San Diego Padres

The National League pennant race has shifted dramatically with the San Diego Padres on the verge of acquiring Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Padres will send MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, C.J. Abrams, James Wood, Jarlin Susana and one other Major League player to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Soto and Bell.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman noted that Eric Hosmer was initially in the deal, but per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, he did not waive his no-trade clause for Washington. Hosmer wound up going to the Boston Red Sox, per Feinsand.

Passan later reported Luke Voit was the final piece of the trade going to Washington.

Soto was arguably the most coveted player made available prior to the trade deadline in years. The two-time All-Star is only 23 years old, has two additional years of team control left after this season and has a .291/.427/.538 career slash line.

Even in a down year by his lofty standards, Soto still has a .408 on-base percentage and .485 slugging percentage in 2022.

Highest OPS+ through age-23 season (min 1500 PA):

Ted Williams: 190
Ty Cobb: 171
Mike Trout: 169
Stan Musial: 169
Albert Pujols: 165
Juan Soto: 159

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 2, 2022

While Soto is understandably the main focus of the trade, the Padres potentially being able to swap Bell for Hosmer at first base is not insignificant.

Bell is hitting .301/.384/.493 with 14 homers and 57 RBI in 103 games. Hosmer, by comparison, has a .272/.336/.391 slash line in 90 games.

In a season where offensive numbers are down across the board in Major League Baseball, the Padres are attempting to bash their way to a championship in 2022.

Soto and Bell will join a San Diego lineup that enters Tuesday ranked 15th in MLB with 453 runs scored, 19th in OPS (.692) and 24th in homers (91).

Additionally, Fernando Tatis Jr. faced live pitching for the first time on Monday and could go out on a rehab assignment as soon as Friday if his next hitting session goes well.

Assuming there are no injury setbacks, the Padres are going to replace Hosmer (first base), Ha-Seong Kim (shortstop) and Nomar Mazara (right field) with Bell, Tatis and Soto, respectively.

What would a potential Padres lineup be if they acquired both Juan Soto and Josh Bell? 👀

According to The Athletic's @stephenjnesbitt.https://t.co/EXa6dbolaO pic.twitter.com/DAm0IzT1Ld

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 2, 2022

That lineup has the potential to score many runs in MLB over the final two months of the regular season. It's also very dangerous in a playoff series, even with the possibility of the New York Mets having Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer at the top of their rotation.

The Padres don't have a lot of wiggle room on their pitching staff if one of their top arms suffers an injury, especially with Gore going back to Washington. (Gore is currently on the injured list with an elbow injury.)

Joe Musgrove has been their ace with a 2.65 ERA in 18 starts. Yu Darvish isn't overpowering hitters like he has in the past, but he's been solid with a 3.24 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 122.1 innings.

Since getting stretched out for a starting pitcher workload on June 29, Mike Clevinger has been terrific with a 2.89 ERA in 37.1 innings over his last six starts. The right-hander has thrown at least six innings in five of those six games.

The Padres shored up the back end of their bullpen on Monday in a different blockbuster trade when they acquired Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hader appears to have figured things out after a disastrous two-game stretch in which he allowed nine runs on seven hits in 0.1 innings on July 13 and 15. The lefty has allowed just one run with seven strikeouts in his last four appearances.

There aren't many overpowering options for Melvin to use in the back of his bullpen. Luis Garcia and Steven Wilson are the only regulars with at least 30 appearances averaging more than one strikeout per inning.

Hader is averaging 15.6 strikeouts per nine innings in 34 innings for the Brewers this season.

All of these additions, including Tatis, certainly go a long way to helping San Diego close the gap on the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves in the race to be the best team in the NL.

The Dodgers are still, arguably, the deepest team in MLB. Cody Bellinger is the only regular in the lineup with a below-average OPS+. Tyler Anderson, Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin all have ERAs under 3.00.

Walker Buehler, who underwent arthroscopic surgery in June, could return in time for the playoffs. The right-hander could potentially be used as a reliever by virtue of how much time he's missed, but it would give manager Dave Roberts more options to mix and match in a playoff series.

The Mets' chances could hinge on deGrom's ability to stay healthy. He will make his first start in 13 months on Tuesday against the Nationals. The two-time NL Cy Young winner had a 1.08 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 92 innings last season before he was shut down due to injuries.

A healthy deGrom and Scherzer is the best one-two punch in MLB.

San Diego's lineup is strong enough to stand up against any pitcher in the league, but the overall lack of pitching depth could be its Achilles' heel in a postseason series.

Whatever happens by the time we get to October, there's no denying the Padres will be one of the most dangerous teams in a playoff series with Soto and Bell joining the fray.

The San Diego Padres reportedly provided a massive boost to their World Series chances with a blockbuster deal to acquire superstar outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals ahead of Tuesday's MLB trade deadline.

ESPN's Jeff Passan provided details of the agreement, which is still being finalized:

The package going back to Washington for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, sources tell ESPN:

- LHP MacKenzie Gore
- OF Robert Hassell III
- SS C.J. Abrams
- OF James Wood
- RHP Jarlin Susana
- one more major league player

That's the only holdup right now to the agreed-upon deal.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022

Luke Voit is headed to Washington to finalize the Juan Soto deal, source tells ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022

Jon Morosi of MLB Network had previously reported the final piece was first baseman Eric Hosmer, but Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported Hosmer declined to waive his no-trade clause. Hosmer, per Feinsand, was ultimately traded to the Boston Red Sox.

Per Spotrac, San Diego now has a payroll of $237.4 million following the deals.

Here's what the Padres' lineup could look like following the trade:

1. Jurickson Profar (LF)
2. Juan Soto (RF)
3. Manny Machado (3B)
   
4. Jake Cronenworth (2B)
   
5. Josh Bell (1B)
6. Wil Myers (DH)
7. Ha-Seong Kim (SS)
   
8. Austin Nola (C)
   
9. Trent Grisham (CF)
   

BREAKING: Juan Soto is going to the Padres, per @JeffPassan 😳 @BRWalkoff

There's a new big three in San Diego. pic.twitter.com/q9sGEXq2DR

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 2, 2022

Soto was the one franchise-altering hitter available leading up to the 6 p.m. ET deadline, and Bell was among the best rental players on the trade market. The Padres got them both in one deal.

The club's lineup will become even more dynamic once shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. returns from wrist surgery. He could head out on a rehab assignment as early as this weekend.

"Felt really good," Tatis told reporters after facing live pitching Monday. "I felt nothing, and I felt like I put my best swing out there."

Let's take a look at what San Diego is adding based on 2022 numbers:

• Soto: .246/.408/.485 slash line, 21 HR, 6 SB in 101 games
• Bell: .301/.384/.493 slash line, 14 HR in 103 games

Soto's .894 OPS is actually on pace to mark a career low despite still ranking 10th among all qualified MLB hitters, and there's a strong chance he'll bounce back closer to his .966 mark across five years in Washington with more support behind him in the lineup.

Players of his caliber rarely come available, but the Nats were left with little choice after he declined a 15-year, $440 million extension offer in mid-July, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Soto is under club control through 2024 via arbitration. But Washington was unlikely to contend during that period, and trading him now maximized the return.

Meanwhile, the Padres' championship window is now firmly open, and they can make three serious runs at a World Series title before the two-time All-Star potentially heads to the free-agent market ahead of the 2025 season.

It's the second straight campaign that Washington made a monster trade right before the deadline. Last year, it sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a package of prospects led by Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz.

So the Nats have jump-started their rebuilding process in a significant way by dismantling the former core, and they're trending toward a high pick in the 2023 draft with the worst record in baseball at 35-69.

While Washington hopes the process is going to yield a contending team a few years down the line, the focus coming out of the deadline will be San Diego, which pushed its chips to the center of the table to create perhaps MLB's most fearsome lineup.

Facing Tatis, Soto and Machado will be quite the first-inning assignment for any starting pitcher come playoff time.

Of course, the Padres must first lock down their postseason berth. They currently hold the second wild-card slot in the National League, three games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals, the first team out.

The San Diego Padres pulled it off.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the Padres are acquiring Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals.

The package going back to Washington for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, sources tell ESPN:

- LHP MacKenzie Gore
- OF Robert Hassell III
- SS C.J. Abrams
- OF James Wood
- RHP Jarlin Susana
- one more major league player

That's the only holdup right now to the agreed-upon deal.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022

Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Eric Hosmer will be heading to Washington as well.

Depending on whether they re-sign Soto, who's due to be a free agent in 2025, the Pads might have two of MLB's brightest talents for the foreseeable future as he joins Fernando Tatis Jr. Manny Machado is performing at an MVP-type level as well.

San Diego's lineup once Tatis returns is going to be fearsome.

Dodgers: Betts, Turner, Freeman.

Padres: Soto, Tatis Jr., Machado.

If the bars are already open wherever you watch the Giants, go for it, man.

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 2, 2022

https://twitter.com/MarlyRiveraESPN/status/1554495816265498624

Soto, Tatis and Machado pic.twitter.com/XonoZ3k1DS

— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) August 2, 2022

On the other side, the reaction is understandably far different.

Getting a player of equal value to Soto is almost impossible in any scenario. The fact he's under team control for two more years and still only 23 adds to the feeling that Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo whiffed.

An absolutely pathetic return for the best player in baseball. And oh yeah, have Josh Bell too! Goodnight.

— Talkin Nats (@TalkinNats) August 2, 2022

Though this was gonna be a historic package the way mlb network been talking pic.twitter.com/cOP3RcXQeL

— Mickey D (@OhMickey0725) August 2, 2022

https://twitter.com/romeosznnn/status/1554495669976662016

https://twitter.com/JRsBackwardsHat/status/1554498688202022913

Mike Rizzo was true to his word in not diluting the trade by attaching a big contract. I'm waiting to find out what the reason he diluted the deal was, though.

— crongstantinople (@cdgoldstein) August 2, 2022

https://twitter.com/MatthewKnell/status/1554499163039141888

In 2018, Mark Lerner said, "We will never sell the Nationals."

Earlier this year, the Lerners were reported to be exploring a sale.

Today, Nationals fans are hoping that exploration concludes ASAP. https://t.co/7Q1hgt2VjR

— Dan Merica (@merica) August 2, 2022

MacKenzie Gore and C.J. Abrams were highly touted prospects prior to making their MLB debuts. Robert Hassell III is the No. 1 player in San Diego's farm system in the eyes of MLB.com, and James Wood follows closely behind at No. 3.

Rizzo might wind up having the last laugh because it will be a few years before the full return for Washington becomes clear.

Still, fans are right to question whether continuing to employ a generational talent who's yet to hit his prime was still a better outcome than banking on an incoming crop of young players to guide the organization forward.

The San Diego Padres acquired star right fielder Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals ahead of MLB's trade deadline Tuesday.

Washington received shortstop C.J. Abrams, pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielder Robert Hassell III, outfielder James Wood, pitcher Jarlin Susana and first baseman/DH Luke Voit.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi, ESPN's Jeff Passan and USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale initially reported details of the deal.

Eric Hosmer, who was reportedly included in the initial deal, did not waive his no-trade clause, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:

Eric Hosmer rejected the trade to Washington and will not be part of the Soto deal, per source. Now the Padres have less than five hours to figure out what to do with Hosmer, who is owed $39 million from 2023-25.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 2, 2022

Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times had previously reported Hosmer was "not thrilled" about being traded to the Nationals, which meant the Padres would have needed to offer additional incentive to get him to waive his no-trade clause:

Hearing #Padres 1B Eric Hosmer is not thrilled about being traded to #Nationals, so it will likely take a chunk of money or maybe an additional year added to his already onerous 8-year, $144-million deal (3 years, $39 million left, through 2025) to get him to sign off on deal.

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) August 2, 2022

With the Nationals experiencing a rather rapid fall following their 2019 World Series triumph, Soto's contract status became the biggest storyline for the team. The two-time All-Star is due to hit free agency in 2025, and he could be the first player in MLB history to sign a $500 million contract.

Washington lost Bryce Harper to free agency and traded Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers before he could hit the open market. Because Soto is so good and so young, the prevailing wisdom was that the Nats simply couldn't let him get away.

That changed on July 16, when The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported the 23-year-old was being made available in a trade. Per Rosenthal, Washington took the step after Soto declined a 15-year, $440 million offer.

While that would've been the largest contract ever in MLB in terms of overall value, Soto's $29.3 million salary would've been lower than the average earnings for Mike Trout ($35.5 million), Gerrit Cole ($36 million), Francisco Lindor ($34.1 million), Corey Seager ($32.5 million) and Mookie Betts ($30.4 million) among a few others.

Soto wouldn't have even become the highest-paid player on the Nationals since Stephen Strasburg's seven-year contract pays him $35 million each year through 2026.

Rosenthal's report brought a mix of resignation and indignation in the nation's capital.

Juan Soto should go down as an Alex Ovechkin-like figure in D.C., one of the greatest athletes in the city’s history. You don’t let generational talents like him go.

— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) July 16, 2022

This Soto stuff is just so depressing. That parade feels like a different lifetime

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 16, 2022

IMO, Nats are paying the price (literally?) for losing their competitiveness. They have nothing to offer Soto except hope. No stars around him, a shaky pitching staff and big divisional spenders offer no guarantees of wins in the future.

All they can offer Soto is $$$

— Neil Greenberg (@ngreenberg) July 17, 2022

https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1548366898617667585

One justification for moving Soto immediately is that the Nationals could at least maximize their return.

The Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox had to accept well below equal value in return for Lindor and Betts, respectively, because they each had only one more year of team control. Soto is guaranteed to be a member of San Diego's roster for at least two-plus seasons, and that extra year can be beneficial in terms of buying more time to hammer out an extension.

This almost represented uncharted territory.

Front offices are already having the conversations: What is it going to take to acquire Juan Soto in the wake of him turning down a 15-year, $440 million contract offer from the Nationals? And the answer is: The biggest trade package ever. “A Herschel Walker deal,” one GM said.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 16, 2022

Yet as much as this helps Washington's rebuild, simply re-signing Soto probably would've helped more. It also would've cemented a lot of goodwill with the fans, who have even less reason to continue following the team during such a fallow period.

For San Diego, there almost wasn't a price too high to make this trade happen.

For his career, Soto boasts a .291/.427/.538 slash line along with a .966 OPS and a 158 OPS+, per Baseball Reference. Here are the five players closest in similarity score to Soto through his age-22 season: Mike Trout, Frank Robinson, Bryce Harper, Miguel Cabrera and Mickey Mantle.

Soto tore the cover off the ball as a rookie, slugging .517 and hitting 22 home runs in 2018, and he hasn't stopped since. There's no reason to think that won't continue.

Trout is the prime example of how one player can raise his team's ceiling only so high. This acquisition doesn't single-handedly make the Padres the favorites to win the World Series.

But you can't blame San Diego fans for getting a bit ahead of themselves when they forecast how the franchise will perform with Soto in the fold.

The Padres are potentially looking at having their three best players under contract through at least 2028, too. That assumes Soto re-signs and Manny Machado doesn't opt out of his 10-year, $300 million contract.

For decades, the Padres were arguably one of the most anonymous teams in MLB. They weren't consistent winners, nor were they notable for their futility.

Nate Colbert is the franchise leader in home runs, and Eric Show has more wins than any other pitcher in team history. Only two players have gone into the Hall of Fame with the Padres as their primary team: Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman.

However, San Diego has made a concerted effort to turn its reputation around. Signing Hosmer in 2018 hasn't really worked out, but it signaled a new era in which the Padres would be willing to spend on readymade talent. Machado arrived one year later, and then came Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 14-year, $340 million extension.

Trading for Soto is in line with the approach of general manager A.J. Preller, and it sets up San Diego with potentially having the best young combination of hitters in MLB.

With hours to go before the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, the San Diego Padres appear to be the front-runner in the Juan Soto sweepstakes.

Per Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, there is a "growing sense" around the league that the Padres will land the 23-year-old All-Star and perhaps get Josh Bell in the same package from the Washington Nationals.

Was a late night for the Nationals’ front office, as expected, and I have also heard the field is narrowing in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. https://t.co/wLATpIU6oX

— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) August 2, 2022

Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network noted the Padres are "being aggressive" in their pursuit of Soto and Bell.

The Padres have already made one significant move that shows they are all-in trying to win in 2022. They acquired All-Star closer Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Taylor Rogers, Dinelson Lamet and prospects Robert Gasser and Esteury Ruiz on Monday.

Per Jim Bowden of CBS Sports HQ, the Padres' offer to Washington for Soto and Bell includes C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III, Adrian Morejon and "at least" two other players.

Abrams, San Diego's top prospect coming into this season, is off to a slow start in his first exposure to big-league pitching. The 21-year-old is hitting .232/.285/.320 in 46 games this season.

Hassell is the No. 21 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB.com. The 20-year-old was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft and has an .846 OPS in 75 games at High-A Ft. Wayne this season.

Morejon, 23, is working his way back from Tommy John surgery in April 2021. The left-hander has a 6.75 ERA in six relief appearances for the Padres this season.

There have been conflicting reports about who is potentially in the lead for Soto at this point in trade talks.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Monday the Los Angeles Dodgers have been "much more aggressive" recently with their offers to the Nationals.

The St. Louis Cardinals were also mentioned by Nightengale as a strong suitor for Soto.

On a recent episode of ESPN Daily, Jeff Passan noted one unnamed team executive called Washington's asking price for Soto "completely asinine and ridiculous."

"It's completely asinine and ridiculous." —Unnamed baseball executive, to @JeffPassan, about the current asking price for Juan Soto. ➡️ Full #ESPNDaily: https://t.co/wFQ4ijT07V pic.twitter.com/UJPfBiXGGP

— Pablo Torre 🕳️ (@PabloTorre) July 26, 2022

That was on July 26 and perhaps things have changed over the course of seven days, but there's no reason for Washington not to seek the biggest possible return.

Soto has established himself as one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. He is also incredibly valuable by virtue of having two additional years of team control beyond this season before he can become a free agent.

San Diego pursuing Bell is an added wrinkle to the negotiations. The 29-year-old is a first baseman who is only signed through this season. He's having the best season of his career with a .307/.384/.493 slash line with 14 homers in 103 games.

The Padres were unsuccessful in their attempt to deal Eric Hosmer during the offseason. The Athletic's Dennis Lin, Ken Rosenthal and Andy McCullough reported in April a trade concept was discussed that would have sent Hosmer and Chris Paddack to the New York Mets for Dominic Smith.

The deal wound up not happening, but it is an indication that San Diego's front office has been trying to upgrade the first-base position for some time.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune recently said on XTRA 1360 (h/t Ben Fadden of Gaslamp Ball) that Hosmer has been told he won't be traded.

Soto is the main focus with time winding down for contenders to make their final bid to upgrade their roster for the stretch run. The two-time All-Star is hitting .246/.408/.485 with 21 homers and 46 RBI in 101 games this season.

The Padres (58-46) currently trail the Dodgers by 12 games in the NL West but have a two-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the second wild-card spot.

The San Diego Padres have already made the biggest deal on the penultimate day before the MLB trade deadline expires at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday, and they still might have enough left over to reel in the biggest fish on the market.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Monday that the Padres are acquiring Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers for Taylor Rogers, Robert Gasser, Esteury Ruiz and Dinelson Lamet.

Passan explained how the cost to get Hader may allow San Diego to continue pursuing Washington Nationals star Juan Soto:

That said: The Padres didn’t give up any of the main prospects they’ve been talking about in myriad other deals. C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III, James Wood and Jackson Merrill all remain, as does MacKenzie Gore. Could the Padres really pull off a Juan Soto-Josh Hader double?

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 1, 2022

From the Nationals' perspective, Rogers likely wasn't a prized asset in a hypothetical Soto deal—if he was discussed at all in those conversations. The left-handed closer turns 32 in December and is due to be a free agent in the offseason. He wasn't going to help a last-place team for what could only amount to half a season.

Lamet has one more year of team control in 2023, but he's struggling mightily on the mound in his first full season as a reliever. The right-hander has a 9.49 ERA in 12.1 innings. As with Rogers, it's difficult to envision a scenario in which the Nationals insisted on getting Lamet as part of any package for Soto.

Gasser and Ruiz, meanwhile, sit seventh and 28th, respectively, in MLB.com's ranking of the Padres' top prospects. Neither is the crown jewel of San Diego's farm system.

So the Padres add Hader without giving up any of their top six prospects and only one from their top 20. Still plenty left in the tank for a Juan Soto deal.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 1, 2022

Soto landing in San Diego isn't a fait accompli.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Monday that the Los Angeles Dodgers have reached out to Washington about a deal, while Passan laid out how the St. Louis Cardinals could put an attractive offer together.

And even for Padres general manager A.J. Preller, who arguably loves a blockbuster deal more than any other GM in MLB, the price it will take to get Soto is so high it will require a lot of deliberation.

Maybe you call Washington's bluff in the hope of either giving up less now or restarting negotiations in the winter, when the Nationals will have a little less leverage.

If Soto ultimately stays with the Nats or winds up on a different team, then it won't be because of the Hader trade. Preller deftly added an elite closer while maintaining the flexibility for another headline-grabbing swap.

People in the industry believe the Washington Nationals will trade outfielder Juan Soto before Tuesday's deadline, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Though the Nationals could hold onto the superstar and deal him in the offseason, Passan argued the top trade contenders—San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers—could offer less with one fewer year under team control.

The Padres could be most likely landing spot for Soto. Opposing teams see the squad as a "dream trading partner due to the overflowing talent of their top prospects," according to Passan.

Catcher Luis Campusano and outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood are all among MLB.com's top 100 prospects. They're part of a deep Padres farm system that also includes talented shortstop Jackson Merrill.

Other young players have already reached the majors, including MacKenzie Gore and C.J. Abrams.

Those prospects could help headline a package to land Soto, a 23-year-old who already has two All-Star selections and a batting title on his resume. The right fielder finished second in MVP voting last year and currently has 20 home runs with an .878 OPS this season.

Considering Soto already helped the Nationals win a World Series in 2019, there is no question why so many contenders want to add him this season.

The Padres could be especially desperate to complete a deal as they seek their first World Series title in franchise history. The squad has reached the playoffs only once since 2006, and that came in the shortened 2020 campaign.

San Diego entered Monday trailing the Dodgers by 12 games in the NL West race, but it is currently in position for one of the three wild-card spots.

Adding Soto to a lineup that could also feature Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. would make the Padres extremely dangerous in the postseason.

The San Diego Padres' aggressive strategy ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline reportedly included making offers for Shohei Ohtani.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Padres "made a run" at the Los Angeles Angels star but no deal is expected. The Angels are fully expected to retain Ohtani past the deadline despite the two-way superstar's looming free agency after the 2023 season.

It's likely as much a business decision as a baseball one for why the Angels have refused to entertain offers for Ohtani. He's not only arguably the best player in baseball, but he's also wildly popular on the international stage, particularly in his native Japan. While the brilliance of Ohtani and Mike Trout has not led to wins for the Angels, there's money to be made in having the two biggest names in the sport spearheading your organization.

That said, there is reason for concern in the organization. Ohtani was noncommittal when asked about his future with the franchise when discussing the situation last week.

"Regardless of where I'm playing, I want to give it my all, try to win the ballgame that's right in front of me," Ohtani told reporters last week. "I'm with the Angels right now. And I'm very thankful for what they've done. I really love the team. I love my teammates. Right now I'm an Angel, and that's all I can really focus on at this point."

Ohtani originally chose the Angels over a swath of other teams when he made his decision to come stateside ahead of the 2018 season. He's found incredible individual success, winning the 2021 AL MVP and making the AL All-Star team as a hitter and pitcher each of the last two seasons, but team success has not followed.

The Angels are a near-lock to miss the playoffs for the eighth straight season, entering Monday at 43-59. Trading Ohtani would bring back the type of transformational haul that might turn around the team's lagging farm system, but there is no one-for-one replacement for Ohtani's generational talent.

The MLB trade deadline is fast approaching, and the sweepstakes for Washington Nationals star Juan Soto is reportedly heating up.

According to MLB insider Jim Bowden, the three teams considered finalists to land Soto are the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. Teams have until 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday to get a deal done.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Texas Rangers had been among the teams pursuing Soto, but it appears they are longer in the running.

Bowden added that the Cardinals are offering the most talent from their major league roster, while the Padres are offering the most talent from their farm system. The Nationals are believed to be seeking a substantial package of young prospects in exchange for Soto.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported Thursday that San Diego was perceived to be the front-runner to acquire the 23-year-old slugger. The Padres have a strong selection of young players to include in trade offers, including their top two prospects, center fielder Robert Hassell III and catcher Luis Campusano.

The Dodgers and Cardinals also have highly touted youngsters they can build trade packages around, but it remains to be seen if they have enough to entice the Nationals to part ways with Soto, who has been in a slump amid the ongoing rumors.

The two-time All-Star is batting .246 with 20 home runs and 45 RBI entering Sunday. Since returning from the All-Star break, Soto has just five hits in 35 plate appearances.

Despite his recent struggles, Soto is one of the best young players in the majors and will turn whichever team he lands with into an instant contender to represent the National League in the World Series.

The New York Yankees are trying to move on from outfielder Joey Gallo and have reportedly received interest from the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (h/t Mark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors).

Gallo is hitting just .159 with a .282 on-base percentage and 12 home runs in 82 games this season with the Yankees.

The 28-year-old joined New York in a July trade from the Texas Rangers last season but now appears to be on his way out before becoming a free agent this offseason.

Gallo did hit 13 home runs in just 58 games last year with the Yankees, but his .160 batting average left a lot to be desired. Even he acknowledged his shortcomings after continued struggles in 2022.

"I feel bad," Gallo told Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. "It's something I'm gonna have to really live with for the rest of my life. It's going to be tough. I didn't play well, I didn't live up to expectations. And that's a tough pill to swallow."

New York acquired outfielder Andrew Benintendi to effectively replace Gallo's spot in the lineup.

Despite his struggles with the Yankees, the slugger clearly has some value around the league. He had two All-Star selections and two Gold Glove Awards with the Rangers and is averaging 39 home runs per 162 games over his career. He hit at least 40 home runs in consecutive seasons in 2017-18.

The Rays and Padres–currently ranked 22nd and 25th, respectively, in the majors in total home runs this season–could especially use this production.

The Brewers do have quality power hitters in Rowdy Tellez, Willy Adames and others, but they could use more outfield depth with the aging Christian Yelich and Andrew McCutchen rotating at designated hitter.

Gallo could represent a high-upside, buy-low option for any of these playoff contenders.