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Jeff PassanESPN
The San Diego Padres signed a superstar midfielder Juan Soto and the first warrior Josh Bell are from Citizens of Washingtonit was announced on Tuesday.
Prices for Padres are far from cheap. Backpack for the national team includes a promising left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Goremidfielder Robert Hassell IIIshortstop CJ Abramsmidfielder James Wood and right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana. Washington also gets first hitter/designated hitter Luke Voit.
Initial iteration of the deal can’t be done after San Diego’s first hit Eric Hosmer refused to remove Washington from its no-trade list and was instead moved in by Padres Boston Red Soxsources told ESPN.
Soto, a two-time All-Star who won this year’s Derby Home Run, has enriched the Padres with a historically talented 23-year-old, whose early career peers were mostly Hall of Famers. . He will greatly benefit from joining the shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and the third warrior Manny Machado near the top of Padres’ formation.
“It’s impressive to have those three types of people on the same team in the same lineup, ” Wil Myers, the Padres’ longest-serving player, told reporters on Tuesday. “Nice to see that trio, hopefully in the next week or two.”
Tatis, who is about to return from a broken left wrist, could be 10 days to two weeks away from being added to the active roster.
The path from Soto’s recent rejection of a 15-year, $440 million contract from the Nationals to a deal with the Padres was quick and linear. The Nationalists did not want to raise their offer. San Diego, Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals most in line with Washington’s desire for young talent.
Interested teams and observers alike consider Soto’s chance to trade for a player of his caliber a once-in-a-generation event, even though most teams don’t have the talent needed to enter the competition. competing for a star does not reach freedom. dealer until after the 2024 season.
As attractive as control of the club is to the Padres, the most important thing is what Soto does best: hit. And he does it as well as anyone in the game. While Soto’s batting average this season of .246 is far below his career average of .291, he leads the major leagues in walk counts – he’s the bridge The only active MLB player with more walks than strikes in his career – and one of the leading indoor runners (21).
He’s also having a big July hitting .315/.495/.616 with six home runs.
In Soto, they receive a hitman with eyes and powers like no other – a golden combination that can turn a man down $440 million. Since debuting at the age of 19, Soto has become a celebrity, he has achieved .291 / .426 / .537 with 119 home runs, 358 RBIs, 464 walks and 414 strikes .
San Diego also gets a lot of needed help on the right pitch, where they’ve only made it three times home this season.
He helped lead the National team to their first championship in 2019, and even Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer and Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon leaves through agency or freelancing, Soto remains on, expected to take on the mantle for the organization.
Bell is hitting the career-high .301 mark with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs in his second season with the Nationals. He spent his first five MLB seasons with Pittsburgh Piratesreceived an All-Star in 2019 and had a career average of 0.666 with 127 home runs and 454 RBIs.
Bell, 29, has signed for this season.
News of the deal was instantly felt at Caesars Sportsbook, with San Diego’s World Series win rate improving from +2000 to +800. Also, the odds change when the Padres win the National League pennant from +800 to +400.
The Nationals have the worst professional league record of 35-69 and have lost four of their five games through Monday.
31-year-old Voit, who also played first base, is hitting the .225 mark with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs this season. Before joining the Padres this season, Voit spent four seasons with New York Yankees and two with the Cardinals. He has 86 home runs in his career with 251 RBI and .258 batting average.
Gore, who is currently on List of injured 15 days with elbow pain, was recently added to Padres’s stables. The 23-year-old left-hander made his debut of the season after ranking among the game’s top prospects since he was picked in the first round of the tournament. draft 2017.
He has been exceptional at the start of the season, going 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his first nine games, including eight starts. But he appeared twice straight out of the barn after San Diego transitioned from a six-man rotation to a five-man staffer.
Gore left after throwing just 35 pitches in a game against the Tigers on July 25, and his fast ball velocity in that game (92.7 mph) fell more than 2 mph from his average in his season. His 70 innings throws this season is already 19⅔ more than he’s thrown in 2021 and he’s far beyond his career high of 101 innings for minors.
Abrams, 21 and 6th pick of the 2019 draft, is hitting .232 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in the pro leagues this season and .314 with seven home runs. and 28 RBI in Triple-A El Paso.
Hassell, 20 and 8th pick of the 2020 draft, is hitting .299 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs at High-A Fort Wayne.
Wood, a 19-year-old quarterback and second-round pick in last year’s draft, is batting .321 with 10 home players and 45 RBI for the Lake Elsinore A Division.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
