The San Diego Padres went out and had the most historic trade deadline ever in August. Acquiring Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals was a massive blockbuster, while also bringing in Josh Hader, Brandon Drury, and Josh Bell. It's no secret that Hader is struggling immensely in his early days with the team, owning an ERA over 17 and being taken out of the closer role.

Although it's crucial he finds his best again and gives the Padres some quality innings as the playoff race heats up, it's another player that San Diego needs to improve and start swinging the bat like everyone knows he can.

1 Padres Player That Must Step up

Juan Soto

Soto is a generational talent but he's having a down year. Before coming to the Padres, the Dominican was hitting just .246 in 101 games for the Nats, slugging 21 homers in the process. Unfortunately, he's failed to improve upon those numbers with his new ball club. Soto is batting a mere .245 in 27 contests for San Diego and to make matters worse, his power numbers have dropped off significantly.

The All-Star has gone deep only three times since arriving, which is definitely a concern. It's always an adjustment when you end up on a new team, but that period is over. It's been a month now since he became a Padre and with the Wild Card race extremely tight right now, they need him to step up. The hope was Fernando Tatis Jr would be back by now to pair with Machado and Soto but as we know, he was suspended 80 games for PEDs. It's an unfortunate situation, there is no question about it. However, Soto can help ease the loss by performing better offensively.

In 37 games since the All-Star Break, Soto is hitting just .234. The Padres literally gave up every top prospect to get him. Missing out on the playoffs would be considered a massive disappointment after all their activity at the trade deadline. At the moment, the Padres are in. But, it's extremely close between them, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee. With a month of baseball left, anything can happen.

San Diego is scoring just 4.4 runs per game and hitting .241 as a group. It has not been a banner year at the plate. Outside of Machado absolutely raking, there's really no one else tearing the cover off the ball. This is exactly why they traded for Soto in the first place. Not for his defense, but his bat.

Although it's a small sample size thus far, Soto is hitting .167 in September. If there is any month where San Diego needs him to deliver, it's this one. He heard the displeasure on Monday night from the Padres faithful after going 0 for 4 while leaving two runners in scoring position. They expect a lot more from the future Hall of Famer.

A World Series run might be a longshot for 2022 sans Tatis Jr. But making the postseason should be a given. There are some tough games ahead for San Diego, including two more series with NL West-leading Dodgers, a two-game set against the Mariners, and a three-game set vs. St. Louis. A WC berth will not be handed to the Padres. They need to earn it. Juan Soto breaking out of this slump and starting to produce is going to do a lot for this group as we head into crunch time.