The San Diego Padres acquired star right fielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals ahead of MLB’s trade deadline Tuesday.  In exchange, the Padres agreed to send Luke Voit, MacKenzie Gore, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell, James Wood and Jarlin Susana to Washington.

The 23-year-old Soto previously rejected a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals.  The two-time All-Star is due to hit free agency in 2025, and he could be the first player in MLB history to sign a $500 million contract. The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers were among the other teams bidding to acquire the star outfielder.

Soto is hitting .246 with 21 homers and 46 RBIs through 101 games this season. He hit .313 with 29 homers and 95 RBIs in 151 games last season, and led the National League with a .351 batting average in 47 games in 2020.

The 29-year-old Bell is hitting .301 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs through 103 games this season. The 2019 All-Star owns a career .266 average with 127 home runs over seven seasons.; he is set to become a free agent next off-season.

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