San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer held a no-trade clause heading into Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline. Initially headed to the Washington Nationals in the Juan Soto blockbuster, Hosmer declined to be dealt to the nation’s capital.
Hours later, and the high-priced veteran first baseman has a new home. According to multiple media reports, Hosmer has been dealt from San Diego to the Boston Red Sox. Boston was not one of the teams on his no-trade clause list.
In order to make this deal, San Diego is reportedly eating most of Hosmer’s salary over the next three years. The 32-year-old veteran is set to earn $39 million over that span.
Hosmer was made available after the Padres acquired fellow first baseman Josh Bell in the aforementioned Soto blockbuster. He initially signed an eight-year, $144 million deal with San Diego back in 2018.
- Eric Hosmer stats (2022): .272 average, 8 HR, 40 RBI, .726 OPS
It’s not yet known what the other moving parts are in this deal. Boston’s inclusion is interesting in that the team has been both a buyer and seller at the deadline. That included acquiring outfielder Tommy Pham from the Cincinnati Reds while sending its longest-tenured player in catcher Christian Vázquez to the Houston Astros.
Eric Hosmer and his impact on Juan Soto trade
San Diego needed to find a trade partner for Hosmer in order to move forward with the Soto trade. It did that by sending the veteran first baseman to Boston.
Previous reports suggested that the Padres were willing to eat his entire $39 million salary if Hosmer accepted a tade to the Nationals. It’s not yet known what percentage of his deal San Diego will pay right now.
Either way, the Padres had no need for Hosmer after acquiring Bell in the blockbuster with Washington. He now joins a Red Sox team that still has aspirations for contention moving forward on the season.