Dazzling Deadline Day prompts new set of questions

SAN DIEGO -- On Monday, the Padres traded for Josh Hader and extended Joe Musgrove. Turns out, that was merely the opening act.

The main event was Trade Deadline Day -- and a franchise-altering deal that saw Juan Soto and Josh Bell land in San Diego in an eight-player blockbuster on Tuesday.

The Padres responded with an emphatic 13-5 victory over the Rockies in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Petco Park, moving 13 games above .500 (59-46). When the dust had finally settled on a busy Tuesday afternoon, there were still a number of lingering questions about what the Soto deal means for the future of the franchise. Here are four of them:

1. Could the Padres extend Soto?
Perhaps this is a question for another day. But it's a big question for another day.

In the here and now, the Padres can simply be content with acquiring Soto. He's one of the best players in the game, under contract for the next 2 1/2 seasons, and he instantly boosts the Padres' World Series odds.

• The 10 biggest trades in Padres history

But soon enough -- perhaps even this offseason -- the extension questions surrounding Soto will re-emerge. He turned down a 15-year contract from the Nationals worth $440 million. That’s what prompted Washington to explore the possibility of a trade in the first place.

The Padres, of course, already have quite a bit of future capital tied up in Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. But they gave up a historic haul of prospects to acquire Soto. It was the type of package you don't give up unless you're acquiring a potential Hall of Famer -- and planning on keeping him around.

“We’re looking at it as three years, three pennant races of maybe the best hitter in the game,” Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said. “That’s a long time. … We’ll figure out down the road what that means, long-term commitment. … When the time is right, I’m sure we’ll have those conversations.”

2. Where does Fernando Tatis Jr. fit?
Smack dab in the middle of the lineup, of course.

“It’s going to be fun,” Tatis said. “I feel like we’re going to put up a show. It’s going to be really fun to watch.”

But what about the other side of the ball? When Tatis returns from the injured list, perhaps as soon as next week, what position does he play?

It's a question worth asking because -- for all the moves the Padres made -- they didn't upgrade their center-field situation. On top of that, they've gotten some outstanding play from Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop.

Tatis has made it clear that he views himself as a shortstop first and foremost. But while he has spent the past few months recovering from his left wrist fracture, he has taken regular reps in the outfield, and he even seemed somewhat open to the possibility of a temporary switch.

Tatis is one of the sport's premier athletes. The Padres feel confident he could handle just about any position they ask him to play. Will that be shortstop? Will that be center field? Will that be some combination of the two, with the righty-hitting Kim and the lefty-hitting Trent Grisham creating some form of a platoon around them? Stay tuned.

3. What does the first base/DH situation look like?
When you trade for Soto, you aren't too concerned if you must part with Eric Hosmer and Luke Voit to do so. But, well, the Padres did part with Eric Hosmer and Luke Voit -- their starting first baseman and DH, respectively.

So how do they line up without those two? Well, it helps that they've acquired Bell, and it helps that Bell has made significant strides defensively at first base this season. Wil Myers also returned from the injured list on Monday and has been flawless in two games at first base since his return.

One of those two will presumably emerge as the team's regular first baseman; the other, as its regular DH.

But with Soto's arrival, Jurickson Profar and Nomar Mazara only have one spot -- left field -- to play between them. Perhaps Profar, who has some experience at first base, could play there on occasion. Newly acquired Brandon Drury also has spent time at first base.

In essence, the Padres now have five players -- Bell, Myers, Profar, Mazara and Drury -- available for three spots nightly.

4. How much has the Dodgers gap narrowed?
That's really what all this is about, isn't it? The Padres are trying to overtake the Dodgers as the National League West's preeminent powerhouse.

That's unlikely to happen in the standings this season, with San Diego facing a deficit of 11 1/2 games in the NL West race. But the Padres made these moves with the postseason in mind. To that end, they think they've made serious strides in the past 48 hours.

"It's definitely a lot of added confidence," Musgrove said of the team's Deadline dealings. "You look at some of the other rosters around the league, especially up north with the Dodgers. Sometimes you look at that and say, 'Gosh, this is going to be tough. We're going to have to play our best baseball every single night, and there's no room for error.’

"I feel like with the couple additions we've made, it's a very even playing field right now."

It won't be long before we find out. The Padres head to Los Angeles for a three-game series at Dodger Stadium beginning Friday night.