The Washington Nationals made the seemingly impossible decision to trade Juan Soto despite having 2.5 years of club control left. Yes, he had turned down a massive extension offer, but how often do teams trade away young superstars like Soto, especially when they're under contract for several more years? While risky, the Nationals did the deal when they did to help kickstart their rebuild. They received a haul from the San Diego Padres, and their return only looks better now that Robert Hassell III has reportedly been promoted to the majors.
Dylan Crews left Tuesday's game early with an injury, which is unfortunate, but on the bright side, Nationals fans can now see yet another piece from the Soto deal make an impact.
The Nationals already won the Soto deal handily, and their win can get even greater if Hassell pans out.
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Nationals' Juan Soto trade looks even better with Robert Hassell III call-up
In the Soto trade, the Nationals received Hassell, C.J. Abrams, James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, and Jarlin Susana while also sending Josh Bell (who happens to be back in Washington now) to San Diego.
Well, Abrams is already an All-Star, Wood looks like a future superstar (if he isn't one already), Gore leads the National League in strikeouts, and Susana is a Top-100 prospect. Now, Nationals fans await to see what Hassell has in store.
His Nationals tenure got off to a bit of a rocky start, but he's played pretty well this season for Triple-A Rochester, and is now getting his first taste of big league action. Crews and Wood have established themselves as two outfielders of the future for Washington, but until Jacob Young learns how to hit, center field is up for grabs. Hassell has every bit of an opportunity to try and prove he belongs at the MLB level, especially if Crews has to land on the IL.
The Padres got 1.5 years of Soto and were able to flip him for a nice return before he was inevitably going to depart in free agency, but had they known what they were giving up, there's a good chance this deal wouldn't have been made. The Nationals got a franchise-changing haul.
Again, Abrams has already been an All-Star and is only getting better. Wood has the potential to be one of the best players in the league and already has a .908 OPS as a 22-year-old. Gore has the potential to be an ace, and is displaying ace stuff this season. Susana is an exciting prospect. Now, Hassell is set to make an impact of his own as well. He doesn't even have to do anything for this deal to have been a win for Washington.
It certainly pains Nationals fans to see Soto back in the NL East with a division rival, but knowing that by trading him, the Padres essentially set up their future, they'll live with playing against him 13 times a year, especially if Hassell becomes yet another key contributor from that deal.