San Diego Padres news: Juan Soto shines in return, Padres on path to Cooperstown, Julio Teheran lands
After the San Diego Padres flexed their muscles with a 7-4 road win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night, let's take a look at some of the latest news and notes surrounding the team.
San Diego Padres: Juan Soto shines in return to D.C.
We knew many of the storylines this week would surround Soto's return to face the Nationals for the second time after being traded to San Diego during the 2022 MLB trade deadline. On Tuesday, Soto was welcomed back with a nice ovation before settling in to do some damage against his former club.
Soto blasted a 441-foot home run, one of four homers hit by the Padres to pace the victory, and finished the night 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. His three hits were part of 12 registered by the Padres in the win, which marked the first time San Diego had captured consecutive victories since May 3-5.
San Diego Padres news: Julio Teheran lands in Milwaukee
On Tuesday, we shared the news that Teheran had opted out of his minor league deal with the Padres. It didn't take long for the 32-year-old right-hander to land with another team and get another chance to pitch in an MLB game.
Now we'll watch to see how Teheran performs with the Brewers. If (and that's a big if) it's a success, you can believe Padres fans will be wondering if San Diego made a mistake by not including him as part of their pitching plan earlier in the season.
Are these San Diego Padres on a path to Cooperstown?
Take a look at this list from Jayson Stark of The Athletic and you will see a couple of current Padres on the list.
Now the question becomes which other members of the Padres might have just missed the list. Will the recent issues surrounding Fernando Tatis Jr. keep him out of the Hall of Fame discussion when the time comes (and if his career keeps moving forward at a Hall of Fame level)? What about 30-year-old Xander Bogaerts? Is there a chance he could move into the conversation?
What about Machado and Soto? Are they in the right spots? Should they be ranked higher or lower? Let us know your thoughts by connecting with us on Twitter here.