The San Diego Padres made a sizable commitment to contending in 2022.
They traded several excellent prospects to get players like Brandon Drury, Josh Hader, Josh Bell, and Juan Soto.
To get Soto and Bell, they traded top prospects such as McKenzie Gore, Robert Hasell III, Jarlin Susana, James Wood, and CJ Abrams.
Most of them are top 100 prospects in MLB.
That’s a lot of young talent, but the Padres took the risk because they want Soto to stay for the long-term.
“AJ Preller talks about Juan Soto being with the #Padres “For many years to come,” Padres insider Jim Russell tweeted.
AJ Preller talks about Juan Soto being with the #Padres “For many years to come”
— Jim Russell (@JimRussellSD) October 25, 2022
When they acquired Soto, they knew that they would initially have him for three postseason runs.
San Diego Has Some Time To Convince Soto
The first one, in 2022, was fairly successful.
The team made it to the National League Championship Series for the first time in decades.
Soto will go to arbitration in both 2023 and 2024, unless he comes to an agreement for a long-term contract first.
The problem for the Padres is that the player who had an .853 OPS and hit 27 home runs between the Washington Nationals and Padres, wants to go year to year until he reaches free agency.
Things can always change, so the Padres have a couple of years to convince Soto that San Diego is the place for him to sign his long-term contract.
A contract that could push $400 million depending on when he signs it.
For now, everybody is happy with the trade: Soto got out of the worst team in baseball and landed with a contender that knocked out the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers in consecutive playoff series.
Let’s see what the future has in store for those involved.
NEXT: Padres Manager Made Sure To Thank The Fans