Fastball

Revisiting The Unbelievable Juan Soto Trade Between the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals

The 2022 blockbuster has turned into a massive success for Washington, and it's various tentacles make it look pretty good for San Diego as well, with the opportunity to look even better this year.
Brady Farkas|
San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto (22) watches his RBI-double against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2023.
San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto (22) watches his RBI-double against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2023. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Washington NationalsSan Diego Padres

In 2022, the Washington Nationals traded outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres for prospects Robert Hassell III, Jarlin Susana, CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore and James Wood. They also got first baseman Luke Voit.

First and foremost, that deal looks like a home run for Washington. Soto had said he wasn't going to re-sign in Washington and had already rejected a massive contract extension. Abrams was an All-Star in 2024, hitting 20 homers in total. He's hitting .286 this year with four homers and 14 RBIs.

Gore is one of the top strikeout artists in the game and he currently leads baseball in that category with 68 in 46.0 innings. Wood already has 10 homers and 23 RBIs and looks like one of the best sluggers in the sport. Hassell is the No. 11 prospect in the organization, while Susanna (pitcher) is No. 2.

Despite the big haul given up, the deal seems to have worked out well for the Padres also. While they didn't win the World Series in 2022 or 2023, they have been able to turn the deal into excess talent. They got a great full season from Soto in 2023, getting 35 homers and 109 RBIs from him. They then traded him and Trent Grisham before the 2024 season to the New York Yankees for Michael King, Jhony Brito, Kyle Higashioka, Drew Thorpe and Randy Vasquez.

King has become one of the best pitchers in the National League, working with a 4-1 record right now and a 2.22 ERA. He's struck out 48 batters in 44.2 innings, but is a free agent at the end of the year.

The Padres included Thorpe in a deal last offseason as well, trading him to the Chicago White Sox for Dylan Cease, who is also one of the better pitchers in the National League.

The Padres are 23-13 entering play on Thursday, and if they can turn that early season success into a deep playoff run, the fruits of the Soto deal will look even better.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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