Padres rumos: Josh Bell AND Juan Soto at the MLB trade deadline?

The San Diego Padres have been heavily tied to the Washington Nationals with Juan Soto, but now they may be after first baseman Josh Bell too.

According to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, there is a “growing sense” that the Padres are the most likely team to land Soto and they may acquire Bell as well.

The Padres could benefit from Bell since they need an upgrade at first base.

Josh Bell could be the upgrade at first base the Padres need

Current San Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer has been underperforming this season. He started the season well, hitting .389/.457/.597 by the end of April, but quickly plummeted. By the end of July, he hit .254/.338/.366.

Josh Bell, on the other hand, is having one of his best seasons. Overall this season, he’s hitting .301/.384/.493 for an OPS of .877. He’s hit 14 home runs, seven of which were in June. He’d undoubtedly be a major upgrade at first base, and he’d bring needed power to the lineup in San Diego.

If Soto is acquired with him, the Padres could quickly become a threat in the league. They already have FanGraphs playoff odds of 84.8 percent, but they lack sluggers and adding a few more will make a major difference.

Several teams were targeting Soto after he turned down a 15-year $440 million extension. He’s currently one of the best players in MLB, despite having one of the worst seasons of his career. He’s hitting .246/.408/.485 for an OPS of .893 and also won the 2022 Home Run Derby.

The Padres seem to be strategically addressing the areas where the team needs help, and landing Soto and Bell would fix some major issues.