Fernando Tatis Jr. reflected on the Juan Soto trade impact on the San Diego Padres, recalling how the two stars shared a season and a half together after Soto’s mid-2022 arrival. Soto joined the Padres through a major trade that sent several promising prospects to the Washington Nationals.
The trade involved CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell, James Wood, Jarlín Susana, and Luke Voit moving to the Nationals, while Soto and Josh Bell arrived in San Diego. James Wood, in particular, has shown impressive progress this season, earning praise from Tatis Jr.
“I saw him, and then I was in rehab, and we were in there together. I saw what he was capable of, and I’m definitely not surprised by what he’s doing. I’m just really happy how he’s playing baseball right now,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said of Wood before the Padres’ game against the Nationals on Monday. —Fernando Tatis Jr.
The 26-year-old shortstop acknowledged that the Nationals were unlikely to trade Juan Soto to just anyone and commended the prospects Washington chose in return. He also mentioned that parting with promising players is an unavoidable aspect of major league trades.
Juan Soto’s arrival in San Diego followed his decision to decline a record $440 million contract extension offered by the Nationals. Plans to secure his long-term commitment involved his agent Scott Boras and the late Padres owner Peter Seidler, but those plans were disrupted by Seidler’s untimely death.
After spending the 2024 season with the New York Yankees, Soto inked a massive $765 million contract with the New York Mets.
Tatis Jr. Highlights Manny Machado’s Leadership During Grueling Padres Schedule
The Padres are enduring a demanding stretch of 26 games in 27 days, with only June 12 as a rest day. Prior to a series against the Nationals, Tatis Jr. was asked about the challenge of this relentless schedule.
“It’s really hard,” Tatis Jr. said. “But you know it’s part of what we have to do over here and what we sign for. It’s part of the grind, and obviously doing it right next to a guy like Manny is really special, ’cause the man, the guy shows up every single day trying to win a ballgame in different ways. You learn from that, and you just want to do the same thing.” —Fernando Tatis Jr.
Tatis Jr. started the season strongly, with some viewing him as Shohei Ohtani‘s biggest competition, but his momentum slowed as the season progressed. Meanwhile, Manny Machado has emerged as a crucial contributor for the Padres during this intense period.