The Washington Nationals are working on a deal to send Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster trade. Soto won a World Series in Washington in 2019, led the NL in batting in 2020 and has been walked more than any player the last two seasons. Alex Brandon/Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres acquired superstar outfielder Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals on Tuesday in one of baseball’s biggest deals at the trade deadline, vaulting their postseason chances by adding one of the game’s best young hitters.
The Padres also obtained first baseman Josh Bell while sending a haul of players to Washington that included rookie left-hander MacKenzie Gore, first baseman/DH Luke Voit and prospects James Wood, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana.
Voit was a late addition to the deal after San Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer declined to waive a no-trade provision, according to a person with direct knowledge of the move who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing at the time.
After reeling in Soto, a generational talent who turns 24 in late October, San Diego General Manager A.J. Preller also acquired infielder Brandon Drury from Cincinnati. The Padres sent minor league shortstop Victor Acosta to the Reds for the 29-year-old Drury, who has a career-high 20 homers this year.
After contributing to the Nationals’ first championship in franchise history in 2019, Soto hit .351 in 2020 to win the NL batting title. He has been walked more than any other player in major league baseball over the past two seasons.
“The atmosphere here is they want to win, and not just go to the playoffs but win a World Series,” said All-Star closer Josh Hader, who was obtained by San Diego on Monday in another big deal with Milwaukee. “That’s a contagious atmosphere to be a part of.”
San Diego began the season with a luxury tax payroll of $229.3 million, just below the first threshold, and the trades push the Padres into tax territory for the second straight season. Soto is owed $5,978,022 for the rest of this season and Bell $3,516,844.
The package of prospects going to Washington is one of the most touted groups ever involved in one deal. Gore and Abrams debuted in San Diego this season after ranking among the sport’s elite minor leaguers, Hassell and Wood are both top 100 prospects according to MLB.com, and Susana was considered the best pitcher available in the 2021-22 international free agent class.
Washington General Manager Mike Rizzo set a lofty asking price last month after reports emerged that Soto rejected the team’s latest contract offer of $440 million over 15 years.
“We set the bar very, very high, and one team exceeded it and that’s the deal we made,” Rizzo said. “Props to the San Diego Padres. They’re not afraid, and ownership’s not afraid and A.J. Preller’s not afraid and they were aggressive and we made a deal that you call historical.”
Soto remains under team control for two more seasons after this one, which made it no sure thing the Nationals would trade him now. The Padres getting him for potentially three playoff runs even absent a new deal made this the peak of Soto’s value.
That uncertainty began weighing on Soto, who said after Sunday’s game against St. Louis: “I just want to get it over with and see what’s going to happen. Start over here or wherever I’m at.”
He gets to start over in San Diego in the midst of his second All-Star season, part of a loaded lineup that also includes All-Star Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. when the shortstop returns from a broken left wrist.
“It’s pretty impressive to have those three types of guys on one team in the same lineup,” said Wil Myers, the Padres’ longest-tenured player. “Excited to see that trio, hopefully in the next week or two.”
Tatis could be 10 days to two weeks away from being added to the active roster.
With little protection around him in Washington’s lineup, Soto hit .246 with 20 home runs and 45 RBI and 91 walks in 101 games.
In 2,435 plate appearances since making his Nationals debut in 2018, Soto is batting .291 with 118 home runs and 357 RBI. He’s only a couple of years removed from slugging .695 with a 1.185 OPS and .490 on-base percentage – all NL bests.
YANKEES: Joey Gallo’s unproductive tenure with New York ended when he was traded to Los Angeles for minor league right-hander Clayton Beeter.
The 28-year-old outfielder was acquired from Texas on July 29 last year and hit .159 for the Yankees with 25 homers, 46 RBI and 194 strikeouts in 421 at-bats. He was booed repeatedly by fans at Yankee Stadium, lost playing time in recent weeks to Matt Carpenter and became superfluous when New York acquired Andrew Benintendi from Kansas City last week.
A two-time All-Star, Gallo has a $10,275,000 salary and is owed $3,613,187 for the remainder of the season. He is eligible for free agency after the World Series.
Also Tuesday, the Yankees acquired Gold Glove-winning center fielder Harrison Bader from the St. Louis Cardinals for left-hander Jordan Montgomery.
A speedy 28-year-old from Bronxville, New York, Bader has not played since June 26 because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
Montgomery was 3-3 with a 3.69 ERA in 21 starts. His departure came one day after Frankie Montas was acquired from Oakland to join Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Jameson Taillon in the rotation.
METS: The first-place New York Mets acquired reliever Mychal Givens and designated hitter Darin Ruf in separate deals.
New York got a much-needed boost for its bullpen by landing Givens from the Chicago Cubs for minor league pitcher Saúl González. Givens, a 32-year-old right-hander, was 6-2 with two saves and a 2.66 ERA in 40 games for the Cubs this season.
Earlier in the day, Ruf was obtained from the San Francisco Giants for J.D. Davis and three pitching prospects in an exchange of right-handed bats.
TWINS: Minnesota stocked up its sputtering pitching staff , acquiring All-Star closer Jorge López from the Baltimore Orioles, starter Tyler Mahle from the Cincinnati Reds and reliever Michael Fulmer from the Detroit Tigers in three separate deals that forced them to surrender a total of eight prospects.
The 29-year-old López is in the middle of a breakout season for the Orioles, with a sparkling 1.68 ERA and 19 of his 20 career saves. The 27-year-old Mahle is 5-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 19 starts with 114 strikeouts over 104 1/3 innings for the Reds. The 29-year-old Fulmer has a 3.20 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings for the Tigers, who sent him down the hallway in the last-minute swap before they played the Twins at Target Field.
Minnesota also acquired veteran catcher Sandy León from division rival Cleveland in a minor trade that sent minor league pitcher Ian Hamilton to the Guardians.
PHILLIES: Philadelphia acquired right-hander Noah Syndergaard, veteran reliever David Robertson and center fielder Brandon Marsh in three trades.
The Phillies sent minor league outfielders Mickey Moniak and Jadiel Sánchez to the Los Angeles Angels for Syndergaard, who returns to the NL East after spending his first six seasons with the New York Mets.
The 29-year-old Syndergaard went 5-8 with a 3.83 ERA in 15 starts after agreeing to a $21 million, one-year deal with Los Angeles in November.
Philadelphia sent minor league pitcher Ben Brown to the Chicago Cubs for the 37-year-old Robertson, one of the top relievers on the market ahead of the trade deadline. The Phillies got Marsh from the Angels in exchange for catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe.
BLUE JAYS: The Royals sent utility man Whit Merrifield to the Blue Jays just minutes before the trade deadline, even though the two-time All-Star was unvaccinated and had to miss Kansas City’s trip to Toronto last month.
It’s unclear whether Merrifield, who has primarily played second base but is capable of playing anywhere in the outfield and across the infield, has received or is planning to get the shot required of all players traveling to Canada.
“We’ll let him work through that with his family,” Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins said, while declining additional comment on the matter. “We felt like we made a very good team better today.”
Merrifield drew the ire of Royals fans when, prior to their trip to Toronto, he said: “Something happens and I happen to get on a team that has a chance to go play in Canada in the postseason, maybe that changes.” Many in Kansas City took that to mean he wouldn’t get vaccinated for his last-place team but would be open to it for a contender.
Roughly three weeks later, Merrifield has been placed in precisely that situation.
Also Tuesday, Toronto added depth to its bullpen by acquiring relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop from Miami for shortstop prospect Jordan Groshans.
Bass is 2-3 with 1.41 ERA in 45 games, while Pop has a 2-0 record and a 3.60 ERA over 18 outings.
Groshans, taken 12th overall in the 2018 draft by Toronto, is hitting .250 with one homer and 24 RBI over 67 games with Triple-A Buffalo.
BRAVES: World Series champion Atlanta bolstered its starting staff ahead of the trade deadline by giving up a reliever who played a big part in their 2021 title.
Poised for another postseason run, the Braves dealt former closer Will Smith to the Houston Astros for right-hander Jake Odorizzi, giving Atlanta a sixth starting pitcher for the final two months of the regular season.
Then, barely beating the clock before the 6 p.m. deadline, the Braves landed Los Angels Angels closer Raisel Iglesias for reliever Jesse Chavez and pitching prospect Tucker Davidson.
RAYS: Tampa Bay traded outfielder Brett Phillips to Baltimore for $100,000.
Phillips, designated for assignment Monday, grew up in Seminole, Florida, and was a Rays fan.
In 75 games with Tampa Bay this season, Phillips hit .147 with five homers and 14 RBI. He also was 7 for 7 on stolen base attempts. A strong defensive player, he struck out 85 times in 184 at-bats.
Phillips is best known for a game-winning hit in the 2020 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and his excited celebration that followed.
BREWERS: Milwaukee Brewers continued to reshape its bullpen following the departure of four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader by acquiring injured reliever Trevor Rosenthal from San Francisco.
Milwaukee sent minor league outfielder Tristan Peters to the Giants.
Rosenthal hasn’t pitched since 2020 due to a variety of injuries but is hoping to make it back later this season. When Rosenthal signed a $4.5 million, one-year deal with San Francisco on July 21, Giants Manager Gabe Kapler said the right-hander was several weeks away from being ready.
MARINERS: Seattle supplemented its roster at the trade deadline, hoping its big splash of last week and some minor moves prove to be enough to end the longest playoff drought in baseball.
The Mariners acquired two injured players from the San Francisco Giants in left-hander Matthew Boyd and catcher Curt Casali and also picked up infielder Jake Lamb from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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