Juan Soto is now a player for the San Diego Padres. The former Washington Nationals star has been traded to the team after his request has been granted during the trade deadline. With many teams vying for Soto's services in early August, the team is certainly lucky to land the Dominican superstar.
There was a point, though, when the Padres almost lost Soto to one of their most hated rivals in the division. The Dodgers were one of the many teams gunning for a Juan Soto trade during the deadline. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Nats were looking for a similar prospect-laden package, and the Dodgers had the package to pull through: pitcher Bobby Miller, catcher Diego Cartaya and third baseman Miguel Vargas.
Luckily for the Padres, the Dodgers decided to pull out at the last minute in their trade talks. The Padres promptly swooped in and nabbed Juan Soto, and he's been excellent for them so far. In 14 games, Soto has already gotten 16 hits and drawn 14 walks. He's been everything advertised for the team and then some.
The Padres have badly needed Soto's power hitting in the last few games. They were hoping to pair Soto with Fernando Tatis Jr. to form a deadly one-two hitting combo from hell. Unfortunately, Tatis Jr. was tagged with an 80-game PED suspension. Now, the team has to finish their World Series campaign without one of their best hitters.
In theory, the Padres should have the talent to power through the rest of the regular season. Come playoff time, though, it remains to be seen whether they can survive the storm they are currently trapped in.
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