The San Diego Padres have won the Juan Soto sweepstakes this morning. While official terms of the deal are not out yet, the Padres will land Soto, as well as Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell, in return for a massive haul of prospects going the other way.

In the blink of an eye, the Padres have gone from fighting to hold onto a playoff spot in the National League to one of the most dangerous teams in the entire league. Their lineup was solid as is, but they just added two of the best hitters available on the trade market to make it even better. That's quite a deal if you ask me.

San Diego has hung around all season long, and they now appear primed to make a real run for a World Series title this season. Let's take a look at three reasons why the Padres are now a legitimate World Series contender with Soto and Bell set to be joining them.

3 reasons the San Diego Padres are a World Series contender

3. They just added two of the best hitters in the league

Right off the bat, it's clear the Padres are a better team for having added Soto and Bell to their lineup. Soto is having a down year of sorts by his standards, as he's hitting .246 with 21 home runs and 46 RBIs. Pitchers have chosen to pitch to Bell rather than Soto, and he's feasted to the tune of a .301 batting average, as well as 14 home runs and 57 RBIs. As mentioned before, these were the two best bats available on the trade market.

Soto will most likely replace either Trent Grisham or Nomar Mazara in the outfield for the time being. Grisham has struggled all season long, and is hitting just .193, while Mazara had been filling for Myers, who just returned from the injured list last night. Soto has spent most of his time in right field, so that is likely where he will end up.

On the other hand, Bell will replace Eric Hosmer at first base. Hosmer was supposed to be part of this deal, but Washington was one of the teams on his no-trade list, so he's still on San Diego for the time being. Chances are he won't be in a few hours. Either way, adding these two top hitters to their lineup has immediately made the Padres a better team.

2. Reinforcements are still on the way

San Diego's lineup looks good now, but it's only going to get better as they return to health. Star third baseman Manny Machado has been leading the way this season, but he gets some immediate help from Soto and Bell now.

Myers was recently activated off the injured list, and while he's been fairly unproductive so far this season, he could be find a way to be a helpful contributor down the stretch this season. That is, assuming he doesn't get traded before the day ends.

The biggest and most obvious reinforcement is star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who has yet to play this season. Tatis broke his wrist over the offseason, and has been working his way back ever since. But he should be set to return at some point over the next two months, and when he does, an already scary Padres lineup is going to inflict some serious damage on opposing pitching staffs over the remainder of the season.

1. The Padres may have the best overall roster in the MLB

With the acquisitions of Soto and Bell, the Padres can make an argument that they boast the most talented roster in the MLB, and not many people are going to argue that. Their lineup will eventually be led by the quartet of Soto, Tatis, Machado, and Bell. On just those four guys alone, that lineup is deadly, but they also have guys like Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar lurking behind them.

It's a bit of a forgotten point now, but San Diego also went out and acquiried Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday to shore up their bullpen. Hader has struggled a bit this season, but it's still clear that he's one of the best relief pitchers in the game, and his presence makes the Padres bullpen much better.

And on top of that, San Diego has one of the deepest starting rotations in the league. They have five solid starters in Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Sean Manaea, Blake Snell, and Mike Clevinger. There's no real weakness on this team anymore. And for that reason, if they weren't already, the San Diego Padres are now one of the favorites to walk from the 2022 season with a World Series championship.