to make $13 million in each of the next three seasons.

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Juan Soto is out of the National League East, but heading to a team that the Philadelphia Phillies are directly competing for a playoff spot with in 2022.

The Washington Nationals are set to trade Soto and Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres, according to multiple reports.

On one hand, it’s an excellent long-term development for the Phillies that they’ll no longer have to face Soto 19 times a year. In 67 career games against the Phillies, Soto has slashed .300/.431/.579 with 18 home runs, 53 RBIs, 57 walks and a 1.011 OPS.

On the other hand, the Phillies are two games back of the Padres for the second Wild Card spot and the Padres have now added Soto and Josh Bell in this trade, and probably aren’t far away from Fernando Tatis Jr. making his season debut.

In return, the Padres are sending outfielder Robert Hassell III, outfielder James Wood and RHP Jarlin Susana, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com. MLB Pipeline had Hassell as the top overall prospect in the Padres’ system, while Wood was No. 3 and Susana No. 14. Hassell is the No. 21 overall prospect in the sport, while Wood is No. 88.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic also hears that shortstop C.J. Abrams and LHP MacKenzie Gore, already at the major league level, are heading back to D.C. as well.

In just about any other trade, you’d say that A.J. Preller and the Padres gave up a haul. But they acquired Soto, who can’t become a free agent until after the 2024 season and is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. And even if Bell is just a rental, he’s a switch hitter who has an .877 OPS in 2022. It’s hard to think that anyone but the Padres are the biggest winners of the trade deadline.

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