Multiple outlets reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres had a deal in place for superstar outfielder Juan Soto.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Padres are acquiring Soto and Josh Bell from the Nats for Eric Hosmer, MacKenzie Gore, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III, James Wood and Jarlin Susana.
It’s one of the biggest trades in the history of MLB.
It was, however, contingent on Hosmer agreeing to waive his no-trade clause to go to Washington.
The Nationals are one of the teams to which Hosmer doesn’t approve a deal.
This is the most power Eric Hosmer's had all season
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) August 2, 2022
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, however, reported that Hosmer won’t hold up the deal.
The #Nationals #Padres deal DOES NOT hinge on Hosmer being a part of it. The deal is done regardless…acccording to sources directly involved.
— Jim Bowden⚾️ (@JimBowdenGM) August 2, 2022
Per Bowden, if Hosmer accepted the deal, the Padres are paying the full salary for the next three years of his contract.
He reportedly did not accept the trade, and it will go through with a different player.
The Juan Soto deal is done with the #Padres, and does NOT include Eric Hosmer.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 2, 2022
The Deal Is Moving On With Or Without Him
The Padres weren’t going to let a single player ruin the deal, so with no approval by Hosmer, they will deal another major league player to Washington.
Hosmer started off the season on the right foot, but cooled off significantly and now owns a .272/.336/.391 line with eight home runs.
The Padres are trying to replace Hosmer with Bell, who is the only other Nats player besides Soto that is having a decent season.
With Bell in the fold, his playing time opportunities will considerably decrease.
However, it’s likely that he didn’t want to go to a rebuilding team at this stage of his career.
He would have played more in Washington, but prefers to go for it in San Diego.
A generational player is going to the Padres, but Hosmer was the talk of the day.
You can never predict what the trade deadline will turn into pic.twitter.com/KXkUciTAD0
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 2, 2022
We will wait and see if there are any more developments before the deadline arrives.
NEXT: The Entire MLB World Is Staring At Eric Hosmer