SAN DIEGO -- It's been nearly three seasons since the San Diego Padres pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Washington Nationals to acquire superstar outfielder Juan Soto.
The eight-player deal sent Soto and first baseman Josh Bell to San Diego in exchange for a haul of prospects: shortstop CJ Abrams (then the Padres' No. 1 prospect), pitcher MacKenzie Gore (No. 4), and outfielder James Wood (No. 3). The Nationals also received first baseman Luke Voit, outfielder Robert Hassell III, and pitcher Jarlin Susana.
At the time, the move was seen as a major win for the Padres — landing a 23-year-old World Series champion with generational talent—more on him in a bit.
"The trade worked out for us really well," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said before the game. "These three guys are the cornerstones of our organization. They've done well, and they're helping us right now at a young age, and they're doing well."
But how are the prospects holding up now? The Padres got an up-close look Monday night in a 10–6 loss to the Nationals — with Bell, now back in D.C., also in the lineup.
"We got really good players in the trade," Martinez said, doubling down after the game. "So it worked out for us. I mean, like I said earlier, these guys are the cornerstones of our organization right now."
The headliner of three players right now is Wood. His batting average is at .279, with 21 home runs and an OPS of .934.
He went 3-for-5 with one home run and four RBIs on Monday night.
"It was cool," Wood said. "I signed here. I'd gone to a few games here and, I mean, it was cool to just be back and just felt a little different on the field than in the stands."
How was it different?
"I was playing this time," Wood said.
He grew up with Padres star Jackson Merrill, playing youth baseball in Maryland. They became teammates in Single-A Lake Elsinore before Wood was part of the Soto deal.
"Unbelievable, unbelievable," Merrill said before Monday's game. "All-Star. Obviously, my opinion already should be starting in that game. But that kid's a beast. He's going to continue to rake all year."
Various Padres players spoke in the locker room before his first visit to Petco Park since the trade.
"I saw him in spring training when I was with Miami, and I said, 'Wow,'" Luis Arraez said in Spanish. "He has tremendous talent. I didn't know he was previously here in San Diego. Those are just baseball things. They (Padres) trading him to Washington. They (Nationals) have a tremendous left fielder, a tremendous batter, who has a lot of power that can help Washington win."
Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. said that while he was rehabbing his wrist fracture, he got to spend time with Wood.
"I saw what he was capable of, and I'm definitely not surprised at what he's doing," Tatis Jr. said of Wood.
Abrams went 3-for-5 with three runs and was on base when Wood hit his three-run shot in the 8th inning.
"It's always fun whenever James is driving me in, but it's an electric stadium," Abrams said after the game. "Playing in front of the Padres fans is always fun."
Abrams was seen as the future shortstop, especially with Tatis Jr. being moved to right field. He has played against the Padres 16 times before Monday night's game. He has a .263 batting average, .368 SLG, and .691 OPS.
"I've learned a lot," Abrams said. "In all aspects of my game, and just continue to get better each and every day. Stay where my feet are and do my thing."
Gore was a prospect who excited the team and fans because of the bright future he had in a Padres jersey. He is at 3-7 on the season while supporting a 3.19 ERA, 123 strikeouts, and a 1.19 WHIP.
"There's been some good and some bad," Gore said. "I think a lot of good things which I forgot how to win a little bit. There's still a lot of time left to do that. It's been a tough stretch as of late. But just kind of how this season goes. It's a long one, and we gotta figure out how to kind of turn this around and start winning some games."
Even the Nationals social media team had a dig tweeting out the video of Wood’s home run with the caption “FLEECE EM.”
FLEECE EM pic.twitter.com/sGXazZcSrp
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 24, 2025
Why did the Padres make the trade?
They were missing Tatis Jr., who was out with a suspension and injury. He was their biggest bat at the time, and the Padres felt like they needed to go all in.
They were 57-46 before they traded for him and finished the season with a 32-27 record, ultimately finishing at 89-73 and securing a spot in the playoffs.
"We did some special things with Juan (Soto) here," Martinez said. "We won a World Series with him here. But like I said, once the dust settled, we understood what we had. We started getting these guys up here in the major leagues, and watching them do what they're doing is unbelievable. I'm glad that we have them."
The Padres beat the Mets 2-0 and the LA Dodgers 3-1 but lost 4-1 in the NLCS against the Phillies.
The following season, there was a lot of hope going into it, especially with Tatis returning to the lineup in mid-April. They never took off. The team finished with an 82-80 record and didn't make the playoffs.
Soto had a .275 batting average with 35 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 156 hits.
Padres manager Bob Melvin was fired, and they hired Mike Shildt to take over. In December of 2023, the Padres decided to trade Soto and centerfielder Trent Grisham to the New York Yankees for a haul. They received Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez, Drew Thorpe (all pitchers), and catcher Kyle Higashioka.
They flipped Thorpe while adding outfielder Samuel Zavala, pitcher Jairo Iriarte and reliever Steve Wilson to the Chicago White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease.
King has a 17-11 record with an ERA of 2.86 and 265 strikeouts in 41 appearances. He proved himself in game one of the wildcard round against the Atlanta Braves, pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up only five hits while striking out 12 and didn't walk a single batter.
Cease has been the definition of high and low. Last season, he was 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA, 224 KOs and had a no-hitter on July 25, 2024. This season, he is 3-6 with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.
What did it cost?
It cost them a chance to bring young emerging stars into this team. Right now, the Padres are struggling at left field. They keep rotating guys, but they haven't found a consistent player.
If they could plug Wood in there right now, the Padres would be considered the best outfield trio in baseball.
President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller is a driven and aggressive businessman. It is something to tip a cap to, mainly because they were so close at the time.
Who knows what would have happened if he didn't make the trade? Who knows what would have happened if he kept Soto one more season?
At the moment, it seemed like a steal for the Padres, but years later, with Soto now a New York Mets and the young kids playing well, it does look like they have lost it.
Also, if the Padres can get King and Cease signed to long-term deals, it won't look too bad since they are both extensions of the trade.
In the end, both teams got exactly what they needed at the time they made it. Essentially, the Padres traded three future stars for one.
"They're not going to trade Juan Soto for any guy in particular," Tatis Jr. said. "But there was more about it, and they got some really good players, and shout out to AJ (Preller) for signing them, but it's part of the business."
