Josh Palacios – the Juan Soto replacement for Washington Nationals

It is never easy following in the footsteps of a star when they leave a team. That is the situation that Josh Palacios now finds himself in with the Washington Nationals.

The Juan Soto Sweepstakes is over with the San Diego Padres landing the star outfielder, along with Josh Bell, for a package of prospects and Eric Hosmer. With those open roster spots, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reported that Palacios and Joey Meneses are on their way to Washington.

Josh Palacios in no win situation with Washington Nationals

Bell was expected to be traded from the beginning of the season. There had been speculation that would be the case since the offseason, making his departure something that everyone had seen coming for months. Soto, however, was a shock, with rumors of a trade starting just days ago.

While no one is going to replace one of the bright young stars of the game, that is how Palacios is going to be viewed in this context. He is hardly a kid at 27 years old, but has just 42 plate appearances in the majors, all of which came in 2021. He had just seven hits, none for extra bases, drawing three walks and striking out 11 times.

He has been better in the minors. While Palacios is not going to be a power threat, he does have a decent track record in the minors, making contact while showing decent speed. His ability to play all three spots in the outfield makes potentially makes him a solid fourth or fifth outfielder.

However, that is his ceiling. He is never going to be someone that will make a fanbase forget about a star player who is currently on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Unfortunately, that is what Palacios will be viewed as due to the timing of his return to the majors – the replacement for Juan Soto.

Josh Palacios is heading to the Washington Nationals now that Juan Soto has been traded. He is in a no win situation as Soto’s replacement.