The 2022 MLB Trade Deadline has officially come and gone. Perhaps of the largest trades in history was pulled off, sending generational talent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres. On top of trading for one of the biggest names in the league, they made several other calls to load up.
The San Diego Padres have beefed up their roster big time. They signed Joe Musgrove to an extension and are gearing up for a deep postseason run. After the deadline, they have gotten a whole lot more dangerous for the remainder of the regular season, moving into the postseason.
The Padres have been busy. The big news was the Soto trade, but that was not all the team did. After last year’s deadline with A.J. Preller missed out on Max Scherzer in a deadline frenzy, he was sure to avoid letting that happen again.
Preller pillaged his farm system, sending out any extra prospect he could to ensure his team was ready to make a deep postseason run. That being said, let’s look at what the Padres pulled off on deadline day.
San Diego Padres gear up for a World Series run with a busy deadline day.
Beefing up the Bullpen
The San Diego Padres got things started early. Before deadline day itself on Tuesday, the team went out and acquired Josh Hader, a left-handed power arm for their bullpen, in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. The deal included left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers, left-handed pitcher Robert Gasser, right-handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet, and outfielder Esteury Ruiz to the Brewers.
It’s a huge addition for the Padres’ back end of the bullpen. While Rogers served as the team’s closer, Hader can bolster down the back end of the Padres bullpen. It was an unexpected move that got the ball rolling for the Friars.
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Padres make history with the blockbuster Juan Soto deal.
The big news from early in the day on Tuesday was that Soto was headed west to join the San Diego Padres. On top of that, the Padres also picked up switch-hitting power bat Josh Bell. He’s going to pack a power punch in the team’s impressive lineup and be a nice added bonus in a deal already sending one of the best players in the entire league to the Padres.
They gave up plenty on the flipside, but nothing that trumps the addition of Soto. The Washington Nationals acquired left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana, outfielder Robert Hassell III, outfielder James Wood, shortstop C.J. Abrams, and first basemen Luke Voit.
It’s a massive haul for the Nationals, with plenty to like about the prospects, but the Padres’ front office has to be grinning from ear-to-ear, knowing that Soto is headed to San Diego. He will immediately impact this team’s lineup and be the generational talent he’s shown he can be.
However, this trade causes a hang-up in some money. Eric Hosmer staying put with the Padres caused Preller to have to make some calls and work something out.
Eric Hosmer gets a new home in a salary dump.
A little while later, the San Diego Padres figured out the next move of the day. They shipped off Eric Hosmer to the Boston Red Sox, being able to shed some of his contract in a salary dump move. The deal sends Hosmer, second baseman Max Ferguson, and outfielder Corey Rosier back to the Red Sox, along with an undisclosed amount of money.
The Red Sox will be getting two Padres prospects back along with Hosmer, per source. So it will be Hosmer, two prospects and cash for Groome.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 2, 2022
The Padres picked up Jay Groome, who was the Red Sox first-round pick back in 2016. It was a heavy salary dump, with the Padres paying down some of that money that Hosmer is owed, but it allowed them to go through with the historic Soto deal with fewer worries. Preller got the job done here, but he did not stop there.
San Diego Padres stay busy and add positional depth.
They kept it coming when it seemed like things were calming for the San Diego Padres. They picked up infielder/utility-man Brandon Drury from the Cincinnati Reds in a trade that sent shortstop Victor Acosta to Cincinnati.
Drury is known for his versatility and is having a spectacular year with the Reds organization. Drury has slashed .274/.335/.520 with the Reds with 20 home runs and 59 RBI to his credit as well. A nice added positional depth piece for the Padres to be able to plug-n-play around the field.
This was the last of their moves, leaving the team in a much different spot than before. Here’s what a projected lineup looks like post-trade deadline for the Padres.
This @Padres lineup is STACKED 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LyFyelUYoy
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 2, 2022
It’s dangerous. With Drury not in that picture, he’d likely replace Voit, given that he was moved in the Soto deal after the initial announcements. With all the trades laid out and the pieces falling where they may. Let’s look at what the Padres got and what they lost.
The Padres’ biggest acquisition is Soto, for obvious reason. He’s undoubtedly going to put his new squad in a better spot moving forward and be able to help push this team toward a title, or at least a postseason exit after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In all seriousness, the Padres built their super team, and Soto is a generational talent that was worth giving up any prospect that they did. Though, the Nationals are getting some exciting talent in return.
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There is every reason to be excited about the prospects the Nationals got out of this deal. Abrams has made his way to the big leagues and has proven he’s going to be a speedy shortstop who can anchor the top of the lineup. Abrams will be a solid replacement for Trea Turner, being the reliable lead-off option for the Nationals, who have been missing Turner.
Hassell III is still raw, with many offensive tools to be excited about moving forward. He’s a power-hitting outfielder who was up at the top of his draft class, with exciting potential in the batters’ box. Another big league piece they got is Gore, who will be able to anchor down the team’s rotation.
The 2022 season is the first-year Gore has been a part of the big league club and is currently on the 15-day Injured List, but a former Top-5 prospect in all of baseball with the stuff to be a lethal ace should be someone the Nationals like.
He has trailed off a little bit from the player he was projected to be but will be an excellent addition for the Nationals. The steal of the trade is Wood, who is going to be a stud. He will be an excellent big-league hitter if he keeps progressing the way he has.
Wood has an advanced hit tool, and the power is starting to show. Even if it’s not a home run-producing swing with a ton of strength, he will be a doubles-in-the-gap hitter who continues to build up that strength. I think Wood is a sneaky prospect to keep an eye on here. Not saying he’s the next Soto, but he is undoubtedly a quality addition.
For the local Tigers fans, the Nationals might have just jumpstarted a rebuild farther ahead than the Tigers currently sit.
Overall, the Padres beefed things up. They are going to be dangerous down the home stretch into the postseason. Fernando Tatis Jr. is taking reps off live pitching and getting back to the field; this team will only get better in the coming weeks.
The biggest thing standing in their way is the postseason. They have not been able to beat out the Dodgers for the top spot in the division and have only seen postseason action once in the last 16 seasons. It’s a tall task with the Dodgers having a super team of their own, but it’ll make for a fun division race out west.
