BREAKING NEWS: Nationals Trade Juan Soto to the Padres

Juan Soto has finally been traded. He is on the move to San Diego for a flurry of top prospects. The Padres were already one of the most fun teams in the MLB and they just added the most electric player in baseball. Furthermore, Josh Bell is on the move to San Diego along with Juan Soto in the trade.

The Padres side of things:

Juan Soto, the 23 year old, World Series champion, and former batting title champion is on the move. With a top tier 1b by his side, Soto costs a pretty penny but is definitely worth it. The superstar outfielder is in the 98th percentile for xwOBA (expected weighted on base average) during a down year. In every year of his career, Soto has been in the top 3% for walks and top 10% for wxOBA. Everyone knows Soto is a once in a generation talent, coupled with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado… watch out world.

Another piece of this trade was Josh Bell. If you are a big baseball fan you probably know Bell from his time with the Pirates. Bell he has been solid for the Nationals this year. A lot of fan bases wanted him this offseason, but the Padres get him as they make a world series push.

The Nationals side of the Juan Soto Trade:

Firstly, Mackenzie Gore is the biggest part of this deal. He is a bonafide future ace, and he has already shown big league production this year. Furthermore, Gore can still keep you from being a horrible team for the next few years as the Nationals ownership looks to sell the franchise away.

Second, We all knew the Juan Soto trade was going to get the Nationals a good amount of top prospects, but adding Bell on top takes this deal to the next level. The Nationals receive CJ Abrams, Robert Hassell, James Wood and Jarlin Susana. CJ Abrams is going to be a top defensive shortstop in this league. Pairing him with SS/2B Brady House (Nationals #1 prospect) will be a lot of fun for Nationals fans. Hassell and Wood are top tier outfielders in the minors right now who are expected to be up quickly. Susana has been making waves in the minors recently with some great outings on the bump.

What’s Next:

Finally, the big fish has been moved, and Soto is off the board. However, This makes the the Giants situation a lot more interesting. Now, with two top 3 teams in the NL, the Giants will look to sell. The Yankees reportedly are in on Carlos Rendon already but have made no progress.