The 2022 Nationals found themselves at a crossroads. Washington had sold at the prior year's trade deadline, shipping Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers, sending Kyle Schwarber to the Red Sox, dealing Daniel Hudson to the Padres and trading Jon Lester to the Cardinals. The organization's steadfast hope had been that even while rebuilding, Juan Soto would be at the heart of those efforts to build back up. Longtime general manager Mike Rizzo acknowledged as much in June, plainly stating on the record that he had no intention of trading Soto.
The Nats offered Soto an extension reportedly worth $440MM in guaranteed money. It would've been the largest deal in MLB history at the time. Only after Soto turned that offer down -- drawing plenty of criticism for doing so -- did Washington begin to seriously explore the possibility of trading him. Moving the game's best young hitter when he had two and a half seasons of club control remaining was no small undertaking. It'd require a seismic haul of young talent -- the type of prospect package that several interested parties simply didn't have the inventory to assemble. Most other clubs simply couldn't stomach the asking price.
A limited market of suitors for Soto emerged. To no one's surprise, the hyper-aggressive Padres entered the bidding and made a strong push. San Diego president of baseball operations A.J. Preller throws his hat in the ring when nearly any star-caliber player is available. From the moment Soto hit the market, the Padres -- then armed with one of baseball's best farm systems -- were among the most logical landing spots.
San Diego indeed wound up reeling in their big fish, and it took the type of trade haul we might not see again for years to come. Soto and Josh Bell went from the Nats to the Padres in exchange for shortstop CJ Abrams, left-hander MacKenzie Gore, outfielder James Wood, outfielder Robert Hassell III and right-hander Jarlin Susana. The Padres also sent first baseman Luke Voit to the Nats as something of a financial counterweight, and in a separate deal they shipped Eric Hosmer -- who'd invoked his no-trade rights to block his inclusion in the Soto trade -- to the Red Sox.
It was a jaw-dropping haul. Abrams, Gore and Hassell had all been top-10 draft picks within the past five seasons. Abrams was a consensus top-10 prospect in the sport at the time. Gore had struggled through some mechanical issues in the upper minors but was only a few years removed from being one of the consensus top pitching prospects in the game. Wood was a 19-year-old who was just a year removed from being a second-round pick, and his stock was firmly on the rise at the time of the swap as he ripped through A-ball. Hassell entered the 2022 season as a top-40 prospect in the game. Susana was only 18 at the time of the trade and was in his first season of pro ball after signing out of his native Dominican Republic; Baseball America likened his upside to that of a high schooler who might go in the first round of the MLB draft.
While not every blockbuster trade pans out -- Washington hasn't gotten a ton of value from that Scherzer/Turner stunner, for instance -- the Soto trade has produced a bumper crop that seems likely to form the nucleus of the next contending Nationals club.
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The Nationals are not far off .500 and should be in position to add a free agent or two by next year.
They should have added them this year.
Tyler O’Neill or teoscar Hernandez or Anthony Santander would’ve fit
The nats will be too cheap for Kyle Tucker this year
They have little pitching.
If they would’ve added a couple of starting pitchers, they’d be in position to compete for a wc this season. Guessing they’ll be linked to King/Cease in the offseason to pair with Gore.
I would’ve went through life never remembering Schwarber played for the Nationals if it weren’t for this article
Or the Red Sox
The 2021 Red Sox was a fun team they had that “it” factor that could go to the World Series
Everyone forgot schwarber’s June for the nationals he was hitting like prime diamondbacks JD Martinez
The Schwarber grand slam in Game 3 of the 2021 ALCS was one of the most electric Sox moments of the century
@jdgoat It’ll be very interesting to see if the Phillies look to continue contending while getting younger, or instead reup Schwarber and Realmuto and simply collapse for five years starting in 2028.
I do remember, because he hit 16 hr in 18 games and a total of 25 hr in something like 70 games for the Nats. He was destroying the ball when he left.
I honestly don’t think there’s been a single loser in any Juan Soto trade. The Nats got Wood, Abrams, Gore, and Susana (who is one of the better pitching prospects in baseball right now) for Soto. The Padres got Michael King, Kyle Higashoika, Randy Vasquez, and Drew Thorpe (who was flipped for Dylan Ceaes) when they traded him to the Yankees. The Yankees got a season out of Soto that would have won AL MVP in most years, and Soto hit .327 with four home runs and more walks (14) than strikeouts (9) in the Postseason, helping them win their first AL Pennant since 2009. Each team has gotten something pretty dang valuable out of Soto.
This is the trade that should have cost preller his job.
And they still suck
Susana is a right hander but they obviously very well with this package. Everyone they got could looks good with the exception of Hassell who has been better this year.
If he becomes a platoon bat that’s just icing on the cake
Butchered the grammar there but the deal looks good for WAS!
Must’ve had Jarlin Garcia on the brain when I typed “left-hander,” haha. Thanks!
Imagine how good the Padres would be with what they gave up. They would be the clear cut favorites to win it all.
I do agree with this. People are praising the Padres but they did exactly what the Mets did. Build a winner only to lose and then break it down again. That, to me, shows misdirection.
The Padres would still be facing the unlimited $$$$ Dodgers. They ain’t doing too badly right now, i.e. #2 or #3 overall in the MLB, after losing five of their position starters a month ago, and their top two starters (Musgrove and Darvish), one for the season, and the other … well, we’ll see.
You are engaged in something called “static analysis”. Life is dynamic. Meaning that for each trade, and each player involved in that trade, there is no way of predicting their course or development today, back a year or two ago. Any change in that scenario, results in thousands of possibilities. Preller holding onto all of this prospects would have, on paper, made them the top MLB team, but life isn’t scripted. For example, what would have happened to the value of those trades if Peter Seidler hadn’t passed away when he did?
The single truth that could have been predicted two years ago, with near full-proof reliability, would that the Padres would be facing a Dodger’s organization that is so well heeled, that they could probably pay the salaries of every player on their 40 man roster just from hot dog sales alone. (Yeah, that’s a joke, because no matter how many $Billions I cite from known sources that the Dodgers bring in every year, someone here will tell me that I’m full of it, that the Dodgers have the same $300M or $400M in revenue as every other team.) The Dodgers organization doesn’t necessarily spend every nickel they earn on the current organization, but they have enough annual revenue and reserves to buy any and every player in the MLB that they target, pay what ever the luxury tax amounts to, and still be able to buy a whole ‘nother team.
The Padres challenge is to beat the Dodgers. Wild card playoffs are the backup goal, but any team which has the means to OWN their division like the Dodgers can, has already made the payoffs on day one of the season. Note that I also take nothing away from the Dodgers. They are a first class organization from top to bottom, and probably would have the same development and drafting capability if they were fighting for dollars like most of the other 30 MLB teams (not named Yankees or Mets). They are just a real, good franchise. However, whatever Preller does to become competitive against the Dodgers, or contend for a wild card opportunity, is 10X the effort and achievement of any other GM, given the small market that serves the Padres.
Giving up good stuff to get a better team, is just a part of his portfolio, another tool in his toolbox. And, he’s not going to win on all of those moves, either.
I don’t think they can’t beat the Dodgers now. They might be better. All of the players we are talking about would have developed with the Padres and probably quicker. The Padres would probably would have not wasted money on Boegarts and had that money to spend on needs. So replace Gore for King, and Abrams for Bogaerts. You add in Woods in a position of need and have Boegarts money to add another starting pitcher. That team would be the best team in baseball no matter the Dodgers money. Imagine an Outfield of Merrill, Tatis and Woods for the next ten years?
But would anyone still be watching a team that was losing and out of contention for the past 3-4 years, if Preller sat pat and did nothing but wait for the youth movement? The team might be under new ownership.
Who is Woods?
James Wood. Great young OF for the Nats.
@JoeBrady We are talking about Woods. Not Wood. I obviously know who James Irvin Wood is.
The Dodgers definitely don’t have the same revenue as the other “major market” teams. The Dodgers and Yankees both eclipsed $728M in revenue, with the Dodgers in first at $752M. The third team, CHC came in at $584M, $168M less than LAD. That’s a significant advantage and most mid-tier clubs came in somewhere in the $320-$350M range, <$400M than LAD. That's a significant revenue advantage before factoring in the payroll/$$ spent vs. revenue made.
I get we love strikeouts and the promise of ‘stuff,’ but Jarlin hasn’t actually had a good year since 2022 when most of that was in Rookie ball, needed above average luck to keep the ball in the yard in 2024, and so far this season doesn’t know where the ball’s going (20 BB in 26 IP).
On the plus side he’s young for his level, but there are a lot of negatives.
Jarlin was the fifth piece in the trade.
I don’t think he will succeed as a starter, but he’ll be a nice back-end pen piece if nothing else. Great throw-in from the Nats perspective.
AnY gM wOuLd HaVe MaDe ThE sOtO tRaDe !
SoTo WoUlD hAvE sIgNeD aN eXtEnSiOn If SeIdLeR hAdN’t DiEd !
BuT iF wE dOn’T tRaDe FoR sOtO wE dOn’T gEt MiChAeL kInG, dYlAn CeAsE aNd RaNdY vAsQuEz !
DuMpInG tReNt GrIsHaM wAs WoRtH iT !
*vomit*
Were you lamenting Grisham when he put up a 90 wRC+ in 200 PAs last season tho?
No. And they didn’t have to attach him to Soto or anyone else to get rid of him. They could have non-tendered him. It’s quick, it’s clean and everyone gets what they want (well… except Trent Grisham. But then I missed the part where that’s A. J. Preller’s problem).
I’m not sure what you mean. They did have to attach him for the return they got, unless he was just there to free up additional salary (why wouldn’t the Yankees have non-tendered him then?). Whether or not that’s an overpay because he’s having a career year is a different issue. I always liked Grisham and thought people graded him too hard. I loved the glove, and any offense was extra.
Some Padres fans defend the two Soto trades on the grounds that it “allowed Preller to dump Trent Grisham.” They either don’t realize or just ignore the fact that Preller was already “allowed” to dump Grisham. Non-tender was an option.
That’s fair. I thought it was pretty clear the Yankees valued him and wanted him as part of their return. It would be great to have him in LF this year.
As a Brewers fan, you can have Grisham
Never trade for Soto at all.
Plug Gore into the rotation.
Plug Wood into the outfield.
Plug Abrams in at shortstop.
Abrams eliminates the need for Bogaerts. Use that money on starting pitching instead.
Alternatively, if we REALLY don’t believe in C. J. Abrams, trade him for starting pitching.
Trade RH3 and Susana for starting pitching as well.
#weride
In this scenario we also wouldn’t have been in the playoffs over the last several years.
Yes you would have. You were well on our way in 2022, you missed in 2023 even in OTL and you were set up better for 2024 and 2025 than you were in OTL if you do it this way.
Right idea wrong positions.
Wood first or DH
Extend Kim instead of Bogaerts
LF Merrill
CF Abrams
Susana and RH3 bring back at best a 3
Gore is a 3
Still need two TOR arms and pen pieces
@Easy as 1 2 3 Kim should have been traded at the 2023 trade deadline.
I trust that Preller would have been able to figure it out. He was in our timeline with less capital on hand then he would have in the alternate timeline.
I like the trade retrospective; it will always be divisive. I think a lot of the sour taste on the first Soto deal is due to the disappointing 2023 deal. If the Padres had one more bite of the apple with Soto in the playoffs, I think it would’ve immensely taken the sting off the second trade. The second trade was a very good pivot — obviously, you don’t wanna trade Soto, and you don’t get back anything close to what you gave up to get him. Still, Higgy had a great year, King’s been a revelation (if they extend him, it will also help soften the blow, IMO), and Vasquez is interesting as #5 and potentially #4 arm.
Also, who plays SS if they never consummate the first Soto deal? Kim? Abrams? Merrill? Do they still trade Abrams to make room for Merrill and Wood? What do they even get for a young SS who would be league-averageish with the bat and terrible with the glove? Do they try to move him to CF and replace Grisham? Interesting scenarios to consider.
Abrams isn’t the most durable player. Woods is raking and has a chance to be a bonafide star. Hassell we’re still waiting on. Gore has been solid so far. Susanna has a chance at best…
And any/all of them could have been traded on their own for starting pitching if you honestly and truly didn’t believe in them. No need to trade for Juan Soto whose trade value was decreasing with each passing day as an interim step.
Who is Woods?
Natalie never had this problem
James Woods – pretty good actor.
They traded bats to the Nats as well…hahahaha
Great trade for the Nats.
Wood seems to be really clicking with potential for more if he lowers his GB rate but the best decision probably was to buy low on gore who really struggled with command that time.
The Nats could have easily gotten a lesser prospect who performed to like a 900 ops or 2.5 era to play it “safe” but they went for gore believing he can be fixed, saying “we don’t care how good we will be in 22 and 23, give me the highest upside for 25 and beyond”.
This decision could have backfired if gore was a bust but being in a division with the braves, Phillies and 300 million dollar payroll mets shooting for the maximum upside was the right thing to do.
They still have some catch up to do to catch up to the big 3 but at least they have a chance now
The sad thing for the Nats is how many pieces away they still are. It didn’t help that the Scherzer/Turner trade has fizzled for them too.
Realistically, if they went out and got 2 SP’s who were #2-3 rotation types, and a couple of bullpen pieces, they could be a WC contender as soon as next year (or this year, if they’re active at the deadline).
Rough time to be a fridge playoff contender in the NL.
Trading for Soto One of the Worst Trades in San Diego Padres history
(and there have been a lot of them over decades).
If Preller passes on Soto, then CJ Abrams starts @ Shortstop.
James Wood is the Padres LF.
A Padres OF of Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and James Wood would be the best in baseball.
McKenzie Gore is in the Padres rotation
And, Preller does not sign Xander Bogaerts that saves the Padres a ton of cash both short and long term.\
Susanna is soaring breaking out in the minors and becomes another major league asset for the Padres.
Robert Hassell III is now not injured and health again and along with
SS Leo De Vries(hit for cycle in minors) and minor league catching phenom Ethan Salas would give the Padres a very young championship core for a long window of contention.
Preller could still have traded for an found under the radar guys similar to King etc for the rotation and bullpen.
Soto did not produce what was expected for his 1st half seasons in SD and did not help SD qualify for and win a World Series.
Soto is a good p[ayer, but he was a disappointment in SD.
In his 2nd year, he started to hit, but was not worth stripping the Padres farm system of multiple long term “building” blocks of top young prospects/future star young players.
Most knowledgeable baseball fans knew from the git-go that Padres ownership, in a smaller market City, was not ever giving Soto a long term deal for 500M, 600M 700M.(and then fill out their roster with AAA and utility players?!)
Obviously, the economics in small to medium market San Diego never worked for such a deal
Pretty much the case. But I find it amazing that the team is still really good in 2025! Kolek and Sheets are emerging talents. I wish we had Wood but Tears, Fountain and Hightower next up.
They’d be 38-0 without the Soto trades.
And they would have colonized Venus by now also
Probably