The San Diego Padres pulled off a blockbuster deal to acquire Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday. San Diego managed to bring in the four-time All-Star without sacrificing any of their top five prospects, who have been dangled in various other trade conversations. The fact that the Padres held onto their most valued youngsters in the deal leaves the door wide open for them to land Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals.

The Padres offloaded Taylor Rogers, Dinelson Lamet, Esteury Ruiz, and Robert Gasser in the trade for Hader. Gasser is the highest-rated prospect that was dealt, coming in as San Diego's No. 7 ranked farmhand. San Diego managed to hold onto key trade pieces such as CJ Abrams, Robert Hassell III, James Wood, Jackson Merrill, and even MacKenzie Gore, who has spent this season in the big leagues.

Those players are all considered potential pieces in a Soto blockbuster, so the fact that the Padres managed to hold onto all of them in the Hader deal is an exceptional move from GM AJ Preller. Now, the Padres have shored up the bullpen and are still in great position to make a move for Soto, if the Nationals do end up moving on from the 23-year-old superstar at the deadline.

They'll still face tight competition from the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as any other team that may re-enter the fray after the Angels declared Shohei Ohtani wouldn't be moved.

Don't think for a second that the Padres are done making deals at the deadline. They're still very much in pursuit of Soto, and have contingency plans ready to go in case they miss out on the trade deadline's top prize. AJ Preller and Co. are just getting started, and don't be surprised if they go full throttle towards a deal for Soto now that they've secured a Hader trade.