Washington Nationals stars showing the Padres what they missed out on

James Wood and CJ Abrams led the Nats to victory and showed Padres fans what could have been

Last night in San Diego, James Wood and CJ Abrams put on a show as the Nationals beat the Padres 10-6. I couldn’t help but think what Padres fans were thinking as they watched two of their draft picks dominate them. The Padres are a better baseball team than the Nats, there is no disputing that. However, whenever the Nationals come to town they are reminded of what could have been.

Of course, I am talking about the monumental trade the two teams made almost three years ago now that sent Juan Soto to San Diego. The Nationals got an historically great package of prospects and young big leaguers. While Mike Rizzo has not made the adequate moves to surround those pieces, the pieces themselves have turned into stars.

Last night two of them showed off their talent in San Diego. Both Wood and Abrams had three hit nights. Abrams worked as a table setter, something he has been doing very well recently. He had three singles and stole a base to raise his average to .284 and his OPS to .843.

Abrams has become one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball. While Abrams is providing a lot of value to the Nats, the overpriced Xander Bogaerts is struggling in San Diego. The Padres are a good ball club, but they could use a CJ Abrams.

However, if you ask a Padres fan who they really miss, they will all tell you about James Wood. The Nats 22 year old slugger is putting up a season for the ages right now. In 79 games, Wood has 22 homers 61 RBI’s and a .948 OPS. He is already one of the best hitters in baseball and is the best left fielder in the sport.

Meanwhile, the Padres have a hole in left field. Gavin Sheets played there last night. While he has been having an impressive year with the bat, he is more of a 1B/DH type. He is not a natural left fielder. That is why the Padres have been targeting Jarren Duran of the Red Sox. They want to have Jake Cronenworth at second base, Sheets at first base and Luis Arraez at DH.

If they had a James Wood, this problem would not exist and they would not be looking to ship out major prospect capital to get a Duran. Instead, they would have the best outfield in baseball with Wood, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr.

Wood showed the Padres what they were missing last night with his three hit four RBI performance. His night was capped off by a towering home run down the right field line that made fans ooh and ahh.

Last night Abrams and Wood went 6/10 and terrorized the team that drafted them. I am sure it made AJ Preller sick to his stomach. While the Padres are a good team, imagine what could have been.

This is a trade that has transformed the fortunes of both clubs greatly. It is hard to imagine how grim Nationals baseball would be if they did not get this seismic return. They would be on the floor with the likes of the Rockies. The Nats still aren’t great, but at least these guys give the franchise hope for the future.

For the Padres, the Soto trade was a massive swing that did not work out. A commendable roll of the dice, but it was not enough. While they beat the Dodgers in the playoffs in 2022, they did not get that elusive first World Series title.

They did well to pivot after the 2023 season. San Diego got a good haul for Soto from the Yankees. They received a package highlighted by pitchers Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Drew Thorpe. King and Vasquez are fixtures in the Padres rotation, with King being a high end arm. Thorpe was part of the package that sent Dylan Cease to San Diego.

So it was not all bad for the Padres. However, King and Cease are free agents after the season and this looks like the Padres last chance to make a deep run. If they had the likes of Wood, Abrams and Gore, that window would be extended.

Last night was a chance for Padres fans to see what could have been and a chance for Nats fans to see their young stars on full display. The Nationals still have a long way to go before competing again, but the Juan Soto trade gave the organization a much needed glimmer of hope. At least the Nationals have their foundational pieces thanks to the San Diego Padres.