DENVER -- The Padres didn’t dominate Deadline Day like they did last year. But their prized acquisition from last year’s Trade Deadline sure did.
It was a year ago Wednesday that Juan Soto arrived in San Diego in the blockbuster of all blockbusters. He celebrated that anniversary a day early, going deep twice on Tuesday in the Padres’ 8-5 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field.
“It feels great,” Soto said. “Since Day 1, they’ve made me feel like I’m home, and I feel good right here. It’s been a really fun ride. I’ve enjoyed every moment, the ups and downs.”
And, yes, the ups and downs have been plentiful. It took Soto some time to acclimate in San Diego. He posted a .778 OPS down the stretch last season, well below his career average (though he still authored quite a few memorable October moments as the Padres advanced to their first NLCS in 24 years).
Soto started the 2023 season slowly, too, but after a rough April, he again looks every bit the generational hitter he was in Washington -- the generational hitter the Padres acquired him to be.
“It’s not easy getting traded midway through a season when you’re leaving and you’ve been a part of an organization for a really long time,” said Manny Machado -- who would know, having himself been dealt from the Orioles to the Dodgers in 2018. “A lot of new faces, and it takes you a little bit of time to get adjusted to it. We all know what he can do on the field. I think that speaks for itself.”
It sure does. Soto leads the team with 22 home runs and a .944 OPS. His 98 walks are the most in the Majors by a wide margin. Two-thirds of the way through the season, he’s two shy of becoming the first Padre since Adrián González in 2009 with a 100-walk campaign.
Some nights Soto does it with patience, others with power. On Tuesday, it was the latter. Soto’s two-homer night was his second in as many weeks (He had also done so on July 21 in Detroit).
In the top of the fifth inning, Soto launched a three-run blast just to the left of straightaway center a projected 431 feet, giving the Padres a 5-1 lead. Three innings later, he went deep to practically the same spot, but farther -- 438 feet, for a crucial insurance run.
“I’ve been feeling really good the last couple weeks,” Soto said. “I’ve been swinging the bat well, hitting the ball hard and everything. It’s been feeling great.”
The Padres, of course, surrendered an all-time trade package to acquire Soto, along with Josh Bell, a year ago. But their confidence never wavered, even if Soto struggled at the outset. He was still Juan Soto, wasn’t he?
“We’ve seen between then and now what he’s capable of doing,” said manager Bob Melvin. “Nights like this are kind of his signature. Apropos maybe, on the day of the Deadline, that he has a game like this.”