After Soto’s departure, San Diego’s record looks similar to last year’s
Juan Soto has come and gone, and the San Diego Padres don’t appear to have changed much.
The Padres were 12 games ahead of .500 in August 2022 when they acquired Soto in a blockbuster deal with the Washington Nationals. They finished that year well behind the Dodgers in the NL West, but they went on to beat Los Angeles in the playoffs and reach the NL Championship Series.
Last year, San Diego finished a disappointing 82-80 despite Soto’s significant production. The Padres traded him to the Yankees in the offseason, and while it was a big loss (Soto played brilliantly in New York), San Diego is about the same way. The Padres are 52-50 after Sunday’s win over Cleveland.
San Diego finished with a +104 run differential last year, and this season’s team isn’t close to matching that mark, but it’s still remarkable how the arrival and departure of an MVP-caliber player hasn’t turned the Padres into a juggernaut and left them out of contention.
In the 2022 trade, San Diego sent first baseman Luke Voit, left-hander MacKenzie Gore, shortstop CJ Abrams, right-hander Jarlin Susana and outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood to Washington. The Padres received Soto and first baseman Josh Bell.
Gore has been a mainstay in the Nationals’ rotation, if a mediocre one, and Abrams has become an All-Star. Together, they’ve accounted for more wins above replacement for Washington than Soto did in his one season with the Padres, according to Baseball Reference. And Wood recently arrived in the major leagues as one of the game’s top prospects.
Last offseason, San Diego traded Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham to the Yankees in exchange for catcher Kyle Higashioka and right-handers Michael King, Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito and Drew Thorpe. King, Vasquez and Higashioka have all contributed for the Padres this season, and Thorpe was a key prospect in the trade that brought Dylan Cease to San Diego in March.
In both cases, the team that traded Soto did well, even though they traded a player who is almost a sure thing with the bat.
TRIVIA TIME
The Padres’ progression to the playoffs this year could hinge on the successful return of outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., who hasn’t played in a month because of a right leg problem. He’s been able to swing a bat and play catch recently.
Which pitcher did San Diego give up when the Padres acquired Tatis from the Chicago White Sox in 2016?
LINE OF THE WEEK
Cease struck out 10 batters in seven one-hit innings Saturday night in San Diego. 7-0 victory against Cleveland. The Padres won two of three games against the American League Central-leading Guardians.
THE RETURN OF THE WEEK
Oakland had a 95% chance of winning in the bottom of the seventh inning Sunday, according to Baseball Savant. The Athletics led 5-2 and had the bases loaded, but the Los Angeles Angels kept Oakland from scoring again and then scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning. The Angels ended up winning. victory 8-5.
The A’s are having a better season than last year, but getting out of last place might still be too much to ask. They’re four games behind the Angels at the bottom of the American League West, even though Oakland has the better run differential.
ANSWER TO AN ANECDOTAL QUESTION
The Padres traded James Shields to the White Sox. Tatis was 17 at the time.
___
