Sad: Padres Expresses Shock As They Loosed Veteran Player From The Squad

The San Diego Padres don’t appear to have altered much, and Juan Soto has come and gone.

In August 2022, the Padres were 12 games above.500 after acquiring Soto from the Washington Nationals in a blockbuster trade. Despite finishing far behind the Dodgers in the NL West that season, they defeated Los Angeles in the postseason to get to the NL Championship Series.

Then, despite Soto’s prolific output, San Diego ended a dismal 82-80 last season. Although it’s been a significant loss—Soto has performed really well in New York—the Padres traded him to the Yankees over the summer, and San Diego is essentially in the same position now. After beating Cleveland on Sunday, the Padres have a 52-50 record.

Even though San Diego isn’t expected to come close to matching last year’s run differential of plus-104, it’s still amazing that the arrival and departure of an MVP-caliber player didn’t turn the Padres into a dominant team or put them out of contention.

First baseman Luke Voit, left-hander MacKenzie Gore, shortstop C.J. Abrams, right-hander Jarlin Susana, and outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood were transferred by San Diego to Washington in the 2022 deal. Josh Bell, a first baseman, and Soto were acquired by the Padres.

Abrams has emerged as an All-Star, while Gore has been the Nationals’ rotation staple, although a somewhat mediocre one. Baseball Reference states that when combined, they have been worth more wins above replacement for Washington than Soto was during his plus-season with the Padres. And one of the best prospects in the game, Wood just joined the major leagues.