Juan Soto, the 23-year-old superstar outfielder for the Washington Nationals, is on the verge of being traded to the San Diego Padres, along with first baseman Josh Bell, in a huge MLB trade deadline acquisition, according to multiple reports.
Soto, who won the Home Run Derby last month and likely hit his final home run for the Nats against the New York Mets on Monday night, is batting .246 this season, with 21 home runs and 46 RBIs.
WATCH: MLB STAR FINDS OUT HE HAS BEEN TRADED TO TEAM HE WAS ABOUT TO PLAY AGAINST
The Padres heading to Washington include multiple highly touted prospects, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. There appeared to be one minor snafu in the deal, with original reports saying Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer was included in the deal. However, the Nationals are on a 10-team no-trade clause as part of Hosmer’s contract, and he appears to have nixed heading in the other direction. Soto is likely still heading to California.
The likelihood of a Soto trade has led to a slowdown of a typically busy trade deadline in baseball, but with the deadline at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, other deals are likely to fall thick and fast.
The San Diego Padres are finalizing a deal to acquire superstar outfielder Juan Soto from Washington, sources tell ESPN.
One of the biggest deals in baseball history goes down, and it sends the 23-year-old to SD, where he will team with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022
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
The Padres trail the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West by 12 games but hold the second wild card spot.
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On Monday, the Padres traded for the Milwaukee Brewers superstar closer Josh Hader.
