After rejecting Nats trade, Hosmer heads to Boston (report)

Hours before the Trade Deadline, Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer invoked his partial no-trade clause to reject his trade to the Nationals as part of the agreed-upon deal that has All-Stars Juan Soto and Josh Bell headed to San Diego, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. But later in the afternoon, Feinsand reported that Hosmer is instead heading to the Red Sox.

Neither San Diego nor Boston has confirmed the deal, and the return is not yet known. Hosmer is owed $39 million from 2023-25. Cash and/or prospects will also be moving from San Diego to Boston in the deal, per source.

Hosmer was originally part of a return of six players going to Washington in the Soto trade, which is still expected to be completed despite Hosmer’s decision. Hosmer’s no-trade protection stems from the eight-year, $144 million deal he signed with the Padres in February 2018, then the largest contract in franchise history. He had a full no-trade clause for the first three years of the deal, followed by more limited no-trade protection in the remaining years. The Red Sox were not on Hosmer’s 10-team no-trade list, so the Padres did not need his approval for the swap.