Traded Padres star's latest Barry Bonds feat is just another gut punch

Following an emphatic series against his former team, Nationals' breakout star James Wood continues to impress. The former Padres top prospect, on the tails of hitting a home run against San Diego this past week, just became the first player since an all-time great to accomplish something only an intimidating slugger can attain.

Joining Barry Bonds, Wood was intentionally walked four times on Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels in the 7-4 road victory in extra innings. To be in the same conversation as Barry Bonds in anything related to hitting means that you are special. Did the Padres make a mistake trading Wood away? His rise to stardom has been scathing in 2025, which has been a tough pill to swallow for the Friars.

San Diego has faced a number of former Padres this past week, but Wood's tirade has been the one that is most difficult to watch. At just 22 years old, Wood is taking the league by storm this season, batting .283 with a .938 OPS, 22 home runs, 19 doubles, and 54 walks.

Wood is on pace for a near-8.0 bWAR campaign. He was part of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the Padres, which made sense in the moment for the organization. The Friars were pushing for a World Series ring that year, and if a team is pining for a guy like Soto, they need to cough up some top prospects.

Wood was obviously one of them, who is playing alongside other former Friars farmhands in CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore in Washington D.C.

What makes things sting even more watching Wood grow into an All-Star is that he is a left fielder. That position has been a thorn in the Padres' side in 2025, but if they held onto Wood, they would probably have the best outfield in baseball along with Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. Instead, San Diego is piecing things together in left field, which has included Jason
Heyward, Tyler Wade, and Brandon Lockridge playing that spot - which has dragged the lineup down quite a bit.