Padres making aggressive Juan Soto push with Josh Bell involved

With the 6 p.m. MLB trade deadline now just hours away, the San Diego Padres are making an aggressive push to land the market’s most coveted star.

The Post’s Jon Heyman reported the Padres and Washington Nationals are discussing a trade for Juan Soto that would include first baseman Josh Bell, with talks gaining momentum fast.

In what was perhaps the 23-year-old All-Star’s final game with the Nationals on Monday night, Soto showed sorrowful Washington fans what they’ll be missing if he gets dealt to another team. The slugging outfielder first displayed his cannon of an arm by throwing out Mets catcher Tomas Nido at the plate in the second inning. Then in the fourth, he took his former teammate Max Scherzer deep on a towering 421-foot shot.

The Padres have already been quite active in leadup to the trade deadline, acquiring Josh Hader, one of the best closers in the MLB, from the Brewers Monday afternoon. Albeit a big move, it may have only been an appetizer to their addition of a generational talent. 

Don’t miss a thing from the 2022 MLB trade deadline. The New York Post is tracking the latest news on all the big transactions — and Juan Soto trade rumors — with live updates and analysis.

Though now in the front running to land Soto, the Padres will still have to beat out the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals in order to obtain his talents. The acquisition of Bell, who boasts a .301/.384/.493 slash line this season, would be icing on the cake.