How Much Has Juan Soto Trade Damaged Washington Nationals?
The Washington Nationals made an incredibly difficult decision in 2022 when they decided to trade star outfielder Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres.
It was a sign of a new era for the franchise, which had also said goodbye to All-Star caliber players such as Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper via trade or free agency.
After winning the World Series in 2019, the core of the team was already dismantled.
When a deal of that magnitude is made, the snap judgment made is always the team who moved the best player is viewed as the loser. That was the case for the Nationals, who got back a haul of prospects from the Padres.
Of course, prospects don’t always amount to much, as Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report shared in his piece highlighting the biggest shocks of the 2024 season.
“It's never fun to trade a franchise player, and doing so carries the risk of the move aging poorly. Just ask the Red Sox, who reaped next to nothing from their trade of Mookie Betts,” wrote Rymer.
Would Washington face a similar fate? In return for Soto and Josh Bell, they received infielder CJ Abrams, outfielder James Wood, starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielder Robert Hassell III, pitcher Jarlin Susana and veteran first baseman Luke Voit.
Based on the early returns, this is a rare time that the team who traded away the superstar comes out on top. In fact, San Diego looks to have lost trades involving the four-time All-Star twice.
They traded Soto to the New York Yankees ahead of the 2024 campaign and didn’t get anywhere near the same kind of prospect package the Nationals did. Three of the players who headed to the nation’s capital are already making an impact in the Major Leagues.
“Mercifully, the 2022 trade of Soto has gone the other way for the Nationals. Of the many pieces in that deal, this year saw CJ Abrams become an All-Star, James Wood enjoy a rookie breakout and lefty MacKenzie Gore strike out 172 batters in 160.1 innings.
All three are 25 and under and controlled through at least 2027,” wrote the Bleacher Report MLB expert.
The Nationals haven’t been back to the postseason since they took home the World Series five years ago. But, this is a franchise on the rise.
Abrams, Wood and Gore are part of a talented young core that made strides in 2024. With a few additions in the offseason to shore up weaknesses, this is a team that can challenge for a playoff spot in 2025 thanks in large part to the Soto blockbuster.
