Padres GM A.J. Preller breaks silence on Juan Soto trade as James Wood, MacKenzie Gore & CJ Abrams deliver statement performances in San Diego

In early August 2022, the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals were involved in a trade, which has proven to have significant implications for both teams in the years to come.

The trade involved superstar Juan Soto, then one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in the league, who made his way from Washington to San Diego along with Josh Bell. In exchange, top prospects James Wood, CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Luke Voit, Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana went the other way.

Prioritizing winning in the present over developing their best prospects, San Diego's trade for Juan Soto ultimately failed to bring them the World Series title they craved, and the Dominican eventually moved on after a season and a half.

Some of the prospects the Padres let go of, such as James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore, have gone on to become important players for the Nationals, and are exactly the kind of profiles that could have been excellent fits in the Padres' current squad.

For those reasons, many fans and experts alike have often discussed how Soto's trade is one the Padres might be regretting in hindsight. However, Padres GM A.J. Preller is of the contrary opinion.

"Honestly. I think in the baseball ops group we look back with a lot of pride and not regret." A.J. Preller said, as reported by Dennis Lin of 'The Athletic'

A.J. Preller speaks to the press - Source: Getty

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A.J. Preller claims NLCS run in 2022 made Juan Soto trade worthwhile for the Padres

Though Juan Soto's trade failed to help San Diego capture their first World Series title, according to A.J. Preller, making it to the NLCS for only the third time in franchise history made the whole deal worthwhile, despite giving up arguably their best homegrown players in the process.

"You’re hoping that we could trade for Juan Soto with none of those guys (Wood, Abrams, Gore) in there, but we know that’s not realistic. We had a team that ended up getting to the NLCS for the third time in franchise history and was three games away from a World Series." A.J. Preller said

"From day one, I’ve talked about playing on the big stage. That’s what it’s about for our franchise, is getting to a World Series and winning a World Series for San Diego." Preller added

Juan Soto in action for the San Diego Padres back in 2023 - Source: Getty

Still aiming to win their first World Series, San Diego currently finds themselves in second place in the NL West with a 44-36 record, aiming to make the playoffs via the NL Wildcard, just like they did in 2024.