Juan Soto moved to San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres have reached an agreement to acquire the defense star John Soto And the first rule Josh Bell From the Washington Nationals, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

In return, the citizens receive a package of Padres that includes a left-hand jug. Mackenzie GorDefensive Robert Hassel III, shortstop CJ AbramsAnd player James Wood and right bowler Yarlin Susanna and another player in the league.

Soto, a two-time All-Star and derby winner this year, would enrich Padres with a historically talented 23-year-old batsman who nearly all of his teammates were early in his career from the Hall of Famers.

The road from Soto who finally turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract offer from the Nationals to a deal with the Padres has been fast and linear. Citizens did not want to increase their supply. San Diego and Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals She fit in better with Washington’s desire for young talent.

Interested teams and observers alike considered the opportunity to trade a player of Soto’s caliber a once-in-a-generation event, even though most teams didn’t have the talent to enter the fray for a superstar who didn’t want it. win.to gain access to free agency even after the 2024 season.

As attractive as club control may be to Padres, the most important thing is what he does best: hitting. And that’s what he does like everyone else in the game. While Soto’s batting average this season .246 is well below his career average of 0.291, he leads the major championships in walks and is among the leaders in home runs (21).

He’d also come off a big month in July when he made .315/.495/.616 six-stroke home runs.

In Soto, they will get a hitter with unfamiliar eyes and strength – the golden combination that could lead a man to turn down $440 million. Since debuting at the age of 19, Soto has been a breakout hitter, posting 291/.426/.537 with 119 home runs, 358 RBI, 464 walks and 414 strikes.

He helped lead the national team to their first championship in 2019 and even Bryce Harper s Max Scherzer s Tria Turner s Anthony Rendon Departing by free agency or trade, Soto remained, expected to carry the mantle of organization.

The Nationals have the worst record in the Grand Slams at 35-69 and have lost four of their five matches as of Monday.