Fernando Tatis Jr. unsurprised by Nationals outfielder's growth after Juan Soto trade: "I saw what James Wood was capable of"

Juan Soto had called Fernando Tatis Jr. the most complete player in MLB. The duo played together for a season and a half with the San Diego Padres. Soto's arrival in Padres midway through the 2022 season came via a blockbuster trade that sent several prospects to the Washington Nationals.

CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell, James Wood, Jarlín Susana, and Luke Voit went to the Nationals in exchange for Soto and Josh Bell. Wood is having a breakout season now, and Tatis Jr. has great things to say about him.

"I saw him, and then I was in rehab, and we were in there together. I saw what he was capable of, and I’m definitely not surprised by what he’s doing. I’m just really happy how he’s playing baseball right now," Fernando Tatis Jr. said of Wood before the Padres' game against the Nationals on Monday. (From 2:11)

The 26-year-old pointed out that the Nationals wouldn't have given up Juan Soto for anyone, and the prospects they took were indeed a great choice. He also noted that losing prospects for big-name players is part of the business.

Soto arrived at the Padres after declining a massive $440,000,000 contract extension with the Nationals. Soto's agent, Scott Boras, and the late Padres owner Peter Seidler had plans to extend Soto long-term.

However, his untimely death halted those plans. Soto left the Padres for a season with the Yankees in 2024 before signing a blockbuster $765,000,000 deal with the New York Mets.

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Fernando Tatis Jr. hails Manny Machado for playing through a tough stretch with the Padres

The San Diego Padres are at the end of a tough stretch that will see them play 26 games in 27 days. June 12 is the only day the team had an off day during this tough stretch.

Preluding the matchup against the Nationals, Fernando Tatis Jr. faced questions about the tough schedule.

"It's really hard," Tatis Jr. said [From 1:12]. "But you know it's part of what we have to do over here and what we sign for. It's part of the grind, and obviously doing it right next to a guy like Manny is really special, 'cause the man, the guy shows up every single day trying to win a ballgame in different ways. You learn from that, and you just want to do the same thing."

Fernando Tatis Jr. was on a hot streak at the beginning of the season, with many predicting him to be Shohei Ohtani's biggest threat. However, things have calmed down since, and Manny Machado has been the X factor.

Edited by Dipayan Moitra