National Reporter Says Padres 'Wish They Never Made' Juan Soto Trade

Soto spent just a season and a half with the team.

Sep 26, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto (22) points to hit team mates after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports / Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Do the San Diego Padres regret trading for Juan Soto?

Back in the middle of the 2022 season, the Padres gave up several of their top prospects — CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell, James Wood, Jarlín Susana, and Luke Voit — in exchange for Soto and Josh Bell. Neither of the two players are still with the Padres.

Soto spent a season and a half with the Padres, before he was traded to the New York Yankees last December. He was great during his time with the Padres — even posting a career-high in home runs in 2023 — but the Padres failed to make the playoffs during the 2023 campaign. They could not reach their primary goal, and Soto was traded away.

When they traded Soto and Trent Grisham to the Yankees, they did get back several great players who have been key to the team this season including Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez, and Kyle Higashioka. Drew Thorpe, the last player they acquired, went to Chicago in the Dylan Cease trade.

Still, Bob Nightengale believes that the Padres regret the trade and wish they could have the prospects they originally traded back.

“He didn’t do anything for the Padres," Nightengale told Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation. "Very disappointing with the Padres. The Padres gave up a lot of prospects and blew up in their face. They would love to have those prospects back, wish they’d never made the Soto trade.”

One of those prospects, James Wood, just made his debut with the Nationals and was one of the top prospects in the country. While the Padres cannot go back and have gotten a solid return from the Soto trade to the Yankees, the original trade will remain a "what if" for the team.