San Diego Padres open to trading multiple players
By Aaron Somers
Looking to upgrade the worst offense in the National League during the 2014 season, the San Diego Padres are listening to offers on a handful of players. Earlier this week it became known that the team would consider moving one of a trio of pitchers – Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, or Ian Kennedy – if it could bring back a big bat. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman adds that a pair of catchers – Yasmani Grandal and Rene Rivera – have also been made available.
Any one of the three pitchers could potentially bring back some useful pieces for the Padres, but it’s unclear if they’d result in the big bat that the team is hoping for – at least not on the scale that this one bat would make a substantial impact on their offense. Each has varying degrees of time left on their contracts and subsequently would bring varying degrees of benefit to an acquiring team.
Ross is under team control for the next three seasons, his arbitration years. He earned $1.98 million in what proved to be a career year in which he went 13-14 with a 2.81 ERA and 1.211 WHIP in 195.2 IP. He was also San Diego’s lone representative at the All Star Game. At just 27 years of age, the right-hander would potentially be the most costly for an opposing team to acquire and likely the toughest to pry away.
Cashner has been viewed at times as the de facto ace of the Padres pitching staff but he dealt with some injury concerns this past season, limiting him to just 123.1 IP. He went 5-7 with a 2.55 ERA and 1.127 WHIP. Cashner is a year older than Ross and has two years of control remaining. He earned $2.4 million last season.
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Both players should draw interest on the open market, despite their potential cost. Each is young, cost controlled, and effective enough that they’d appeal to a team looking to boost the middle of their rotation without wanting to make a significant free agent signing. Some early speculation has seen arguments in favor of the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox as potential suitors for each.
Kennedy, on the other hand, has just one year remaining on his deal and will be a free agent next winter. He would be the easiest of the group for San Diego to hold onto until the July trade deadline, auctioning him off to the highest bidder when team’s are looking to add depth for a playoff run. Barring some significant changes in the coming months the Padres don’t figure to be in that mix next summer, so selling a veteran rental as Kennedy would be could prove beneficial for the organization’s long term – unless they opt to re-sign him to a contract extension first, a proposition that doesn’t appear to be on the table at the moment.
The soon-to-be 30 year old Kennedy earned $6.1 million in 2014 and has the one year of arbitration remaining. He pitched 201.0 innings, going 13-13 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.289 WHIP.
As for the pair of catchers, it makes some sense that the club is willing to listen to offers but it doesn’t seem likely that both will be moved. The timing could also work in their favor, as numerous teams have been rumored to be seeking an upgrade behind the plate this offseason. Heyman hints at the organization’s depth behind the plate, pointing to Austin Hedges, as a reason why they feel that one of Grandal or Rivera can be moved.
Hedges, 22, has long been viewed as the organization’s future catcher since the team selected him in the 2nd Round of the 2011 Draft. Known primarily as being an outstanding defender behind the plate, Hedges question marks have centered on his offense. 2014 proved to be a prime example, as he hit just .225/.268/.321 in 457 plate appearances at Double-A. Prior to each of the past two seasons he’s been named among Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects and despite the down season at the plate he figures to make it three in a row this winter.
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Most scouts believe that Hedges could handle the major leagues right now defensively, it’s merely a matter of whether his bat will come around enough to warrant playing him nearly everyday.
Grandal, 26, batted .225/.327/.401 in 443 PA in 2014. Rivera, 31, hit .252/.319/.432 in 329 PA. Rivera’s pitch framing abilities have been valuable, but it’s easy to see the potential of either being moved as a piece in a larger deal. Neither will likely bring back the big bat that the team is hoping for on their own.
San Diego’s offense produced a collective .226/.292/.342 line in 2014. In the National League they were dead last in OPS (.634), RBI (500), hits (1199), doubles (224), total bases (1810, and times hit by a pitch (41).