The San Diego Padres acquired southpaw Blake Snell from Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a multiplayer package, sources confirmed to CBS Sports. The Rays will host right-handed Luis Patino and Cole Wilcox, and catchers Blake Hunt and Francisco Mejia in the 4-for-1 trade. Neither team has announced the deal.
Snell, 28, won the 2018 American League Cy Young Award and compiled a ratio of 2.85 ERA (148 ERA +) and 3.54 strikeout-to-walk over the past three seasons. He owes $ 39 million by 2023, which is extremely affordable in the grand scheme of things, but also a little expensive for Rays, who operate on tight budgets.
Tampa has now parted ways with two of his top three players this season – they turned down Charlie Morton’s $ 15 million club option last month and he subsequently signed with Braves – leaving Tyler Glasnow as the only remaining ace in the team. Rays will have to figure out how to fill their rotation behind Glasnow, Michael Wacha and Ryan Yarbrough before spring training.
As for the Fathers, Snell gives them a legitimate top of the rotation arm in a friendly team contract. Even without Mike Clevinger, who will lose 2021 during the rehabilitation of Tommy John’s surgery, San Diego has an impressive rotation loaded with advantages:
- RHP Dinelson Lamet
- LHP Blake Snell
- RHP Chris Paddack
- RHP Zach Davies
- LHP Adrian Morejon
- LHP Joey Lucchesi
The Padres were able to complete this exchange – as well as the Clevinger exchange – without giving up the leftist MacKenzie Gore, arguably the game’s biggest pitcher. Gore can make his MLB debut next season and it is entirely possible for the Fathers to enter 2022 with a rotation with Lamet, Snell, Clevinger, Paddack and Gore.
San Diego had the third best record (37-23) and the second best running differential (plus-84) in baseball in 2020, and they should be even better in 2021, even without Clevinger. They will have Snell, an entire year of Austin Nola pickup and a healthy season by Tommy Pham, plus youngsters like Paddack and Fernando Tatis Jr. will have more experience on their resume.
The problem for the Fathers? They are in the same division as the defending World Series Dodgers champion, who is expected to enter next year as favorites to repeat. The current Padres team appears to be the biggest threat to the Dodgers in the Andrew Friedman era. Los Angeles has won eight consecutive division titles and San Diego is expected to give them a run for their money in 2021.
Patino, 21, is the main attraction of the Rays. He was mistreated on his MLB debut last season (10 races in 17 1/3 innings), but MLB.com ranks him as the number 23 prospect in the game. Our RJ Anderson ranked Patino as the second potential customer in the San Diego system, behind Gore earlier this month. Here is an excerpt from your article:
Patino is on the smaller side, but he has important things, including an above average fastball and a breaking ball. Patino still needs to work on his move and his command; as long as he makes progress – watch his age – he should have a chance as a half-rotation starter. Otherwise, it has a promising future in relief, where its size would not be talked about as often.
Mejia, 25, was one of the best prospects in the not-too-distant past. Acquired from Cleveland in the Brad Hand trade, Mejia has struggled to establish himself at the MLB level and is a .225 / .282 / .386 hitter in 128 games. Including Mejia in commerce tells us that the Fathers are confident in Nola and Luis Campusano as their catchers of the present and the future.
Wilcox, 21, was the 80th overall choice in the 2020 draft and has yet to play a professional game. Hunt was the 69th choice in 2017. The 22-year-old is a .258 / .341 / .384 hitter in 175 minor league games in his career, none above Single-A, and he stands out primarily for his throwing arm behind the board. Hunt and Wilcox are long-term projects. Mejia and Patino should have a more immediate impact.
Rays had the second best record (40-20) and the third race differential (over-60) in baseball last season, and went on to game 6 of the World Series. They are still formidable – no team is so good at finding cheap quality players – although Morton and Snell are difficult to replace. Ace gauge entries are missing and that means two aces thrown out of season.
At the beginning of this off-season, we ranked Snell in fifth place on our list of commercial candidates. Lance Lynn, who came in fourth, was negotiated with the White Sox last month. Trevor Bauer is the only comparable holder available at a free agency this off-season.