The San Diego Padres continue to add more legitimacy to their baseball roster with a massive acquisition today.
Baseball fans woke up to a blockbuster move Tuesday morning, as baseball reporters began confirming that 23-year-old rising star Juan Soto has been traded to the San Diego Padres.
Soto spent the last four years with the Washington Nationals since his 2018 debut, and he quickly became a World Series champion one year after in 2019.
The Padres' trading package included a great amount of talent heading to Washington, including MacKenzie Gore, outfielder Robert Hassell III, shortstop C.J. Abrams, outfielder James Wood and right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana. Baseman/designated hitter Luke Voit is also making his way to the nation's capital.
Wil Myers, San Diego's longest-tenured ball player, told the media Tuesday that he's excited to see Soto play with fellow Latin stars, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.
"It's pretty impressive to have those three types of guys on one team in the same lineup,'' said Wil Myers. "Excited to see that trio, hopefully in the next week or two.''
All-Star closer Josh Hader says that their expectation is not just to make the playoffs again as they did two years ago, but to win it all this coming fall.
"The atmosphere here is they want to win, and not just go to the playoffs but win a World Series,'' said Josh Hader, who was traded to San Diego on Monday. "That's a contagious atmosphere to be a part of.''
With the Los Angeles Dodgers currently sitting in 1st place in the division, the Padres are hoping to finish the season strong enough to claim a Wild Card spot and make a deep post-season run with a stacked, talented roster.
According to baseball experts, the Padres' lineup could look like the following:
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
- Fernando Tatis Jr., SS
- Juan Soto, RF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Josh Bell, 1B
- Wil Myers, DH
- Jurickson Profar, LF
- Austin Nola, C
- Trent Grisham, CF
The San Diego Padres will be hosting the Colorado Rockies tomorrow night at Petco Park.
