Fathers make another switch, acquire Joe Musgrove from the pirates in a three-team deal

There is a chance, and then there is going for it. The Fathers are going for it. In this off-season alone, San Diego strengthened its rotation with Blake Snell of the Rays and Yu Darvish of the Cubs. The Fathers also signed the Korean shortstop Ha-Seong Kim for four years.

These three add to the acquisition they added in the negotiation deadline for last season, which included Mike Clevinger – who will lose 2021 after Tommy John’s surgery – and catcher Austin Nola, among others.

On Monday, they attacked again, acquiring the right-handed Joe Musgrove from Pirates in a three-team deal that sent Joey Lucchesi to the Mets and four prospects – led by candidate number 8 Hudson Head – to Pittsburgh. Pirates will receive Mets catcher Endy Rodriguez in exchange for Lucchesi to guarantee them a fifth chance at the deal. Athletic’s Dennis Lin and San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee were the first to report the players involved.

It is the homecoming of Musgrove, who grew up in San Diego and was recruited at Grossmont High, about 20 minutes east of Petco Park in 2011.

PRIEST ACQUIRE

Joe Musgrove, RHP
Was: 28

Musgrove gives the Fathers the established back-end starter they needed to complete their rotation. The 6-foot-5 right-handed posted an ERA of 3.86 over eight matches in 2020 with the highest strikeout rate (12.5 K / 9) of his career, although he also had the highest walk rate (3 , 6 BB / 9) of his career. Despite the modest speed of the fastball that reaches an average of 92-93 mph, Musgrove accumulates swings and errors and gentle contact with the best of them. His average outlet speed of 85.1 mph in 2020 was at the 93rd percentile of major leagues, and his 33% elimination rate was at the 90th percentile. His four-seater fastball plays with an excellent spin rate and he keeps his hitters guessing with a varied arsenal that includes a sinker, slider, curveball, changeup and cutter. Its particular slider is a wipeout, swing-and-miss shot against right-handers and its curved ball neutralizes lefties. Musgrove missed a month in 2020 with inflammation of the right triceps, but showed his durability with 170.1 entries in 2019. He is under the team’s control for two more seasons and will enter the Padres rotation behind Snell, Darvish, Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack. In the case of Lamet, who received an injection of platelet-rich plasma after losing the postseason, being unable to launch in 2021, the deal will give them the necessary coverage with another durable starter.

PIRATES ACQUIRE

Hudson Head, OF
Was: 19

Head, the Fathers’ third round pick in 2019, is a nervous and dynamic athlete who played as a defender at his school and had one of the fastest bat speeds in the Fathers system. He has a lot of movement on the swing and some evaluators question whether this will prevent him from making a better shot, but he has the speed of the bat to get to speed even with all his extra movement. Head has surprising brute strength in its slender structure and can grow even more. He has an extremely aggressive approach that will need to be moderate and is equally aggressive on the field, where he shows speed and athletic ability to play in the center of the field, but is prone to making the wrong decisions because he plays very fast, especially when diving. Head’s pure athletics and baton speed give him the chance to become a daily outfielder, as long as he makes the necessary adjustments with experience. He is expected to make his full-season debut at Low-A in 2021.

Omar Cruz, LHP
Was: 21

Cruz was defined as potential Padres # 23 and was climbing the list after his bunch of off-season negotiations. The skilled southpaw sat at 136 km / h when he was 17 years old when the Fathers purchased his rights to the Mexico City franchise from the Mexican League and has since increased to 89-93 km / h. He rode that speed bump to 2.76 ERA in 10 starts at Low-A Fort Wayne in 2019 and impressed during the instructional league in 2020. Cruz’s fastball plays with carry through the zone and gets swings and errors despite speed modest. Its main weapon is a large curved ball that is in the mid 70s, but that should add strength as it gets stronger. He completes his arsenal with a change that shows the average potential and ties everything together with the medium control. Cruz has the qualities of a back-of-rotation starter as his material continues to progress. He is expected to open 2021 at High-A, although he is a strong competitor who has a chance to rise quickly.

David Bednar, RHP
Was: 26

Bednar was a 35th round pick that saw Cinderella rise to the majors, although success eluded him, with an ERA of 6.75 out of 17 career relief appearances. Bednar’s fastball is 95-96 mph and its 80-year-old divider is its primary secondary. Bednar is at his best when he keeps his things in the zone, but he often left his fastball and divider in the middle of the plate on the majors. If the Pirates can help him stay out of the middle and improve his curved ball well below average, he has a chance to emerge as a solid relief option.

Drake Fellows, RHP
Was: 22

The Padres’ sixth round pick at Vanderbilt in 2019, Fellows has a swing-and-miss game, but also poor quality control. He finished fifth in the SEC in eliminations as the primary holder of the Commodores as a junior, but he also led the conference in wild and hitting strokes. Fellows works with a low-90 sinker and a more slider that receives swings and errors. He will need to improve his quickball command and change in marginal average to remain an initiator, but his sinker and slider give him a chance to do this as a reliever, even if they don’t.

Endy Rodriguez, C
Was: 20

Rodriguez qualified as the Mets’ No. 20 prospect after a strong showing in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2019 and the educational league in 2020. He played in the outfield, first base and catcher, but is settling in an established role behind the plate with good flexibility, strong hands and improved technique. He has a normal arm. The Rodriguez who hits the switch has a good balance on the board, a sense of contact and recognizes pitches. He still has a slender build and his offensive projection depends on how he matures physically, but an average hitter with double-digit home run power is not out of the question. Rodriguez promises, but he is a long way off and still has a lot of work to do to stay behind the sign. He will make his full-season debut at Low-A in 2021.

Fathers NEW 900X635

Tirso Ornelas wins ABs in the Mexican Pacific League

At just 20 years old, Tirso Ornelas was holding on to the Mexican Pacific League when auditioning for a 40-player spot.

METS ACQUIRE:

Joey Lucchesi, LHP
Was: 27

Lucchesi’s funky delivery has attracted most of the attention since his debut in 2018. The big southpaw doesn’t turn on a radar and his control is only medium, but he’s been durable and productive when he gets the chance. It went from 18-19, 4.14 in 56 matches for the Fathers in 2018-19, providing approximately the league’s average production while rotating at nearly 300 entries. He fell from grace with the Padres when other stronger pitchers made their way to the championships and made only three appearances in 2020. Lucchesi’s fastball ranges from 89-92 mph to 90. He has both a traditional upper curveball 70s and his famous “churve”, a change that looks like a ball breaking from his hand. Lucchesi relies on deception and a mix of arguments to succeed, but he has shown that he can do that. It provides the Mets with a valuable rotation depth and will remain under the team’s control for another four seasons.

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