San Diego Padres Trade for Juan Soto and Josh Bell

After the rebuilding Nationals failed to sign Soto to a contract extension — he turned down the latest effort, a 15-year, $440 million deal that would have been the largest contract in baseball history — the team began entertaining offers for him. Soto is slated to reach free agency in 2025, so the Padres will have him under team control for the next three pennant races even without an extension.

“It’s hard,” said Nationals designated hitter Nelson Cruz, one of Soto’s mentors who noted that Soto had bought a house in the Washington area. “He was the face of the franchise. I know we’re going to miss him and the fans will miss him, too.”

Added Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle: “Even though there was a chance of this, it seems like, for the last month or so, it still feels a little bit shocking and disorienting.”

The Padres, with a deep farm system, agreed to fork over several of their best young players and prospects in exchange for Soto and Bell, a free agent at the end of this season.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/sports/baseball/juan-soto-padres-trade.html