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The 2022 MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone, but plenty of big names were traded just before the 6 p.m. cutoff.
Soto Traded for Prospects in Massive Deal
Former Washington Nationals outfield Juan Soto was traded to the San Diego Padres in what some consider to be the biggest trade ever.
According to ESPN Insider Jeff Passan, the Padres are sending Mackenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, C.J. Abrams, James Wood, Jarlin Susana, and Luke Voit.
There's a new big 3 in San Diego, sources tell @JeffPassan 👀 pic.twitter.com/jxhmtRx7o4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 2, 2022
The 23-year-old outfielder was dealt to the Padres, along with slugger Josh Bell, in exchange for a massive haul of high-end prospects.
Soto now joins Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Anthony Rendon, and Trea Turner as some of the biggest names in baseball that have recently left the Nationals.
After the deal was announced, the Nationals thanked Soto for helping to bring a World Series championship to Washington D.C.
From The Greatest Teenage Hitter in MLB History to World Series Champion.
You took the league by storm immediately and have accomplished more than most do in a lifetime.
You always put on a show for DC.
Thank you, World Series Champion Juan Soto.@JuanSoto25_ pic.twitter.com/zWtEwUZHag
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 2, 2022
Nationals manager Dave Martinez says he wished Soto the very best. Additionally, Martinez told him that he hopes Soto can elevate the team’s level of play.
With a career batting average of .291 and 119 career home runs, Soto will look to do just that as he heads out West.
Yankees Acquire Former Gator
Just before the trade deadline, the New York Yankees announced that they have traded for former Gator and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Harrison Bader.
Bader to the Bronx.
Welcome home, @aybaybader 👊 pic.twitter.com/BFSt0umlS0
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 2, 2022
In exchange, the Cardinals will receive left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery.
Montgomery has posted solid numbers in his two season as a Yankee, maintaining a 3.77 ERA in 272 IP. However, he has struggled as of late, recording a 5.36 ERA in his last eight outings.
For Brader, this trade comes full circle, as someone who grew up in Bronxville, New York. He graduated from Horace Mann School in the Bronx, about 5 miles from Yankee Stadium.
As a 2021 National League Gold Glove winner, Bader will bring plenty of defensive talent to the Yankees outfield once he returns from the IL. He has not played since June 26th as he rehabs from plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
The six-year veteran is currently batting .256 in 72 games this season with five home runs.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman praised the team’s new player. He called him one of the elite center fielders in the game. He thinks he will help the team in many ways.
Cashman also recognized that it takes something to get something. He praised Montgomery’s contributions to the team over the past two seasons and emphasized the nature of this business.
