The San Diego Padres are trying to make that final push towards postseason contention before the August 2nd trade deadline. And they reportedly have their eyes on one of baseball's best.
According to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, the Padres are interested in Washington Nationals phenom Juan Soto. The team is willing to include some of their top prospects to facilitate a deal.
Morosi's report lists three names the Padres are willing to offer: shortstop C.J. Abrams, outfielder Robert Hassell III, and pitcher Adrian Morejon.
Abrams, a former top prospect, made his major league debut on April 8. He has a .231 batting average in 121 at-bats in 2022 thus far.
Hassell III is the Padres' top prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He has a .847 OPS with High-A Fort Wayne in 2022, with 28 extra-base hits and 20 steals.
The 23-year-old Morejon was once a top 50 prospect in baseball. However, he had to undergo Tommy John surgery recently, causing him to miss time. He has an ERA of 3.00 in six appearances this season.
According to The Athletic's Jim Bowden, the Padres are one of the finalists for Soto. The other two are the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers. A path to a deal for the Padres won't be easy, as the Cardinals are offering quality major league talent in their proposed deals.
Soto trade rumors began swirling after the 23-year-old turned down a massive 15-year, $440 million extension from the Nationals. Washington had been reluctant to deal their young star prior to that development.
ESPN insider Jeff Passan reported Soto had an 80% chance of being moved prior to Tuesday. Time will tell whether the Padres win the bidding war for the superstar outfielder.
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