San Diego Padres Land Washington Nationals Stars Juan Soto, Josh Bell

SportsMoney San Diego Padres Land Washington Nationals Stars Juan Soto, Josh Bell Dan Schlossberg Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I have written 38 books and more than 20,000 articles about baseball New! Follow this author to improve your content experience. Got it! Aug 2, 2022, 12:38pm EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Slugger Juan Soto has lots to smile about after a deadline day trade sent him from last-place .

. . [+] Washington to playoff contender San Diego.

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Getty Images The Juan Soto logjam officially ended six hours before the 2022 trading deadline. The San Diego Padres won the sweepstakes for the 23-year-old slugger, establishing themselves as the team to beat in the National League West and probably beyond.

In exchange for Soto and switch-hitting first baseman Josh Bell, the Washington Nationals not only got salary relief but six young players expected to help in their rebuild. The new Nationals are MacKenzie Gore, a lefthanded starting pitcher; fellow pitcher Jarlin Susana; shortstop C. J.

Abrams; and outfield prospects Robert Hassell III and James Wood. San Diego will also send a sixth player to the Nationals to complete the deal. The eight-player blockbuster breaks up a logjam of other trades that had been delayed pending the outcome of protracted negotiations involving Soto.

Although numerous teams had made offers for the slugging Soto, only the Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals were believed to have enough top minor-league talent to please Padres general manager A. J.

Preller. The deal follows by one day Preller’s surprise acquisition of star Milwaukee closer Josh Hader as the Padres pulled out all the stops in an effort to dethrone the Dodgers as front-runners in the National League West. Entering play Tuesday, San Diego was 58-46, 12 games behind the Dodgers in the division but in possession of a wild-card spot in the expanded playoffs, which will feature three division winners and three wild-cards from each league.

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. . [+] trophy shelf on July 18.

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Getty Images A two-time All-Star who won this year’s Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium, Soto was runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award in 2018 and the Most Valuable Player award in 2021. He also led the National League in batting once and on-base percentage twice.

His three home runs and . 333 batting average helped the Nationals parlay their 2019 wild-card finish into the only world championship in franchise history. He is widely regarded as one of the best hitters in the game.

Off to a slow start this year, he still carries a . 408 on-base percentage despite a . 246 batting average.

He’s also leading the league with 91 walks. Bell also brings gaudy numbers to the West Coast. He’s among league leaders in batting, hits, on-base percentage, and multi-hit games, hitting .

301 overall but . 311 against right-handed pitching. He’s also improved his defensive play at first base this season.

Josh Bell’s power and ability to switch-hit will be a welcome addition to the lineup of the San . . .

[+] Diego Padres. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) Getty Images A potential free agent after this season, Bell currently earns $10 million a season. He was an All-Star in 2019, when he hit a career-best 37 home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team that first signed him.

Soto’s contract pays him $17. 1 million this season. After the trade, San Diego’s payroll jumped to $215,248,207, according to Spotrac.

Only the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, and Phillies pay their players more, though that could change with developing deals before the deadline at 6 p. m. EDT August 2.

Washington was 20th on the Spotrac chart at $127,287,003 because of several hefty contracts still on the books, notably the seven-year, $245 million deal given injured pitcher Stephen Strasburg. Follow me on Twitter . Dan Schlossberg Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.