San Diego Padres agree on HUGE deal for superstar outfielder Juan Soto

The San Diego Padres may have pulled off one of the biggest trades in MLB history with reports indicating they’ve acquired Washington Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto and All-Star first baseman Josh Bell.

As of now though, the deal is not official due to one player’s hesitation. 

In return, the Nationals get a large haul of top prospects as well as major leaguers.

ESPN reports Washington will be getting a pair of promising rookies in starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore and shortstop C.J. Abrams, as well as four other players. 

San Diego Padres are putting foot on the gas in their pursuit of Juan Soto (L) and Josh Bell (R) 

Additionally, the Nationals get the Padres No. 1 prospect in outfielder Robert Hassell III, their No. 3 prospect in outfielder James Wood, and their No. 14 prospect, right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana.

The one hang-up involves Padres 1B Eric Hosmer, who needs to waive a no-trade clause for the deal to go through, but reports say he hasn’t done so yet.  

The Padres had been closely linked with both players heading into Tuesday’s MLB Trade Deadline.

The New York Post reported earlier Tuesday that the Padres showed huge intent for both players with ‘aggressive’ efforts.

Soto homered in his likely swansong for the Nationals Monday as they fell to the New York Mets, 7-3. 

Soto homered in his possible swansong for the Nationals Monday as they fell to a 7-3 loss

The slugger – one of the game’s brightest young talents – was given a warm reception by Nationals fans and received a standing ovation, in what appeared to be his final game for Washington.

Soto has received numerous contract extension proposals with the Nats, with the most recent being a reported 15-year, $440million deal.

Had he signed, the 2022 Home Run Derby winner would have become the highest paid player in baseball, surpassing Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout on a $426.5m deal.

Soto would add more firepower to a Padres team four games clear in the wildcard race. The Padres are currently 11 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers as the pair fight it out for first place in the NL West. The Dodgers have also been linked to Soto.

The native of the Dominican Republic is making $17 million this season and is eligible for salary arbitration in 2023. So unless the Padres are prepared to dig deep for Soto, they could have forfeited their top prospects on a mere rental. 

The good news for San Diego is that the club is also getting Bell, a switch-hitting first baseman and outfielder with a solid .301 average and 14 home runs on the season. Bell will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, but the 29-year-old should come at a significantly lower price than Soto, who has an impressive .408 on-base percentage to go with 21 homers on the year. 

 Soto is perhaps the biggest star who could be dealt before deadline and Bell could move too