Juan Soto is a San Diego Padre. Within the largest blockbuster of the 2022 MLB commerce deadline, the Washington Nationals dealt the 23-year-old megastar for a treasure trove of prime prospects.
Now that Soto can be enjoying his residence video games at Petco Park, what does it imply for the Padres and the remainder of baseball this season and past? Has there ever been a midseason commerce fairly this monumental?
ESPN baseball specialists Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez, Joon Lee, Jesse Rogers and David Schoenfield reply the largest questions.
Is that this the largest commerce deadline deal ever?
Alden Gonzalez: Think about Mike Trout getting traded in the course of the 2015 season. Or Ken Griffey Jr. in 1993. Or Rickey Henderson in 1982. Or Willie Mays in 1954. Or Babe Ruth in … oh, wait, there it’s. Yep, you may need to return to the early a part of the twentieth century — to Babe Ruth actually getting bought to the Yankees in essentially the most notorious deal in baseball historical past — to discover a appropriate comp to the Nationals buying and selling a 23-year-old Soto. Level is: Gamers aren’t traded after they’re each this good and this younger. That is completely different.
David Schoenfield: Alden is correct; there has by no means been a deadline commerce with a younger famous person like Soto. Certainly, he is the primary participant 23 or youthful to be traded in-season in a 12 months when he was an All-Star. And he is arguably the very best hitter within the recreation (granted, he hasn’t been fairly nearly as good this season, although he is been red-hot the previous month). However to reply the query … it is exhausting to beat the stunning commerce of Tom Seaver from the Mets to the Reds in 1977 (again when the deadline was June 15).
Bradford Doolittle: Larger than the Royals buying and selling for Stan Belinda in 2003? Possibly. However, sure, this has an amazing likelihood to go down as the largest commerce deadline deal ever. There’s a potential all-time nice in Soto altering groups and doing so earlier than he is arguably even hit the prime of his profession. By itself, that’s monumental. For example he finally ends up as a top-50 all-time participant. I do not suppose anybody who’s on that record now modified groups midseason earlier than they have been 30, a lot much less earlier than they have been 25. Then you’ve a gaggle of gamers going to the Nationals who’ve an opportunity to be actually good for them. And there is additionally Josh Bell! I simply do not suppose there’s ever been an in-season deal like this.
Joon Lee: Neglect simply the commerce deadline, this is likely one of the largest trades in baseball historical past. That is proper up there with Alex Rodriguez going from the Rangers to the Yankees. Mix the truth that Soto is likely one of the biggest gamers within the recreation with the truth that he is 23, and he is comparatively unprecedented within the historical past of baseball when it comes to offensive manufacturing. In the identical manner a participant like Shohei Ohtani does not actually have a comp, this commerce does not have a lot of a comp both.
Are the Padres the Nationwide League’s new crew to beat?
Gonzalez: Previous to this commerce, the highest tier of groups had been clearly outlined. It was the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros, Mets and Braves, in no matter order you needed to put them. The second tier was just a little murky — and the Padres have now vaulted themselves above it. The best tier now consists of six golf equipment, and the Padres are simply nearly as good as any of the others. It is now not about whether or not they can attain the World Collection; it is about whether or not they can win it. Their pitching employees was already championship-caliber. When Fernando Tatis Jr. returns, their offense can be too.
Jesse Rogers: Not essentially. However this was clearly a transfer to compete with the Dodgers — not simply this season, however over the subsequent few years. If L.A. wasn’t such a beast, Padres GM A.J. Preller may not have wanted to be this aggressive in giving up a lot of his farm system. However as they have been constituted, the Padres weren’t ok to overhaul the Dodgers. Now they’ve a shot. It will not be throughout this common season except there is a full collapse by Los Angeles. However the two groups, separated by simply barely 100 miles, can be battling it out on the prime of the NL West for years to return.
Doolittle: Consider it like this: The Padres are on tempo to win 90 video games and have the run differential of an eventual 87-win crew. That is fairly good, and on this playoff format, they are a crew that may make the bracket. Now you add a participant having an All-Star season (Bell), two top-10 total gamers (Soto and Tatis) and a top-five nearer in Josh Hader. You do all of this with out giving up anybody more likely to have a big affect in your stretch run. They have not caught the Dodgers, however they’ve put themselves proper there with everybody else within the NL.
Lee: I selected the Padres to win the World Collection final 12 months, partly as a result of I received caught up within the hype of their offseason. So I’ve received some lingering belief points right here, however this San Diego crew seemed the a part of a playoff squad even earlier than the return of Tatis from the injured record.
What does this deal imply for his or her NL West-rival Dodgers?
Gonzalez: Proper round this time final 12 months, the Padres have been surprised to see Max Scherzer slip from their fingers and land with the Dodgers. They have been much more shocked to see Scherzer and Trea Turner lumped collectively in the identical commerce — particularly after they discovered the return to be inferior. Dropping out on Scherzer in some ways triggered the Padres’ precipitous fall, given how they principally ran out of beginning pitchers. This 12 months, they made certain to land arguably the best commerce chip ever — and now, greater than ever, the Dodgers are in for a struggle. Their 12-game cushion within the division might be too large for the Padres to beat, however the groups will in all probability meet within the playoffs, and the 2 can be very evenly matched. The Dodgers’ pitching employees leads the majors in ERA, however the Padres’ group is arguably deeper and higher. The Padres could have Manny Machado, Tatis and now Soto on the prime of their lineup — although the Dodgers’ offense might be even scarier.
Rogers: Not a lot proper now, however it can preserve Los Angeles pushing exhausting so as to add within the offseason to maintain its reign going. If the groups face off within the postseason this 12 months, Soto might be a difference-maker, so in that regard, the deal undoubtedly has the rapid consideration of the Dodgers. Not that Soto is prone to left-handed pitching, however Los Angeles might wish to stack up on lefty-matchup relievers for the subsequent couple of years. If there is a Soto specialist on the market, he belongs in L.A.
Doolittle: I might suppose this sharpens the Dodgers’ concentrate on whether or not they have the correct mix behind its bullpen. L.A. nonetheless has a marked expertise edge over everybody else within the NL, however that hole has narrowed significantly over the past two days. Now, when you think about a potential Dodgers-Padres postseason matchup, L.A. has to take a look at that bullpen and ensure they’ve the proper man to match up with a Tatis-Soto-Machado (wow!) coronary heart of the order within the late innings. And so they have to verify they’ve the proper man to shut it out when Hader is looming on the opposite facet.
Is Soto/Tatis/Machado essentially the most thrilling trio in baseball?
Gonzalez: The one actual comp — and it is shut — resides in the identical division, with the Dodgers’ trio of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Turner. And that is what makes this so darn enjoyable. Machado may win an MVP this season. Soto is likely to be the best pure hitter since Ted Williams. Tatis — when totally wholesome, and it seems he lastly is once more — is likely to be essentially the most electrifying participant within the sport. This doesn’t suggest the Padres have the very best offense within the majors, thoughts you. They desperately wanted assist; solely 5 groups have a decrease slugging share at this level. However Soto on the prime, Bell close to the center and Tatis again quickly is a monumental increase. With the pitching employees they’ve, they do not want way more.
Rogers: I feel there’s good firm within the Yankees’ Aaron Decide, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo. Yeah, possibly Rizzo does not scream “famous person” the way in which Soto does, the lone lefties within the two trios, however with the sport on the road, which duo of righties would you moderately face? I am going to take my probabilities with Tatis/Machado over Decide/Stanton.
Doolittle: It is the finest trio in baseball. Neither Soto nor Tatis has even turned 24. The three-year ZIPS projections at FanGraphs have them as baseball’s prime two gamers in each 2023 and 2024. Machado is an MVP candidate proper now. This has the potential to be probably the most dynamic, multiseason energy trios we have ever seen. Thrilling? That appears thrilling. However if you happen to’re a Dodgers fan (or particularly a Giants, Rockies or Diamondbacks fan), then not a lot.
Schoenfield: I am going to nonetheless go along with Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Edgar Martinez. I imply, granted, that was 25 years in the past, however that was one hell of a trio. (With 40-homer Jay Buhner because the Ringo of the group.)
Lee: Sure. It is not simply that they’re three stars of their primes, but in addition three stars with the personalities of Soto, Tatis and Machado. It is simply not only a trio of men who can tear the duvet off the ball, however a trio that may convey younger followers into the game.
Will Soto signal long-term with San Diego?
Gonzalez: That is the place it will get just a little robust. Soto is primed to grow to be the primary $500 million baseball participant in historical past. He might command $40 million-plus a 12 months. At the beginning of 2025, Soto’s first free agent 12 months, the Padres would nonetheless owe Tatis $306 million over 10 years and Machado $120 million over 4 years (to not point out $60 million over three years for beginning pitcher Joe Musgrove, who lately signed an extension). Can they pay one other famous person at ranges even past that — and keep in rivalry? Most likely not. The guess right here is that Soto mashes for them by two Octobers, after which Preller flips him going into his free agent 12 months to rebuild the farm system he stripped to land Soto within the first place. That is what Preller’s so good at within the first place.
Rogers: Nobody can know for certain proper now, however I do not see it. On the worth he’ll command, the Yankees and Dodgers need to become involved. If the Padres aren’t competing in 2024, then Preller can flip Soto once more — or if they’re competing, revisit an extension at that time. However there’s all the time a superb likelihood a Scott Boras consumer will get to free company. Why ought to this be any completely different contemplating how younger Soto is? Having mentioned that, if San Diego can afford each Tatis and Soto long-term, then no crew within the recreation can cry poor.
Doolittle: It is exhausting to get that picture of Soto stress-free with Boras behind the display at Dodger Stadium in the course of the playoffs out of 1’s thoughts. It is also exhausting to neglect Soto acknowledging the followers chanting, “Fut-ure Dod-ger!” throughout All-Star week. That is the historical past of baseball over the past half-century. The very best gamers discover their method to the largest markets. We’re speaking a few half-billion {dollars}, proper? I nonetheless see him winding up with the Dodgers. I type of hope I am fallacious although, as a result of that is going to be enjoyable. And I like the concept of this era’s Ted Williams winding up within the Splinter’s hometown. I am unable to look ahead to the primary picture shoot of Soto posing at Lane Area.
Lee: It is exhausting to think about San Diego would supply this a lot of its future with out understanding what it might take to signal Soto. Soto is more likely to be trying to find a half-billion-dollar deal, so I’ve to think about the Padres will do every part they’ll to lock him up early. If I am Soto although, barring harm, I am ready to hit free company. This commerce ought to function affirmation of his unprecedented worth and will harden his want to search out the proper mixture of crew and wage.
