MLB Network analyst thinks 2 former Padres prospects will save Nats' Juan Soto trade

Juan Soto has made his way around the league over the past few years. It's odd, isn't it, that one of the best players in all of baseball has been passed around more than the old maid at a table full of kindergarteners?

Nonetheless, the San Diego Padres parted ways with Soto this past winter and got back a nice return from the New York Yankees. New York sent Drew Thorpe, Randy Vasquez, Michael King, Kyle Higashioka, and Jhony Brito to San Diego in exchange for Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham.

But before Soto landed in a Padres uniform, the slugger started his career in DC. The Friars paid a high price to pull the All-Star outfielder away from the Washington Nationals, and one MLB analyst believes the return the Nats received will start paying dividends very soon.

MLB Network analyst thinks former Padres prospects CJ Abrams & MacKenzie Gore will save Nats' Juan Soto trade

In case Padres fans have forgotten, the Nats acquired quite the haul for Soto (and Josh Bell) back in the summer of 2022. CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, James Wood, Jarlin Susana, and first baseman Luke Voit were all sent back to our nation's capital in exchange for what became a year-and-a-half of Soto.

Mark DeRosa of MLB Network is convinced that Gore will get hot during the month of May. But during the discussion, DeRosa also spoke about Abrams, believing that those two players will "completely revise the Juan Soto trade."

At the time of the trade, there were obvious questions about the Nats' willingness to let go of Soto. But Pads fans know all too well exactly why Washington decided to trade Soto. The Nationals offered Soto a long-term deal, and he rejected it. Knowing they weren't going to work out an extension, the Nats got the best return they could because Soto had 2.5 years attached to him. AJ Preller did the same thing this past winter knowing a team would pay a good price for a full year of the star slugger.

But seeing Abrams and Gore begin to come into their own has to rather frustrating for Padres fans. Wood has looked quite good down in the minor leagues as well, and Hasell III is off to a hot start with the Nationals' Double-A affiliate this season.

When all the dust settles, this entire trade could work out quite well for the Nats. DeRosa referred to Gore as a future Cy Young candidate, and Abrams is having an All-Star-caliber season.

With only an NLCS appearance to show for it, the Padres may have lost the Soto trade. But seeing as how Thorpe was part of this spring's trade package for Dylan Cease, maybe there's a bit of good that can come out of it after all.

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