Juan Soto’s first order of business with the San Diego Padres was securing jersey No. 22. Padres reliever Nick Martinez wore the number prior to the acquisition of Soto. So, Soto started negotiations with him shortly after word broke he got traded to San Diego.
Before the 23-year old slugger arrived to the Padres, he was able to work out a deal by agreeing to buy Martinez “something,” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee.
“That number means a lot to me,” Martinez told Acee. “It means a lot to him. It’s too bad I wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime generational player.”
And that’s what Soto is. It’s rare a player of Soto’s caliber becomes available. But, that’s what the Washington Nationals did despite having 2.5 years of team control on the 2022 Home Run Derby champion.
“He’s gonna buy me something,” Martinez added. “We win the World Series, I’ll probably forget all about it. And he’s definitely a guy that can help us win the World Series.”
Soto rejected a historic 15-year, $440 million contract offer from Washington last month, prompting the club to field calls. The Padres paid the high asking price, sending veteran Luke Voit along with five top-end prospects to the Nationals for Soto and Josh Bell.
Martinez said he started high in negotiations, sending Soto a picture of a boat. Eventually, negotiations brought the asking price down.
Soto has worn the No. 22 since making his MLB debut at the age of 19 in 2018. He primarily batted cleanup throughout the 2019 season as the Nationals claimed their first World Series title.
Now, the Padres hope to get the same return from Soto. They have a good chance as Bell and he join Manny Machado, a returning Fernando Tatis and Brandon Drury, who the Padres acquired on Tuesday as well in a trade.
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