Juan Soto, Josh Bell Being Traded to Padres for Several Prospects
Wow, it really happened. As Jon Morosi reports, the Nationals are trading Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the Padres for a package that includes infielder C.J. Abrams, outfield prospect Robert Hassell III (No. 1 in system according to MLB.com), outfield prospect James Wood (No. 3), and right-handed pitching prospect Jarlin Susana (No. 14). Jim Bowden added that lefty MacKenzie Gore is also headed to Washington in the deal.
Sources: #Nats are set to receive CJ Abrams, OF Robert Hassell III, OF James Wood, RHP Jarlin Susana for Juan Soto and Josh Bell. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 2, 2022
The only holdup to the deal, Jeff Passan tweeted, is the inclusion of one more major league player going from San Diego to Washington. Jon Heyman then clarified that Eric Hosmer is the additional player, but his no-trade clause is holding things up. That’s a whole lot of power in the hands of a dude who’s been hearing for the last year that his team is willing to give up a top prospect just to dump his remaining salary.
The package going back to Washington for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, sources tell ESPN:
– LHP MacKenzie Gore
– OF Robert Hassell III
– SS C.J. Abrams
– OF James Wood
– RHP Jarlin Susana
– one more major league playerThat's the only holdup right now to the agreed-upon deal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022
This move is incredible in its own right, but it now figures to have big aftershocks through the rest of the industry as the trade market is about to be supercharged. Teams that have been holding off on moves in anticipation of a Soto deal will now get more aggressive, so expect to see something very soon with Ian Happ and Willson Contreras.
The Dodgers could very well be in on Happ now that Soto has gone to their division rivals, though the Blue Jays are in play there as well. San Diego was one of the most reported suitors for Contreras, whose market may now be limited to the Mets and Rays.
Wild stuff, folks.
Update: Bob Nightengale is reporting that the deal is done without Hosmer, which opens the floodgates for many other deals and could leave the door open to a separate deal for Hosmer.
The Juan Soto deal is done with the #Padres, and does NOT include Eric Hosmer.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 2, 2022
