Reds fans breathe a sigh of relief after seeing the Cardinals miss out on Juan Soto

The San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals pulled off the biggest blockbuster trade in quite some time. Juan Soto is headed out west to join fellow All-Stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.

But what does this mean for the Cincinnati Reds? Not much, except that the fanbase can breathe a sigh of relief after seeing the St. Louis Cardinals miss out on trading for one of the best players in the game.

The Cardinals, along with the Los Angeles Dodgers, were assumed to be in the mix for Soto up until about an hour before the deal between the Padres and Nats was agreed upon. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Cardinals insistence to hang on to outfielder Dylan Carlson may have cost St. Louis the chance to land Soto.

Reds fans rejoice as Juan Soto is not going to the St. Louis Cardinals.

It was bad enough over the last few years to see the St. Louis Cardinals trade for perennial All-Star Paul Goldschmidt and then fleece the Colorado Rockies for Nolan Arenado, the best defensive third baseman in the league.

The National League Central has been overwhelming tilted in the Cardinals' direction for the better part of the last decade. Yes, the Chicago Cubs have had success and won a World Series. Yes, the Milwaukee Brewers have put together a winning team the past few seasons as well.

But the Cardinals have been the postseason in eight of the last 11 seasons. That includes two trips to the World Series with a win in 2011 and two more trips to the National League Championship Series. In St. Louis' three seasons that didn't end with a playoff appearance, the Cardinals still had a winning record.

So you'll forgive the Cincinnati Reds fanbase a bit of schadenfreude after watching the St. Louis Cardinals miss out on securing the services of a once-in-a-generation talent like Juan Soto. And now, back to Reds Trade Watch 2022.