Nationals fan can circle Monday, July 1 as one of the most anticipated days in recent franchise history. They’re planning to promote top outfield prospect James Wood for his MLB debut when they return home for a series against the Mets that day, reports Grant Paulsen of 106.7 FM The Fan. Talk Nats recently suggested that could be a potential target date for the ballyhooed prospect’s debut, and it seems that is indeed the Nats’ plan. Washington will need to formally select Wood’s contract to get him onto the 40-man roster. The 21-year-old Wood, currently the game’s No. 3 overall prospect at Baseball America, was one of the centerpieces in the blockbuster trade sending Juan Soto from Washington to San Diego two years ago.
Wood, now 21, was selected by the Padres in the second round of the 2021 draft. Baseball America ranked him the #5 prospect in San Diego’s system going into 2022. He increased his prospect stock almost immediately, with a strong showing in 50 Single-A games that year. He hit ten home runs, stole 15 bases and drew a walk in 15.7% of his plate appearances, striking out just 17.8% of the time. His .337/.453/.601 batting line translated to a 168 wRC+.
As mentioned, Wood changed teams in the 2022 deal that sent Soto to the Padres, with the Nationals also getting CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, Jarlin Susana and Luke Voit. Wood continued at the Single-A level after that deal, slashing .293/.366/.463 for his new organization.
Going into 2023, Wood was generally considered to be one of the top 20 prospects around the league and he just kept hitting. He got into 129 games last year between High-A and Double-A, launching 26 homers and swiping 18 bags. His 31.5% strikeout rate was a bit high but he was still getting walked at a string 11.8% clip.
This year, Wood’s progression has continued with more amazing numbers, though with a slight injury hiccup. In late May, he suffered a hamstring injury and missed closed to a month, but he returned to the field and has looked no worse for wear. Through 51 Triple-A games this season, he currently sports a monster line of .346/.458/.578. That includes ten home runs, ten steals and a 17.3% walk rate. He’s also trimmed his strikeout rate to a tidy 18.2% level.
Wood is clearly ready for the next step and will try tackling major league pitching. Not all prospects find immediate success when brought up to the big leagues, so it shouldn’t be a massive surprise if he can’t keep putting up video game numbers like he has in the minors, but he has little left to prove and it’s time for the show.
For the Nationals, it’s a very interesting transition time for this promotion. They spent most of the previous decade in contention, with rosters featuring star players like Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Trea Turner, Max Scherzer, Soto and others, winning a title in 2019. But the bottom quickly fell out after they won that World Series, which led to trades of Scherzer, Turner and Soto.
Though dealing a generational talent like Soto may have been tough for the Washington front office and its fans, it has played a huge role in what seems to be a relatively quick return to respectable baseball. Abrams’ defense is still a work in progress but he’s putting up huge offensive numbers from the shortstop position and stealing bases as well, while Gore is having himself a very nice season on the mound.
The Nats came into this season clearly still in rebuild mode but they haven’t fallen completely out of the playoff picture in the weak National League race. Their 38-42 record is clearly subpar but they are only three games back of a Wild Card spot at the moment.
If Wood is able to succeed in the majors right away, that would obviously be a boost for their chances of hanging around that playoff race. Wood has experience at all three outfield spots but has been in left field since coming back from his injury, perhaps suggesting that is where the Nats plan to slot him in. Jesse Winker has been playing that spot and is having a nice season, but he’s not considered a strong defender and may be moved into a designated hitter role. Eddie Rosario has been serving as the DH for most of this month but is hitting just .181/.226/.330 for the year. If he’s going to be the one relinquishing the most playing time to Wood, it will be a low bar to clear for Wood in providing the Nats with an immediate upgrade.
Whether the Nats can be a surprise contender this year or not, Wood is still lined up to be a big part of a new core that has been gradually forming in Washington. As mentioned, Abrams and Gore are having good seasons. Jacob Young hasn’t hit much yet but has a strong floor in center field thanks to his speed and defense. Young and controllable pitchers like Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz have shown encouraging signs to various degrees. Cade Cavalli will be back in that mix after he finishes rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. And Wood won’t be the last exciting prospect promotion, with Dylan Crews, Brady House and others on the way.
The trade deadline is on July 30, just over a month away, so the club can take that time to decide if they want to try for something this year or just focus on putting the pieces together for the future. Either way, there’s plenty to like in the long-term view. In addition to the talent, the onerous Patrick Corbin contract is set to expire at the end of this season. That will leave the future payroll relatively clean, Keibert Ruiz and Strasburg the only notable deals on the books. The Ruiz deal has a fairly low average annual value while Strasburg’s deal was renegotiated to defer some money as part of his retirement. In short, the club has plenty of ability to build around their budding core going forward.
For Wood, he won’t be able to earn a full year of service time this year. Top prospects called up midseason can earn a full service year by finishing in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting, but that will be essentially impossible for him at this point. Even if he crushes the ball for the next three months, he won’t be able to catch guys like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Paul Skenes, Joey Ortiz and the other rookies that have already had plenty of time to pull ahead.
He also won’t have enough time to get to Super Two status after 2026, based on where previous cutoffs have been. The earliest he could qualify for arbitration is after 2027 and his earliest free agency would be after 2030. Future optional assignments could push those timelines back but that won’t be a concern if he keeps mashing the way he has been on the farm.
Wouldve been up the June 14th homestand if he didn’t hurt his hamstring. But this works.
Morning Wood?
Nothing a little Hawk Tuah can’t fix
Ohhh man the places I’d press my nose on Hawk Tuah girl.
Probly the most exciting prospect in mlb. Lets see if he lives up to the hype
Aaron Judge or Kyle Blanks? Maybe Giancarlo Stanton for in between those two.
Wood is more exciting as a prospect (I should probably bold the “as a prospect” part and emphasize it 10x over) than Judge was, in my opinion, if for no other reason than Judge not being considered a top 10 prospect by most outlets. Buxton and Seager were the guys back then.
Griffey, Delmon Young, Strasburg, Rutschman, and Skenes are the ones I feel were the most anticipated and exciting prospects in my lifetime, although I was pretty young when The Kid debuted so it might have been my personal hype more than public hype.
Myaccount2, you went way further than my comment intended.
Maybe you aren’t familiar with Kyle. 6’ 6” 265 athletic OF with tons of power and 5 tool prospect.
Injuries lore center his potential from mowing realizes.
Giancarlo – similar build, had a few exciting years before injuries limited the extend of what could have been greatness.
Judge, well you get the idea now.
Exciting!
That Soto trade is just the gift that keeps on giving for Nats fans. And they probably bring Juan back as FA this winter.
I find it doubtful that anyone outbids the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, or Giants.
Mets?
Yes, Mets, too, Ringworm Jr. They slipped my mind.
The team that already offered Soto 440M has tons of payroll space and is entering another contention window.. Theyll be in it until Soto says no.
Red Sox? Maybe if this were 2007.
@letit- Maybe I’m wrong but I thought the Red Sox dipped below the tax threshold to reset so they could make a run at Soto? They knew they were never getting Ohtani so there was no point in them seriously gearing up yet. Soto, on the other hand, reportedly wants to be on the east coast.
I think it’s fair to say Yankees / Mets but I would put the Nats as the 3rd highest landing spot. Corbin off the books. Stras only has 2 years left. They’re literally paying nobody. If they bring payroll to league average of $150M next year they will have a ton of $$ to spend this winter
If I’m a Padres fan I’m more than a little perturbed on how that trade ended up playing out.
As an Orioles fan, people everywhere are clamoring for Elias to trade the farm for pitching, and this Soto trade is exhibit A for why I appreciate Elias’s cautious approach.
I feel like I’m one of the few Padres fans that hate how Preller keeps trading the farm away for rentals. The Soto trade definitely hurt the most. However, Preller’s ability to scout and develop prospects is his strongest trait. He’s proved multiple times now he can rebuild a farm from one of the worst in the sport to one of the best in just a few years.
Patience is Preller’s worst trait. I’ve always felt if he exercises patience and develops a young, homegrown core, he’d be one of the best GM’s in the league. But, he is just too impulsive.
Exactly, imagine if he never did even half of his blockbusters, his farm system would look like the orioles
The 1.5 years of Soto didn’t bring a WS for the Pads, but they took that risk. I didn’t like the trade at the time and regret it even more now, but Seidler wanted to go for it in his last years and it’s hard to argue against that.
The second Soto trade wasn’t as bad as the first, as Pads would be a mess this year without Cease, King, Vasquez and Brito.,
They would still have Cease without the Soto trade they just would have had to use Lesko or Snelling instead of Drew Thorpe.
Vasquez and Brito are both below replacement this year.
Well turned out the owner was dying. We don’t know how long Seider was sick but given the rush job and constant trades Seider probably knew for a while he didn’t have long to live sadly and desperately wanted to win it all for SD before his death.
We will see how patient Preller can be post Seider. So far so good he didn’t touch the top of the farm in the off season and didn’t touch much to get Cease and Arraez.
The full picture of the trade to present has to include payroll management/limitations. And I believe you’re downplaying the importance of Vasquez with Yu and Joe out filling in as #4 SP. He’s not below replacement, he’s exactly at replacement according to the Baseball Ref. He’s also looked very good in 5 of his last 6 starts, which is better than Gore. But the real value of Vasquez is his $750K AAV (0.25% less than that of Soto). In fact, with Soto’s AAV they also wouldn’t have had room to add Arraez.
The first Soto trade will likely turn out very poorly as the gamble that it was. But the second trade, which reflected the failure of the first trade, might work out quite well.
1. If they kept Soto no cease or arraez due to cba issues
2. Padres have been insistent on keeping Lesko and snelling. So no cease
3. Vasquez has offered stability in wake of injury to musgove and darvish. 8 of his 12 starts he’s pitched about 5 inning and given up 3 or less runs. Hes been able to pitch enough so the pen doesn’t get over used and keep them in games, which is a common thing when teams encounter sp depth issues.
@Brew’88…
You just admitted that Randy Vasquez is replacement level. You don’t trade CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore and James Wood for a replacement level pitcher. Shoot. Gore himself has been worth 0.8 WAR so far this year.
“He’s also looked very good in 5 of his last 6 starts, which is better than Gore.”
Just to clear up any confusion, Gore is better than Vasquez.
“The first Soto trade will likely turn out very poorly as the gamble that it was. But the second trade, which reflected the failure of the first trade, might work out quite well.”
The two trades taken together will turn out poorly.
@IBWCW…
“If they kept Soto no cease or arraez due to cba issues”
But if they never trade for him at all then no CBA issues either.
“Padres have been insistent on keeping Lesko and snelling. So no cease”
Yes. What ever will the Padres do without Dylan Lesko and his 5.66 ERA and almost a walk per inning in HIGH A BALL?
“Vasquez has offered stability in wake of injury to musgove and darvish.”
Which Gore could have done.
Gore could have given the padres depth Vasquez and Brito have plus production from King? Man being able to hold down 2 spots in the rotation and 1 in pen why hasn’t dc given him ohtani money. Thats generational stuff right there.
Wait you’re telling me a highly regarded pitching prospect still recovering from tjs is struggling? Huh. Haven’t heard of that happening ever before.
If they didn’t trade for Soto they would have signed someone just like they signed Bogaerts before Seiders passing. So yes cba issues would still have been a thing cause Seider was going to pay whatever tax bill.
@IBWCW…
“Gore could have given the padres depth Vasquez and Brito have plus production from King? Man being able to hold down 2 spots in the rotation and 1 in pen why hasn’t dc given him ohtani money. Thats generational stuff right there.”
Vasquez and Brito haven’t helped at all and Gore is better and more controllable than King.
“Wait you’re telling me a highly regarded pitching prospect still recovering from tjs is struggling? Huh. Haven’t heard of that happening ever before.”
If I had to guess Lesko probably does turn it around but he is far from untouchable in trades.
“If they didn’t trade for Soto they would have signed someone just like they signed Bogaerts before Seiders passing. So yes cba issues would still have been a thing cause Seider was going to pay whatever tax bill.”
You don’t know that.
Stop being delusional. The (first) Soto trade can’t be called anything but a disaster for the Padres. Go ask anyone who isn’t a Padres fan I guarantee they’ll say the exact same thing I just told you.
@Ringworm. Hug? Do you really interpret my comment as saying the Pads traded Abrams, Wood and Gore for Vasquez? Twisted.
But we can agree that the combined two Soto trades did not benefit the Pads. A win for the Nats. But I’m not sure it benefitted the Yanks though, we’ll see.
Already proven Vasquez has helped keep the padres rotation stable with injuries to Darvish and Musgrove. 8 of his 12 starts he’s pitched about 5 innings and given up 3 or less runsz Vasquez value has been he’s given them enough production so they don’t have to constantly burn pen arms. I’ve already explained this to you do a better job of paying attention.
I don’t know that Seider was going to spend whatever it took to bring home a ship? He authorized Bogaerts Turner Judge extensions on top of already paying Tatis jr, Machado, Darvish Soto arb. If they didn’t get Soto they would have spent money on someone.
Stop being ignorant. I never once commented on the Soto trade other than keeping Soto meant padres wouldn’t have cease and arraez cause they’d be over the cba. And that Vasquez and King have helped keep the padres season afloat.
The weird part is padres haven’t missed Soto at all cause Profar has given them Soto level production for 1.5 mill instead of 33 mill and are actually playing better without him than with him last year.
@Brew88 The Yankees have to win the WS in 2024 for the Soto trade to benefit the Yankees. Even if he does stay in NY.
@IBWCW You say “I have already proven that” much like the way Trump does. It’s really unpersuasive.
MacKenzie Gore has been worth close to as much WAR as King, Brito and Vasquez combined in 2024 and he has done that while being cheaper and costing 1 roster spot instead of 3.
What I’m saying is the Padres would still have Cease and Arraez if they never made the FIRST Soto trade. There would be no CBA issues and they could use Dylan Lesko instead of Drew Thorpe as the pitcher in the Cease trade.
They might not have missed Soto but they have missed Abrams, Gore and Wood.
I agree. And the same result was needed by Pads to have won the Soto trade
I don’t buy the idea that trading for a player makes it easier to sign him. Most players just go where the money is. And I REALLY don’t buy the idea that if the team doesn’t trade for the player first and see how good of a fit he is they won’t offer him as much money when he gets to FA. That has no bearing on their actual ABILITY to sign him. It simply means that they CHOSE not to.
Why would they bring him back? They have a glut of OF prospects Wood, Green, Crews, Hassel, and could put 500,600 mill towards extensions and other areas of need like pitching.
Because hes a franchise, HoF bound.. top 3 hitter in baseball. He can still play some OF, 1B, DH.
He offers more than to the Nationals franchise than any other.
So 1 player is worth investing 500,600 mill in instead using the money to get 3 or more starting pitchers, locking up Abrams, locking up Wood, locking up cornerstone pieces, adding pen pieces, and possibly filling needs at 3B, 2B, C? Yeah no.
500-600 mill is a lot for 1B/DH/OF.
If that player is more productive than those other players, yes
Hes going into his age 26 season and hes an annual top 3 hitter in the game if not the best soon.
So, yes.
So 1 player is worth investing 500,600 mill in instead using the money to get 3 or more starting pitchers,
===========================
I very rarely see that work if you are acquiring the player via trade. It’s helpful that Preller creates prospect value at will, but BB is decidedly not a one-player game.
CBeisbol;
THAT is the reasoning of MLBTR stat-oriented / spreadsheet-focused posters. No concept or consideration whatsoever as to how baseball is played on the field.
Have you ever considered the fact that batters hit once every 9 guys and only field the ball if it’s hit or thrown to them? That starting pitchers only go once every 5 or 6 games – pitch 170 or so innings a year max (if they’re healthy) when a team pitches around 1,400 innings a year? That most relief pitchers throw 70-some innings a year at most?
That when a team invests a high percentage of their budget into one player it affects how much money the other 25 guys on the roster (at any one time) can be paid? Meaning the team is going to have to settle for lower-caliber players at multiple positions that will be involved in games for the entire length of the superstars contract……resulting in sub-optimal results on plays the superstar isn’t involved in.
Samuel
“Have you ever considered the fact that batters hit once every 9 guys and only field the ball if it’s hit or thrown to them?”
Why no. Thanks for enlightening me
Adios
100% Samuel; though Judge & Cole have been well worth the huge bucks, it is EXTREMELY rare that a team becomes BETTER signing a “superstar” – usually, they become worse.
The Phillies and Rangers got better..
I think the Nats would be better with Soto back.. along with his trade return and Nats core.
You expect a 1B/DH/OF in Soto to out produce a ss (Abrams), other OFs, multiple pitchers both starting and pen, and multiple positions such as 2B, 3B, C the money for Soto could go towards?
Name 1 1B/DH/OF on any team that outproduces all the other positions collectively and pitchers on the team. Name 1.
Investing 500-600 bucks in a bat first 1B/DH/OF over the course of 10-15 years or however long he gets does not come close to locking up a ss in Abrams (offense and defense) locking up a similar bat for cheaper (possibly wood possibly crews), signing top of the rotation arms, improving the pen, and adding upgrades to more premium positions such as 2B, 3B, and C.
You can improve a lot investing 500-600 mill.
IBWCW
“500,600 mill in instead using the money to get 3 or more starting pitchers, locking up Abrams, locking up Wood, locking up cornerstone pieces, adding pen pieces, and possibly filling needs at 3B, 2B, C?”
What?
Can you lay those numbers out for me, please?
Sure. Using the magic handy dandy ohtani formula say Soto comes out to 46 mill aav counter against luxury tax purposes with deferred money.
Let’s use recent OF comps of Corbin Carrol and Julio Rodriguez as comps for locking up Crews or Wood long term. Rodriguez locked up around 17 mill. Carrol around 13 mill. For comp sake without either playing yet let’s say 15 mill for 1.
Cj Abrams is on the fernando Tatis jr pathway of playing himself into a big pay day. Tatis jr had a better offensive profile compared to Abrams around a similar time frame of his extension (25 mill aav). So say 20 mill for Abrams extension.
Thats 40 mill so far without deferred money for Abrams and Wood or Crews and nationals do love deferring money. So let’s say the defer 5 mill each on Abrams ext and wood or crew. We are back at 30 mill and 15 to play with.
Could sign a catcher and a few pen pieces. Could sign a 3b, 2B, and few pen pieces.
There’s definitely many many many many different routes the nationals could take for many many many different position combinations and 99% would out produce Soto alone in war combination over the course of the same time frame.
If you’re curious how the Soto extension is gonna go, go look at Mike Stanton’s contract.
And because Hassell can’t stay healthy and Green can’t hit. If they have too many top outfielders, they can trade one for pitching.
IBWCW
This was your claim
“locking up Abrams, locking up Wood, locking up cornerstone pieces, adding pen pieces, and possibly filling needs at 3B, 2B, C?””
Signing Abrams and Wood plus either a catcher or IF and a few relievers was your plan in your next comment. That’s not the same as in your original comment. But, anyway.
You only did like 1/3 of the task.
You didn’t:
1) compare the expected production of your signings to signing Soto
2) seem to acknowledge the possibility that the team could Sign Soto AND spend money on other players
“If you’re curious how the Soto extension is gonna go, go look at Mike Stanton’s contract.”
What would that do? You’re aware Soto and Stanton are different players? And have nothing to do with each other, right?
Lmao reread what I said CBeisol
“locking up Abrams, locking up Wood, locking up cornerstone pieces, adding pen pieces, and possibly filling needs at 3B, 2B, C?”
Locking up Abrams check
Locking up Wood/Crews check
Locking up cornerstone pieces double check
Adding pen pieces check
POSSIBLY filling needs at 2B, 3B, C. Check – notice the word AND is missing it’s a list of positions that could use upgrades but never indicated money would be spent on all 3. 2B, 3B, C =\= 2B, 3B, and C. But and-yways
Yes with the Soto money I was able to come up the a way for the nationals to lock up corner stone players in Abrams and Wood for 30 mill and leave 16 mill for adding pieces (say 8 mill) and leaves 8 mill to sign a 3B, 2B, C which ever they need.
1. If you’re signing Soto to 500-600 mill you’re not tossing ANOTHER 500-600 mill to lockup cornerstone players, add pen pieces, and fill positional needs where ever they are.
2. 99% of all combinations spending 500-600 mill elsewhere will outproduce Soto in terms of war.
IBWCW
“2. 99% of all combinations spending 500-600 mill elsewhere will outproduce Soto in terms of war.”
Citation requested
Green is no longer a prospect and Hassell is sadly trending the same. Crews has been a bit shaky too. I think there’s room for Juan. Budget and desire is another matter.
Green can already be labelled a bust… Hassell cant shake the wrist injuries and has been meh.. He raked in April then collapsed again..
Crews has been fine. Expectation is his curse right now.. He did very well in a tough AA league after a slow start and hes just getting going in AAA… Hes also a complete player and his speed and CF defense have been fantastic… He should be ready to be a solid MLBr early in 25.. if not OD.
Any team find find room for Juan Soto
Green is a bust and Vacquero is heading in that direction. Hassell was enjoying a decent season. Much better than last year.
Juan Soto will be a full time DH starting in the 2027 season if not even sooner. He isn’t taking PT away from any of those outfield prospects. The cat can hit, he can’t field.
I don’t know why you even mentioned Green. He can’t even hit .200. Crews was not dominant in AA and is now in AAA. I actually like Hassel. He doesn’t hit for much power but he hits for average and walks a lot.
While sensible, Soto vs. spending the money on multiple players is more complicated than you suggest. Individual cumulative WAR doesn’t account for the positive impact a feared batter like Soto has on the entire line-up. Everybody else gets better pitches….and sometimes bit-players become regulars and regulars flirt with AS status..
If James Wood plays that role in DC, .miraculously everybody else will start playing better, too. They have a few other prospects with that potential, but adding Soto makes the team a potential powerhouse. I think the Nats will bid…its just a crapshoot as to who has the best offer.
Steven
“a feared batter like Soto has on the entire line-up. Everybody else gets better pitches….and sometimes bit-players become regulars and regulars flirt with AS status..”
Citation requested
Why this weird belief that pitchers are going to do things that make worse hitters better in the presence of a star hitter? If “everyone” knows that pitchers doing this makes the other pitchers better, why do they do it?
@CB. Its not a weird belief, its logic and observation. The top hitters (the most feared ones) are also the ones that get walked the most. This year it is: Soto, Judge, Schwarber, Freeman, Betts, Harper).. They are also among the ones with the best OBP. mlb.com/stats/walks
You don’t want to face these guys with men on base. So the two hitters ahead of them in the line-up get thrown more strikes (i.e. hittable balls). The two hitters behind them get 1/ thrown more strikes to avoid putting an additional man on base and 2/ prosper from all the additional opportunities for RBI’
Steven
“Its not a weird belief, its logic and observation”
Observation eh? Then you should have data then that supports your position. Now you’ll present that data and shut me up. Right?
Wrong. You don’t have the data. You aren’t using observation
Let’s use logic
“You don’t want to face these guys with men on base. So the two hitters ahead of them in the line-up get thrown more strikes (i.e. hittable balls). ”
You think it’s logical to say that a pitcher can hold a hitter to, say, a .300 wOBA normally. But, when a great hitter is behind them they pitch them in a way that makes them better than that?
Logic!
Green will never make it. Hassell won’t either if he can’t figure out how to stay healthy. Dylan Lile is their 3rd best OF by a mile, reminds me of Michael Brantley.
With that being said, you make room for Soto no matter what. DH/OF/move guys around he is a HOF clean up bat this lineup needs in the worst way.
The only way he goes back to the Nats is if the Lerners sell the team to Leonsis first.
Not a chance he goes back to Washington but keep living in daydream word.
Oh and why not?
No team has ever traded away a superstar player away two and half years away from free agency because they couldn’t afford him and their finances haven’t changed and magically signed him for powerball money.The bridge was burned.
The contract offer was more than Bryce Harper accepted, and would have been one of the largest contracts ever. Soto has said he wishes he could have stayed. As someone already wrote, if the Nats are under new ownership, perhaps any grudge wouldn’t make much sense.
What grudge? Soto knows why he was traded and it most certainly wasn’t because the Nats don’t believe in him as a player or as a person.
He wasn’t traded because they couldn’t afford him he was traded because they were rebuilding, knew he wasn’t signing any extension and the Padres made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.
Why couldn’t they refuse it? Has anyone else traded superstar players away that early? They clearly shopped him away and clearly couldn’t afford him as they clearly couldn’t afford Harper.
I loved him in The Specialist
He’s funny in family guy too
He got a beating in Casino.
For opposing pitchers ask Peter Griffin about his “oooooo piece of candy” strategy to deal with James Wood.
Underrated comment
I hope the nats down the line get a prospect named Adam West, for god forbid, Peter griffin
The question now is: Who is going to sit? (Or be traded?) Thomas, Winker, and Young are all playing well. I know Winker will be traded before the deadline, but not sure if his trade value is that good right now.
Rosario will be DFAd
This is it
It can’t be Winker. Dude has been on fire, and that OBP is insane. I’m guessing Rosario? He’s been pretty mediocre outside of one hot streak in May.
Rosarios been one of the worst players in MLB this year
Winker could shift to DH. His defense is pretty bad.
They had to know they were planning to call up Wood soon when they added Harold Ramirez just a few days ago. I’d guess it’s either Rosario or Nunez.
Let me ask all you Natties- what’s your guys’ take on Winker’s deal with that old guy in the Petco boxseats?
We definitely lost the Soto trade with y’all, and Wood is why I thought that from Day 1. Enjoy the spoils and best wishes to Wood!
Gwynning – let him at least take an AB first!
Yeah, yeah you’re right LTC, and to be quite clear, Jarlin Susana was the other piece I hated to see leave… and he’s still in A ball! Anyway, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we got taken for a ride in the Soto deal… but I still give Seidler immense props and gratitude for going all-in.
I miss Cj Abrams the most. Him and Merrill could have been something special in that lineup
Susana was def a hi ceiling interesting prospect but at that age there is so much that can go wrong before a mlb debut. Time will tell and that’s why we can’t really grade these deadline trades involving a bunch of prospects for years down the road.
What I would have done is get Young some time at second base. He played there at University of Florida. They didn’t do the smart thing. I don’t see Young in the outfield long term so maybe they will give him time at second base soon.
Not even a Nats fan but I’m excited for monday
A lot of Padres fans will have an eye out for a former loved prospect.
Caminero, get healthy – you’re on deck.
Peter Seidler’s situation forced the Soto trade.
The fallout will be painful for the next several years for the Friar Faithful. Boiled down, Michael King and a small piece of Dylan Cease is not an epic return.
I’m not as infatuated with Gore as are some fans seem to be.. With his perpetually high WHIP I think he’s nearing his ceiling now and that’s a solid #4/5 SP. Abrams is outstanding, but he needs to improve his OBP and defense to reach AS status, and I think he will. With so many SS options he didn’t have an obvious fit in SD. Wood might be the one that makes the Soto trade truly regrettable, but that remains to be seen. Wish all three ex-Pads success in DC.
I think of it as choosing Bogaerts over Abrams. And Gore would certainly be part of the SD rotation, maybe categorizing that as Gore replaces Darvish.
Brew – ditto. Gore’s highly acclaimed prospect status makes his falling to a solid 4/5 even more easier to swallow. He fell so far.
Abrams – should be there soon.
Hassell – again, fell really far and fast.
Wood – health may be his thing at some point tj with that frame – added risk.
Lastly, you have to give quality to get quality so, if Wood and Abrams are AS guys well, that is what it took to get Soto and most other similar trades.
Lest we forget we got Bell too who at the time of the trade was one of the hottest hitters in NL.
That was part of the prospect capital.
Wish them well.
Gore is gonna be an ace.
@PadsWS2024. That’s what we’ve been hearing for 8 years. At some point thet fact that he’s only sustained, not improved upon, his career WHIP of 1.40 might change that narrative
Soto brought back cease (cant say a small part.. a player in the soto deal was used to acquire cease) and king, so thats a good return for a one year rental.
Ma – yeah, I’m not hating the Soto trade as a whole.
If I were going to complain it would be how atrocious Bell was for 2 months and how below the norm Soto was for 2 months in 2022.
That’s part of the baseball business though and not the GM’s fault and of course the guys weren’t trying to suck!
I think so long as Cease and King perform at the 2/3 level, and maybe 1 of Vazquez / Brito (to offset what we added to the Cease trade) turn out to be a 4/5 SP and decent BP piece SD will have at least done well.
There is never a way to calculate how a prospect finally turns out years later (Max Fried for example) until many years down the road and all the careers are over. By then, who cares!
It was a small part. Thorpe was only one of the players used to acquire Cease and I’m thinking Zavala will be the one that ends up having the best career.
The two Soto trades as a whole made the Padres worse. There is no doubt about that. The Padres could have easily gotten King, Cease and Higgy without giving up a single one of CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore and James Wood let alone all 3.
Doesnt matter… one of the players in the soto deal was used to acquire cease. It’s debatable whether he was the primary piece or not. Maybe chicago wanted thorpe most of all because they see something in him they love.
I know that finally some recent padre prospects look like theyll pan out w abrams gore and wood, but everyone knew it would take a lot to get soto. And the gamble nearly worked as they almost made the WS that year. Then they moved him for some value players back at least.
@Ma4170 No Thorpe and they just use Lesko in the Cease trade instead. Easy and simple. There is no way to spin it other than the Soto trade being a complete and total disaster for the Padres.
You can’t just make that assumption. The Cease trade doesn’t happen without Thorpe because that’s what it took to get him. Lesko was there for the taking and they either wanted Thorpe instead or SD didn’t want to part with Lesko. It’s not a total disaster… a total disaster would be to get nothing but a comp pick back or have lesser players than Cease and King and the others to show for it.
The first Soto trade was a gamble by Seidler that didn’t pan out. And Wood might make it look even more regrettable. I didn’t like the trade when it happened, and still don’t.
But the overwhelmingly successful performances of King, Cease, Vasquez and Arraez has made the second Soto trade look quite favorable to the Pads. And yeah, the Pads wouldn’t have signed Arraez without available $ from Soto’s AAV. Higgy has also been incredible with a 0.800 OPS, 122 OPS+, and Brito is being stretched out now as a SP, and might add to the value. As great as Soto is (especially at drawing walks), this year anyway, the Padres have figured out how to become a better team without him.. And they’re better even with Tatis, Musgrove, Darvish, Bogaerts, and other key players missing extensive time on IL.
They didn’t sign him. They traded for him.
The did both
@ Ma4170…
“You can’t just make that assumption.”
And yet, I just did. Look, I did it again.
“The Cease trade doesn’t happen without Thorpe because that’s what it took to get him.”
No, it’s just the trade that occurred. We had plenty of pitching prospects we could have used instead of Thorpe.
“Lesko was there for the taking and they either wanted Thorpe instead or SD didn’t want to part with Lesko.”
Lesko is the higher rated prospect. They’d have taken him.
“It’s not a total disaster… a total disaster would be to get nothing but a comp pick…”
Which was always the most likely outcome.
“… or have lesser players than Cease and King and the others to show for it.”
Still rather have Abrams, Gore, Wood.
@Brew’88 Randy Vasquez is below replacement level this year and the Padres still trade for Arraez if they never made the two Soto trades.
I said previously that Peter Seidler was the worst thing to ever happen to the Padres organization and this is exactly what I’m talking about. Seemed like a good guy but this is no way to run a MLB organization.
I can name hundreds of worse things, like #1 pick catcher Mike Ivie’s mental block at throwing the ball back to the pitcher. Like Gwynn’s life being cut short by cancer. Like Roseanne Barr’s national anthem. Like the many fire sales. Like the retirement of the SD Chicken
Very excited to see him called up. Hopefully, the hype is justified
I am glad I drafted him early in Fantasy. Can’t wait to see him score me some points.
Ooo! Piece of candy!
“Through 51 Triple-A games this season, he currently sports a monster line of .346/.458/.578. That includes ten home runs, ten steals and a 17.3% walk rate.”
I did a ton of research, my friends, and determined that a .346/.458/.578 slashline is good.
FINALLY
Now let’s get Crews ready
Which outfield position will he play predominantly ?
The article suggests LF
Projected by FGDC for a 104 wRC+ and 2.1 WAR/600
I’d pick up Wood on every fantasy team, if he was available. Rookies are generally overrated in non-keeper leagues, but I’d bet on the over 2.1/600.
JB
“I’d bet on the over 2.1/600.”
Cool
I’ve had him on my team since mid April. Hoping that he is the real deal.
so excited
as a yankee fan i’ve come to believe that 6’7″ is the ideal height for a baseball player
Ruth was 6’2″
Meanwhile, Hack Wilson, who had more home runs than any National League hitter in a single season until Bonds, McGwire and Sosa were juiced to the max was 5’6″, still holds the record for the most runs batted in a season and will never lose it.
and he didn’t have to wear a buzzer like another 5’6” player i know (bitter yankee fan joke)
(Heads to the waiver wire)
I’ll do the guys saying “I drafted him” one better… I KEPT him from LY. Haha
Guy’s really lighting up the minors. Best of luck to this guy and hope he doesn’t pull a Jackson Holliday. He’s really fallen off the table since he went down.
I certainly hope he produces right away. As a Nats fan who looks forward to liking the O’s again when the Angelos stain is wiped completely, I hope Holliday recovers and becomes a productive Major Leaguer. I expect that he will.
The guy leading the IL in runs and top 3 in OBP? There must be 2 Jackson Hollidays.
The TIGERS should have gotten this guy! Too much incompetence at the Tiger FO.
Didn’t even hire the Superfife. Washington likely to be there before the Tigers.
How sad.
I give up.
The Tigers clshould have offered a lot, an overwhelming offer for Crews and Woods. Not happening.
Watching the Tigers has been a lesson in how.to string people along and give ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
I.AM.SURE.TO.REMEMBER THAT NEXT TIME I WORK OR INTERACT WITH CHRIS.ILLICH OR LITTLE CAESAR’S PIZZA. Won’t be much Tiger interaction.
I give.up.
STS
OK
You do realize there are lots of other ways to spend your free time other than the Tigers, right?
There are 29 other MLB teams. Various other baseball leagues. Multiple other sports. An infinity of non-sport options
Best of luck in your new endeavors
I enjoy the Nats being relevant again in comment sections. There is no guarantee that Wood works out, but if he does, DC is a player in MLB again, sooner than expected.
oo piece of candy
Whatever happened to Stras’ retirement ceremony? Still can’t believe Nats ownership tried to do him dirty.
Will be in attendance ballpark should be electric. Cannot wait to watch this kid play every day in dc!
I hope this doesn’t affect his shift at the Kwik-E-Mart.