SAN DIEGO – Blake Snell dropped the ball in Game 6 of the World Series, shaking his head after Kevin Cash’s curious pitch change.
With three years left on his contract, Snell hardly thought it could be his final moment as a Tampa Bay Ray.
The San Diego Padres, determined to go all the way, wanted him very much.
Arrivista Padres finalized the acquisition of the left-handed ace of the Rays on Tuesday, sending four candidates in exchange for the winner of the 2018 Young League Cy Young Award.
The Rays will receive the right-handed Luis Patino and Cole Wilcox and the catchers Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt – all renowned young people from a San Diego system that has been supplying the farm for years. The Padres split from the quartet to a 28-year-old with World Series experience and a youthful confidence that should fit alongside the stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.
Snell gives the rising Fathers an established ace in front of the rotation as they try to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. San Diego is also about to acquire Chicago Cubs owner Yu Darvish, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan.
“They are super exciting,” said Snell. “They are a team that plays a lot of fun. They are presumptuous and can swing the bat.”
Snell scored 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 matches during the shortened pandemic 2020 regular season, then went 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA in six postseason matches for the League champions. American.
He shot spectacularly in the sixth inning of the World Series Game 6 against the Dodgers before Cash pulled him in after 73 shots. The shot backfired when Los Angeles rallied for a decisive 3-1 victory in the Series.
Snell supported Cash’s decision and reiterated that support on Tuesday.
“I respect him and have always trusted him,” said Snell. “He knows how to win. We got to the World Series because we won.”
Snell said he was surprised and saddened to leave Tampa Bay. He predicted that the Rays would negotiate before his contract expired, because the small-budget franchise would hardly be committed to a long-term deal. But he hardly expected the change to occur anytime soon.
“The Fathers really wanted me and were persistent, and I’m happy with that,” said Snell. “But it’s something that makes me sad.”
With a young and talented team that includes Tatís on the shortstop and Machado on third base, the Padres finished with the NL’s second best record last season at 37-23 – six games behind Los Angeles – and made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
The exhausted rotation of San Diego’s injuries was in tatters when the postseason arrived, but the Fathers made it through St. Louis in the first round before being swept away in three games by the Dodgers in the division series.
Mike Clevinger, acquired from Cleveland in August, is not expected to return from Tommy John’s surgery until 2022, but the Fathers have other quality holders in Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack. The left-handed MacKenzie Gore is one of baseball’s biggest pitchers, the jewel of a deep farming system.
“This team can play and we are going to chase a World Series, which is obviously the most exciting piece of all of that,” said Snell.
Among all lefties in the main competitions last year, Snell was in first place in the strikeout percentage (31%) and in sixth in ERA.
“This acquisition is in line with our overall strategy to build a consistently winning ball club for the great city of San Diego,” said Padres owner Peter Seidler. “I welcome Blake to Padres and know that he will enjoy playing for our enthusiastic and supportive fans in 2021 and beyond.”
Snell has three years and $ 39 million remaining on a $ 50 million five-year contract that he signed with the Rays in March 2019. He owes $ 10.5 million next year, $ 12.5 million in 2022 and $ 16 million in 2023 – bargain prices for one of the best baseball pitchers games.
Patino can compete to fill Snell’s vacant seat at the Tampa Bay carter in 2021. The 21-year-old Colombian is among baseball’s biggest hitter with a hard fast ball and a positive slider. He made his major league debut in 2020 with 10 relief appearances and a start, going 1-0 with an ERA of 5.19. He eliminated 21, but walked 14 out of 17 innings.
Wilcox, 21, was chosen in the third round of the 2020 draft of the University of Georgia. At 1.80 meters tall, Wilcox showed excellent results, but sometimes has difficulty with his control.
Mejia, 25, became San Diego’s top receiver during the 2019 season, when he hit 0.265 with eight home runs in 79 games. An injury to his left thumb limited him to 17 games in 2020. Mejia has been among the most promising young catchers in the game since he made headlines with a streak of 50 games in the minor leagues, although there are still doubts about his defensive reliability.
Hunt, 22, spent 2019 in Class A before the minor league 2020 season was wiped out by the coronavirus. He hit 0.255 with five home runs in 89 games for Fort Wayne TinCaps two seasons ago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.