Padres to trade for Nats' Juan Soto, Josh Bell

Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The San Diego Padres agreed to trade for Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell, completing one of the most anticipated deals of MLB's trade deadline.

Sources told MLB.com, ESPN and The Athletic about the agreement Tuesday afternoon.

Sources told the outlets that the Padres will send the Nationals left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood, shortstop C.J. Abrams, right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana and potentially another player in the swap.

Soto, a two-time All-Star, was the most sought-after player of the deadline. The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers were among the other teams bidding to acquire the star outfielder.

Soto, 23, is hitting .246 with 21 homers and 46 RBIs through 101 games this season. He hit .313 with 29 homers and 95 RBIs in 151 games last season. Soto led the National League with a .351 batting average in 47 games in 2020.

Bell, 29, is hitting .301 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs through 103 games this season. The 2019 All-Star owns a career .266 average with 127 home runs over seven seasons. He is set to become a free agent next off-season.

Gore, 23, was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. He is 4-4 this season with a 4.50 ERA in 16 appearances.

Abrams, 21, was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. He hit .232 with two homers and 11 RBIs through 46 games this season for the Padres. He hit .314 with seven homers and 28 RBIs in 30 games this season in Triple-A.

Hassell, 20, is the Padres' No. 1 prospect. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft hit .299 with 10 homers and 55 RBIs through 75 games this season for the Padres' Advanced-A affiliate.

Wood, 19, is the Padres No. 3 prospect. The second-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft hit .337 with 10 homers and 45 RBIs in 50 games this season in Single-A.

Susana, 18, is the Padres' No. 14 prospect. He posted a 2.45 ERA in eight appearances this season in rookie league play.

The Padres (58-46) will host the Colorado Rockies (46-58) in a doubleheader Tuesday at Petco Park in San Diego. The first game will start at 4:10 p.m. EDT.

The Nationals (35-69) will host the New York Mets (65-37) at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.