Padres Could Shake Up MLB Playoff Race If Latest Juan Soto Trade Rumors Are True

Major League Baseball's August 2 trade deadline is nearly here, and Juan Soto remains available.

Soto is unquestionably the biggest name on the trade block and the sort of young, rising star who doesn't land there often. The 23-year-old won this year's Home Run Derby, won the NL batting title in 2020 and won a World Series ring in 2019.

However, the Washington Nationals are stuck in the NL basement and looking to jump-start their latest rebuild. The Athletic's Jim Bowden, reported last week that the Nationals could potentially land an unprecedented haul:

"They have made it clear they will make a trade only if it positively impacts their organization in both the long term and short term. In return for Soto, the Nationals want multiple major leaguers and top prospects but also to offload the bad contract of pitcher Patrick Corbin, according to sources."

The New York Yankees—who are rarely afraid to spend big for top talent—have been linked to Soto. According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, however, New York isn't considered one of the favorites:

Instead, the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres appear to be the leaders in the Soto race. Soto landing in L.A. wouldn't be a shock. Like the Yankees, the Dodgers have been more than willing to spend—they already lead the league in 2022 payroll, according to Spotrac.

However, it could be the rival Padres who actually have the edge in landing Soto. At least, that's the latest from ESPN's Buster Olney:

While Soto landing in San Diego might not excite casual fans quite like a move to New York or L.A., it could add some major intrigue to the playoff race. San Diego is vying for a wild-card spot, but it has the pieces in place to be a dangerous club heading into the postseason.

The Padres sit at 10 games over .500 and have survived the absence of All-Star Fernando Tatis, Jr., who suffered a broken wrist in the offseason. Strong pitching has helped San Diego's cause tremendously. As of Thursday, the Padres ranked eighth in the majors with a collective ERA of 3.78.

Having Tatis, who batted .282 with 42 home runs last season, back in the lineup will help tremendously. Tatis returned to batting practice on Tuesday.

Adding Soto to a lineup that includes Tatis and Manny Machado would give San Diego a formidable offense for the stretch run. Machado has hit .299 with 54 RBI this season. Soto has hit .400 with 45 RBI and 20 home runs.

This theoretical trio would be tough to pitch around and should significantly boost the Padre's batting, which ranked 18th with a collective .240 average as of Thursday. Combining that with a quality pitching staff would make San Diego one of the more interesting NL teams over the next couple of months.

Would it be enough to catch the Dodgers in the division? Perhaps not, but it would make the Padres a club that no one wants to face in the playoffs. Acquiring Soto would also keep him away from Los Angeles, which would at least give the Padres a fighting chance in the NL West.

It would also keep Soto away from the Cardinals, who are on San Diego's heels for the second NL wild-card spot.

The Dodgers would almost certainly run away with the division with Soto on the roster and would become arguably the team to beat in the National League.

The big question is whether the Padres are willing to pay the price to make a trade and the price to keep Soto long-term. Soto recently rejected a 15-year, $440 million offer from Washington, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

The good news is that San Diego wouldn't necessarily have to commit a massive salary share to Soto right away. He's under team control through the 2024 season. If the Padres can pull off a Soto trade now, though, they could start dreaming about the World Series immediately.