For the better part of a month, MLB has been consumed with discussions about how to appropriately value Juan Soto: If a team is intent on trading a generational talent who may have yet to enter his prime, a 23-year-old superstar, what’s a fair return? Is there a fair return? Finally, hours before the deadline hit on Tuesday, baseball found its answer. After plenty of buzz from teams like the Cardinals and Dodgers, the winner in the end was the Padres, who stepped up and paid out big.
The Padres get Soto and first baseman Josh Bell—a valuable trade candidate in his own right thanks to his performance at the plate this year.