Who Won the Padres-Nationals Juan Soto Deal?

The Washington Nationals traded outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres. Who won the trade?

The Washington Nationals broadcast All-Star Outfielder Juan Soto and former All-Star first baseman Josh Bell are assigned to the five-man San Diego Padres multiple reports.

Here’s what the deal looks like:

Padres received

BY Juan Soto

1B Josh Bell

get nationals

1B Eric Hosmer, LHP MacKenzie Gore

SS CJ Abrams, BY Robert Hassell III

BY James Wood, RHP Jarlin Susana

But here they are trade classes.

MLB Trade Grades: Padres – A

The Padres made a great deal. They were able to get the best hitter in baseball AND a player who should have been a first base All-Star this year. San Diego could upgrade at two offensive positions AND, by and large, didn’t give up a ton for them.

They were also able to fire Hosmer, who is owed $39 million over the next three seasons. Offloading a bad contract and being able to soto and bell is huge.

Additionally, the Padres were able to get close to the Milwaukee Brewers’ Josh Hader yesterday and NOT trade any of their top prospects. It’s a great thing for the Padres and they’re showing that they really want to win the World Series this year and for the next two years.

MLB Trade Grades: Nationals – C+

The Padres were far from getting an easy return. MacKenzie Gore fits into their starting rotation right away, and he’s a former top-10 prospect through the MLB pipeline. Hassell and Wood are both currently in the top 100 on the MLB pipeline (#21 and #88). Abrams was MLB’s No. 9 prospect going into the season. Susana was only signed by the Padres in the international market in January so he’s a very young prospect and he was the potential Padres No. 14.

This return would get an A or an A-…if it were only for Soto. However, taking over Hosmer’s contract and trading with Josh Bell severely crushes the deal. The Nationals could have gotten more if they traded Soto and Bell separately.

But they still earned a lot. However, the Padres are the clear winners.