The Padres went all in at Tuesday’s Major League Baseball trade deadline, acquiring star outfielder Juan Soto and serving notice that they are legitimate World Series contenders.
Then the Padres went out and trounced the do-nothing Rockies 13-5 at Petco Park in the first game of a doubleheader, sending Colorado to its ninth loss in 12 games since the All-Star break.
Off the field, Colorado made news as the only team to not make a single trade at the deadline, despite the fact that with a 46-59 record, the Rockies are a season-high 13 games under .500 and it would take a miracle for them to get into the wild-card playoff hunt.
General manager Bill Schmidt explained that while the Rockies had discussions with a number of teams, they never found a deal worth making.
“At the end of the day, we weren’t able to pull anything off that we thought made us better at this point in time and going forward,” Schmidt said during a Zoom call. “So we decided to stay where we were.”
The Rockies have four players who are scheduled to become free agents at the end of the season: starting shortstop Jose Iglesias, starting pitcher Chad Kuhl and relievers Alex Colome and Carlos Estevez. If they walk away from Colorado, the Rockies will get nothing for them, not even minor-league prospects.
Asked about that, Schmidt said: “We made attempts to try to get better. And at the end of the day, we weren’t able to match up with clubs.”
When Schmidt was asked about the Rockies being the only team not to make a trade, he noted that on Saturday the Rockies signed closer Daniel Bard to a two-year, $19 million deal.
“We were also the only team, too, that signed a player to an extension at the deadline,” he said. “Twenty-nine other clubs didn’t sign anybody to an extension at the deadline.”
Actually, that’s not true. The Braves on Monday signed star third baseman Austin Riley to a 10-year, $212 million contract extension. The Padres also agreed to an extension with All-Star right-hander Joe Musgrove for five years and $100 million.
Schmidt repeatedly said that while his club has not lived up to hopes and expectations, he still thinks the Rockies are heading in the right direction.
“I believe in the club,” he said when asked what message he has for Rockies fans, who are watching the team struggle through its fourth consecutive losing season. “We haven’t performed to our expectations, but we are continuing to grow in a lot of areas. And I think the future is bright.”
For the Padres, however, the future is right now. They put all of their chips on the table, acquiring the 23-year-old Soto from the Nationals as part of a blockbuster deal. The Padres also landed Nationals first baseman Josh Bell.
Soto, who’s viewed as a generational talent and one of the best young hitters in baseball history, was a key player in the Nationals’ 2019 World Series title. In 2020, he hit .351 to win the National League batting title.
The trade cost the Padres a bundle. They sent rookie left-hander MacKenzie Gore, first baseman/DH Luke Voit and prospects James Wood, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana to Washington.
Voit was a late addition to the deal after Padres veteran first baseman Erick Hosmer wouldn’t waive a no-trade clause in his contract. Hosmer ended up being traded to Boston.
A.J. Preller, San Diego’s wheeler-dealer general manager, also traded for Cincinnati infielder Brandon Drury, who’s hit already hit a career-high 20 homers this season. On Monday, the Padres traded for Milwaukee closer Josh Hader.
Soto is hitting just .246 this season, a far cry from his .291 career average, but he leads the majors in walks and he’s the only active player to have more walks than strikeouts in his career.
Plus, Soto’s hit 21 homers this season, tied for eighth in the NL. As the trade rumors heated up, Soto got sizzling hot, slashing .315/.495/.616 with six home runs in July.
“The atmosphere here is they want to win, and not just go to the playoffs but win a World Series,” Hader told reporters in San Diego. “That’s a contagious atmosphere to be a part of.”
Schmidt conceded that the Rockies can’t compete with the Dodgers and the Padres in the National League West, at least not financially.
“I think we are who we are,” he said. “We all try to stay up with the Joneses but sometimes you can’t do that, right? We’re not financially in that situation. So we’re going to do the best we can with the resources we have.”
