The San Diego Padres made a huge splash at the trade deadline just over a month ago, acquiring stars such as Josh Hader, Juan Soto, Brandon Drury, and Josh Bell.
Those moves made San Diego look like a clear World Series contender.
However, since those moves were made, the Padres have yet to get the best out of a few of those acquisitions, namely Soto and Bell.
While the moves strengthened their team on paper, they haven’t been playing very good baseball.
Now, they’re clinging to the third NL Wild Card spot, with the Milwaukee Brewers nipping at their heels.
While all this is going on, Soto is slugging .063 in his last 15 games and has gone 3-for-48 without an extra-base hit.
He’s also hitting just .202 with seven RBI in 35 games since his arrival.
Bell hasn’t been much better, posting a slash line of .204/.319/.307.
The #Padres, barely clinging to the final wild-card berth, are still awaiting dividends on their blockbuster trade:
Juan Soto is hitting .063 (3-48) without an extra-base hit in his last 15 games; .202 with 7 RBI in 35 games since his arrival.
Josh Bell is hitting .204/.319/.307.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 16, 2022
Soto, Bell Mired In Slumps
It’s crunch time right now for the Padres.
Their new acquisitions have been major disappointments so far and a familiar sting is being felt in San Diego right now, one that lingers after their epic second-half collapse last season.
The Brewers are starting to heat up again and sit only a game-and-a-half behind San Diego in the Wild Card race.
The Padres are in severe danger of potentially missing the postseason for a second straight year.
They’ve already officially been eliminated from contention for the NL West title, but if they’re not careful, they could end up on the outside looking in.
Soto and Bell have disappointed thus far.
There’s not much time left to get it going, so now would be a great time for those two to start hitting and for the Padres to start winning again.
NEXT: Juan Soto Remains Stuck In A Shocking Rut