Front Row Seat: Padres haunted by their former prospects

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San Diego Padres

Nationals beat Padres behind big night by James Wood - San Diego Union-Tribune
By the time Wood, the former Padres prospect who went to Washington in 2022 in the trade for Juan Soto, hit a three-run homer that clanged off the right field foul pole in the eighth inning to put the almost-final touch on the Nationals’ 10-6 victory, there was no real overt reaction. And by the time Fernando Tatis Jr. launched a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to make the final score deceivingly close, the ballpark wasn’t a quarter full.

The Padres’ downfall was on this night mostly because their starting pitcher lost it midgame and most of the other pitchers they used never had it and because a talented but grossly inexperienced team had the kind of game it is capable of.

Nationals’ James Wood aims to make Padres regret trade - Field Level Media
After trading with the Washington Nationals for Juan Soto in 2022, the San Diego Padres reached the National League Championship Series for the first time since their World Series appearance in 1998.

But they Padres paid a hefty price for Soto’s considerable services, which lasted only 214 games. One of the prospects forked over for Soto was James Wood, who loudly reminded San Diego of what it gave up Monday night with a three-run homer and four RBIs in Washington’s 10-6 series-opening win.

Fernando Tatis Jr. sues Big League Advance Fund for exploitative business practices - The Athletic
San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. filed a legal complaint Monday against Big League Advance Fund and Big League Advantage, LLC (BLA), a company that offers players upfront payments in exchange for a percentage of future MLB earnings. Tatis owes millions to BLA after agreeing to a deal with them in 2017.

The complaint, filed in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego, seeks to hold BLA accountable for “exploitative, predatory business practices, which shamelessly push illegal loans on young, vulnerable athletes — most from economically disadvantaged Latin American countries,” according to a press release from Tatis’ legal team.

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