Juan Soto trade: Padres agree to deal for Nationals superstar ahead of deadline,

The Washington Nationals are in agreement to trade outfielder Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, according to MLB Network. Soto, the biggest name on the market ahead of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, had previously been made available in July after he declined a 15-year, $440 million extension offer. The Padres will also acquire Nationals first baseman Josh Bell, per reports, and the Nationals will receive a package headlined by lefty Mackenzie Gore and shortstop C.J. Abrams. 

First baseman Eric Hosmer is also slated to head to D.C., though he’ll have to consent to being included as the Nationals are one of the teams he can block deals to using his no-trade clause. Here’s the full deal, per ESPN:

Padres acquire

Nationals acquire

• LHP Mackenzie Gore
• OF Robert Hassell III
• SS C.J. Abrams
• OF James Wood
• RHP Jarlin Susana
• 1B Eric Hosmer (pending no-trade clause)

The Cardinals and Dodgers were viewed as the other two finalists for Soto, but were apparently out-bid by San Diego.

Soto, 23, will have two additional years of team control remaining after this season. Since making his big-league debut during the 2018 season, he’s emerged as one of the best hitters in baseball. Entering Tuesday, he’d hit .291/.427/.538 (160 OPS+) with 119 home runs for his career. Soto, a two-time All-Star, was part of the Nationals’ 2019 World Series-winning club.

For as gaudy of a sum as $440 million appears, it’s worth noting that the Nationals’ extension offer would’ve resulted in an average annual value of $29.3 million. According to Cot’s Contracts, that would check in as the 20th-highest mark in the majors, a ranking unbefitting of a player of his youth and track record. Indeed, Soto’s AAV would not have been the highest on the Nationals active roster, with right-handed Stephen Strasburg averaging a cool $35 million per season. 

Soto could likely be the latest star to leave the Nationals, and he’d join an impressive list that includes Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, and Max Scherzer — the latter two of whom were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at last year’s deadline.

Soto’s departure comes at a time of great turnover for the Nationals organization. The franchise is expected to complete a sale to new ownership this offseason, marking the end of an era. The Lerner family had previously owned the team since 2006, when real estate developer Ted Lerner purchased the club from Major League Baseball for $450 million. Ted later transferred ownership to his son Mark in 2018.