In August 2022, the Nationals were removed for three years from an unlikely World Series victory. But that was the beginning of the end. A year ago, Washington shipped Trea Turner and Max Scherzer in a massive trade with the Dodgers, earning large leads in return. Juan Soto was one of the final major contributors of the championship team and was expected to win one of the most important contracts in MLB history.
Just two hours before the trade deadline passed, Juan Soto found headlines for his deal with San Diego for several prospects. Washington was fully committed to rebuilding, while San Diego had gathered together the World Series caliber team.
Full Trade Package:
The Padres get:
- Juan Soto (2x All-Star, second in MVP-2021, 3x Silver Slugger)
- 1b Josh Bell (1x All Stars)
The Nationals get:
- SS CJ Abrams (MLB No. 9 overall)
- LHP Mackenzie Gore (San Diego’s No. 4 starter)
- Robert Hassell LLL (MLB No. 21 overall)
- James Wood (MLB No. 88 as a whole)
- RHP Jarlin Susana (14th in San Diego)
- 1b Luke Voight (San Diego’s first base hand)
In August, we will mark the three years since this huge hit trade. Washington was a complete restructuring after this deal, ending with a 71-91 record in 2023 and 2024. But with direct success from this massive trade, things are beginning to change for the right direction for Washington.
Let’s dive into the Washington Nationals’ Juan Soto return and details what has happened to each player since the trade and where their careers are now.
The Nationals are back for Juan Soto:
CJ Abrams: At the time of trade, Abrams is set to be a long-term production for the people to move forward, heading into the season as an overall prospect for all ninth place in baseball. Abrams quickly found his role as a starting shortstop on the MLB roster, solidifying his spot with the Washington lineup.
Abrams’ improvements were seen in his offensive game. He struggled at first in Washington, but in 2024 Abrams found a groove offensively and finished the season with 110 WRC+, becoming an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Abrams has reopened the 2025 season, building an All-Star season and will become a key contributor for Washington.
James Wood: Wood soared through minors and dominated the competition. Wood has ultimately become one of the best prospects in MLB, with some rankings as high as top prospects before being first invited to the Major League squad in 2024.
With 79 games, Wood posted 123 OPS+ in 2024, launching his 22-year-old career strong. The 22-year-old is considered Washington’s next big star, just like Juan Soto.
Wood has lived up to the hype so far in 2025, posting 1.010 OPS throughout the first two weeks of the team’s season. The sky is at its limit as James Wood is about to play his first full season in 2025.
Mackenzie Gore: Like Abrams, Gore enters his first role and becomes the ace of the future citizen. The 23-year-old did not pitch for the public in 2022 due to inflammation in the elbow. However, in 2023, Gore will start 27 games with ERA 4.42 and 96 ERA+.
Gore started 32 games in 2024, finishing with a 3.90 ERA and 103 ERA+. Gore received his first opening day start in his short MLB career, and he showed the level of pitchers he can do every level of baseball.
2025 is off to a great start at the new age of 26, with a 2.65 ERA through his first three starts. Mackenzie Gore aims to become Washington’s ace for the near future.
Robert Hassell Lll: After being drafted 8th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft, Hassel was set to be one of the major return works of the trade nation. At the time, Hassel was ranked MLB’s 21st overall outlook.
2024 was a big year for former top prospects, jumping from High A to Triple A and having a successful year in the Minor and Arizona Fall League.
Hassel has ups and downs in the Washington system, watching other players like James Wood and Dylan Crew (2024 first round picks) make calls to MLB in front of him.
At 23, Hassel has a solid start in Rochester in 2025, potentially winning calls to major league teams with consistent performance.
Jarlin Susana: While being the youngest player in the trade, Susana will become one of the top pitching prospects in the Washington system. Susana has posted a 4.17 ERA in the minor leagues up to 2025, starting this season with Double-A. His 100 mph fastball makes him a very interesting arm.
Currently ranked No. 76th in baseball, Susana is projected to make her major league debut in 2026, and could be a key part of her future rotation in Washington.
Padres Return:
Juan Soto: At this time of trade, Juan Soto was one of the brightest young stars in all of baseball, and Soto was living in the hype. 2022 was a down year for Soto’s standards, finishing the season with .853 OPS and struggling with San Diego.
In Soto’s only full season with San Diego, he scored a career-high 35 runs hits and finished with a .930 OPS. This season has proven to be a successful season for San Diego, making NLC before falling for the Philadelphia Phillies.
After an epic season, Soto is treated by San Diego nationwide by the New York Yankees. He somehow improved from the 2023 season, finishing third in the AL MVP after beating a new career-high 41 runs. He and New York fell for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series.
Soto became a free agent for the first time in the 2025 offseason, becoming one of the most popular free agents in recent memory. Soto got the payday he’d always wanted and signed a $765 million MLB Record deal from the New York Mets. Juan Soto, just 26 years old, could be the best ever, always remembering him for bringing his first World Series to Washington.
Josh Bell: At the time, Bell was handed over to the Padres, and for his career years he had .877 OPS and 152 WRC+. However, once he joined the Padres, Bell struggled for the rest of the season and posted a -0.5 war.
Bell signed with Cleveland for the 2023 season and was treated by the Miami Marlins at the 2023 trade deadline. The previous All-Star was treated again, heading to the Diamondbacks in Arizona at the 2024 trade deadline.
In 2025, Josh Bell and the Washington Nationals reunited, and Bell won a full-time designated batsman spot at the start of 2025, fulfilling it as a much-needed upgrade for Washington.
Conclusion
The Washingtonians have been rebuilt ever since the Soto trade. Washington scored 71-91 records in 2023 and 2024. However, the beginning of the 2025 season has given fans a different feeling than in recent years.
Aside from a series victory with the Dodgers, fans see the true potential for superstar Juan Soto’s trade return. But the future is bright and has a young lineup with plenty of room for growth. As Hassel and Susana advance to become contributors in the near future, Abrams, Gore and Wood look like the future of their nation.
Ask Nationals fans and they tell them that Washington has come to the top in this blockbuster trade. Despite my need to agree, Juan Soto’s career was incredible.
What do you guys think about the Juan Soto trade and how it pans out almost three years later? Please comment below!
