The San Diego Padres have pulled off a blockbuster deal.
They have acquired Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals in exchange for MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, Robert Hassell, James Wood, Jarlin Susana, and Eric Hosmer.
However, the deal is not official yet.
When Hosmer signed his seven-year deal with the Padres in 2018, he had the Nationals as a no-trade destination.
The deal will not become official until Hosmer waives that clause in his contract.
If he does not, then the deal likely will not happen, at least as originally intended.
Ken Rosenthal reported the news via Twitter.
Soto deal will not be official until Hosmer agrees to waive his no-trade stipulation to the Nationals. To this point he has not, according to a source. Negotiations almost certainly taking place.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 2, 2022
Hosmer Holding Up Blockbuster Deal
This could turn out to be a major roadblock for the Padres.
Imagine if Hosmer says no.
Then there would be some real drama.
It can be worked around though.
The Nationals could find a way to trade him.
Maybe he gets a chance to go back to the Kansas City Royals if that’s the case.
But if it doesn’t work out, it could turn out to be like the Max Scherzer situation last year, where the Padres were so close to acquiring him before the deal fell through and the Dodgers ended up with him and Trea Turner.
That would end up being one of the most unbelievable stories in recent baseball memory.
Now, the entire baseball world is staring Hosmer straight in the face.
This all hinges on whether or not he accepts the trade.
If he doesn’t, that’s going to anger a lot of his teammates and the organization as a whole.
All he needs to do is ask the Nationals for a trade.
It can be done.
It may be difficult, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
NEXT: MLB Insider Reveals The Juan Soto Trade Details