While the Atlanta Braves aren’t directly involved in the trade for Juan Soto, they will certainly feel the effects this year and in years to come.
The Atlanta Braves are very familiar with Juan Soto having faced him for years in the NL East. Now they won’t see him as much after the 23-year-old superstar was traded to the San Diego Padres.
The package going back to Washington for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, sources tell ESPN:
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 2, 2022
- LHP MacKenzie Gore
- OF Robert Hassell III
- SS C.J. Abrams
- OF James Wood
- RHP Jarlin Susana
- one more major league player
That's the only holdup right now to the agreed-upon deal.
This is one of the biggest trades we’ve seen in recent history as Soto is considered one of the best hitters in all baseball and still has two more years of control.
After Juan Soto turned down a huge extension from the Nationals, it became apparent that the rebuilding Nats had to trade him and get as much value as they could.
This package from the Padres certainly sets them up for future success.
Braves: What Does the Juan Soto Trade Mean?
Right now, the Braves hold the top Wild Card spot with the Padres right behind them. If that holds, those two teams will face off in a best-of-three Wild Card series.
So the Braves might not be done dealing with Juan Soto quite yet, and San Diego would be a tough matchup in the Wild Card round — making winning the division even more important.
In terms of the future, the Nationals have gathered a lot of young talent that could set them up to start competing soon.
At last year’s deadline, they acquired Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz from the Dodgers. That gives them a solid rotation piece and a starting catcher.
With this move, they get their starting shortstop of the future in CJ Abrams, a couple of future outfielders in Robert Hassell III and James Wood, and another top-of-the-rotation arm in MacKenzie Gore.
In the Nationals’ own system, they have starting pitcher Cade Cavalli knocking on the door of the big leagues.
Brady House was picked 11th overall by them in last year’s draft, and in the most recent draft, they took high schooler Elijah Green with the fifth pick.
Both of those players are likely several years away but should be considered as part of this young core of players.
The Nationals won’t be contenders next year, but we could start seeing a turnaround in 2024 with all of this young talent they’ve acquired.