Comment The Washington Nationals did what once seemed unthinkable on Tuesday: They traded Juan Soto. Why; That will be talked about for weeks and months — let alone years and decades in a city that saw Soto, just 23, develop into a star outfielder and one of the best hitters on the planet. But after Soto rejected a 15-year, $440 million extension offer in early July, the front office hammered out an eight-player deal that rocked Major League Baseball, changed the course of the franchise and further upset fans who lost their star after the other. since the Nationals won the World Series in 2019. Calling it the biggest deal of this year’s trade deadline is an understatement. With Soto under team control through the 2024 season, the Padres could have him for three playoff games, giving them a lineup built around Soto, Fernando Tatís Jr., Manny Machado and first baseman Josh Bell, whom the Nationals picked up with Soto in the move; . DC, meanwhile, is left to watch another homegrown cornerstone leave the club. Bryce Harper, who once won the MVP award with the Nationals, left for Philadelphia after the 2018 season. Anthony Rendon, one of the heroes of the World Series, joined the Los Angeles Angels shortly after that title run . And last summer, the team sent Trea Turner and Max Scherzer to the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting a rebuild that General Manager Mike Rizzo believes took a step forward Tuesday. From the archives: The Nationals deadline fire sale unfolded in a matter of days. But it was years in the making. Yes, the Soto and Bell trades were big hits: shortstop CJ Abrams, left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood, first baseman/designated player Luke Voit and right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana. But there’s no replacement for Soto or what he’s meant to the organization since he debuted at 19 in 2018. As the Nationals stumbled to another last-place finish, they were selling a quick reboot around Soto, once in generation player and one of the few reasons to watch this summer. Could the Nats have avoided trading Juan Soto? Your questions, answered. Without him, however, the Nationals are relying on the development of unproven but highly touted players. This is the reality at the end of the blockbuster deal. In recent days, San Diego has been in the mix for Soto along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals. But by Tuesday morning, the Padres were a clear lead with Soto and Bell playing as a package. Svrluga: The Juan Soto deal is heartbreaking. Now hope can begin. That ends Soto’s four-year run with the Nationals, the team that signed him as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic in 2015. Soto has filled that tenure with a World Series ring, a National League title, two Silver Slugger Awards, two Five finishes in MVP voting and a pair of all-star appearances. In July, he won the Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium, adding to a resume that should belong to a mid-career star, not someone who can’t rent a car without paying minor fees. Soto is so decorated and so young, he trails the stat lines of all-time players like Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Trout. Soto combines power and contact ability with otherworldly discipline. That’s why he demanded such a big return from the Padres. Baseball writers once spent an offseason comparing him to Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters of all time. But his consistent dominance is what complicated his future in Washington. For a long time, Soto is set to hit free agency after the 2024 season, the only way to see how the open market values him. But the Nationals made efforts to sign him to a long-term extension — a goal that became even more pressing after the club began rebuilding last summer, trading away eight veterans for 12 unproven players. Watch the MLB trade deadline First there was a 13-year, $350 million contract offer to Soto in November. After that, Washington upped the numbers in May, then even more with 15 years and $440 million a month ago. Soto declined, believing he is worth more than an average annual value of $29.3 million. On July 16, that offer—the largest in MLB history by total contract value—became public, along with the Nationals’ intentions to hear trade offers for Soto before the deadline. Without an extension, and with Soto more valuable than he would be in trade talks this winter, the front office resigned itself to doing what once seemed unthinkable. Juan Soto Agreement? Give the player some of the biggest hits in club history – Josh Hader’s walk-off single in the NL wild-card game. Clayton Kershaw’s game-winning homer in Game 5 of the NL Division Series. Huge throws against Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander in the World Series — while his best years could be ahead of him, not behind? On July 1st, in an interview with 106.7 the Fan, Rizzo was asked about the possibility of Soto being traded. He was defiant, saying the Nationals won’t shop their best player, which was one of the few reasons he came to the field. Then everything changed when 15 years and $440 million fell flat. Money often has this effect. Soto’s journey didn’t begin when he debuted at Nationals Park at 19. He didn’t start at the club’s academy in the Dominican Republic, where he spent extra hours on Rosetta Stone to perfect his English. He didn’t start when the team first looked at him as a left-handed pitcher who could hit a little. For Soto, it all started in a living room in Santo Domingo, with his father throwing bottle caps at him that the little boy knocked against the walls. He wanted to be Manny Ramirez or Robinson Canó. On many days on the playground, he mimicked Canó’s uppercut swing while the other kids called him “Little Robbie.” Baseball is a tradition in their common country. So, too, does he dream of big league stardom. Those dreams led Soto to Washington. across America in civilian uniform. at the height of the World Series and in the depths of a rebuild. Then they’ll take him to San Diego, where a new fan base will hang on every one of his at-bats. Soto has always been a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it player. Trading him, then, means DC will lose a lot. Barry Svrluga contributed to this report, which has been updated.
