Padres' AJ Preller Breaks Silence on James Wood's Success After Trading Him Away

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller spoke about the progress Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood has made since he was traded from the Padres as a major piece in the deal that brought Juan Soto to San Diego.

Wood was one of six players to head to the Nats in the deal, which also included All-Star shortstop C.J. Abrams and starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore. The Padres had Soto for a season and a half before dealing him to the New York Yankees after 2023.

“There was a lot of love for James," Preller said to The Athletic. "His family, mom and dad are great people. You always want really good things to happen to good people. I think that’s been clear from the time we took him, and then obviously into the minor leagues, we knew he was going to be a pretty special player and a pretty unique one.”

Wood has ripped the cover off the ball in 2025, tallying 22 home runs and 63 runs batted in this season. Both of those would lead the Padres by significant margins.

He is currently ninth in NL All-Star voting for outfielders, though there is a case that he is better than some of the players ahead of him.

Wood just finished his first series in San Diego as a major leaguer, playing against the team that drafted him. The Nats took one game against the Padres, during which Wood had a home run and four runs batted in. He went 3-for-13 in the series, with all three hits coming in the win.

The Padres have needed help in left field this season, as they traded Connor Joe and released Jason Heyward, who were their first two options on Opening Day. They've been fielding Gavin Sheets and Bryce Johnson in left, however, they still need an upgrade.

The Padres took the last two games against the Nationals, reclaiming the last Wild Card spot in the National League. They're 5.5 games back of the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, but have a chance to gain some ground Friday in their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at 4:10 p.m. PT.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.