San Diego Padres: Three players who could be traded in blockbuster deals
The San Diego Padres have a lot of different paths that they could go this offseason. One is the trade route so here are three players who could likely be dealt.
The San Diego Padres have been looking for starting pitching and outfield help for the past couple of offseasons and this year they have a great opportunity to cash in.
A.J. Preller has too many prospects to fit onto the 40-man roster which means that some will be left off, and could be dealt for major league talent.
But we are going to look at three major league players that the Padres would benefit from trading.
GM A.J. Preller is looking for a manager to lead his ballclub to what hopefully leads to a postseason appearance next season, and when that happens he can turn his attention to dealing some of his prospects that he has for pitching and/or outfield help.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado led to more excitement in Petco Park for the first time in years, but in the second half of the season, it was easy to see the flaws that the Friars still had.
Preller has too many prospects to fit onto the 40-man roster which means that some will be left off, and could be dealt for major league talent.
Many teams need help in various areas and the San Diego Padres probably have it whether it is starting pitching, offensive outfielders, or even relievers.
It will be an interesting offseason, so here are three players who could be dealt…
Wil Myers
Wil Myers was signed to an $83 million extension after having a career season back in 2016. He represented the San Diego Padres at home in the All-Star Game in addition to the Home Run Derby.
But ever since then he has not been the same power hitter, and has struggled in the field. The big problem with him is he strikes out way too much to be hitting in the middle of a stacked lineup and his contract doesn’t help his situation.
He struck out 168 times in 2019 and he could have struck out a whole lot more if the team hadn’t transitioned him into a bench role for part of the second half of the season.
Myers will be paid a base salary of $20 million until his contract expires and that is not something the Padres want to be paying, especially when he isn’t producing.
For Myers to be traded though, the Padres will have to eat at least half of the contract and probably not expect to get back a lot from the team they are partnering with.
Some teams would probably want to try to see if Myers will somehow click with them, as is very athletic and proved at the beginning of his career that he can hit, as he did win the American League Rookie of the Year award with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The San Diego Padres will have a lot more freedom to spend if they can get his contract off of the books, so I think it should be a priority for them to deal him to anyone who is willing to take on the contract.
The next player is a reliever who could have really helped out some teams this year in the postseason.
Kirby Yates
Kirby Yates struggled in previous stops, most notably with the New York Yankees, but he was the best closer in the league in 2019 despite his team’s mediocre record.
Yates, who led the league with 41 saves in 2019, had a 1.19 ERA in over 60 innings of work in addition to striking out over 100 batters.
Yates has expressed his desire to stay in San Diego, as he likes what is transpiring.
“I don’t really pay attention to it. I’m not a guy that searches Twitter or anything like that. I don’t look for certain things,” Yates said during the season. “If you’re out there and wanted to go find things, I’m sure I could find them. I love it here, and want to stay in here.”
Contenders who were eliminated in the postseason due to their bullpen struggles like the Dodgers and Braves probably would’ve re-thunk their decisions when he was dangled at the Trade Deadline.
Well, they will have another chance this off-season if San Diego is trying to trade Yates for big-league assets. Yates is also just one year away from free agency so if the San Diego Padres do not extend him, then they should trade him for something instead of nothing at the end of 2020.
“If you’re going to win a championship, you’re going to need a guy like Kirby in the back of the bullpen for you,” Preller said this season.
The third player who could be dealt is another outfielder who was in trade talks before the Deadline….
Hunter Renfroe
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Hunter Renfroe survived the Trade Deadline this season, as his teammate, Franmil Reyes was the one to depart out of town in a three-team trade with the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians.
But he might not survive the offseason in San Diego because teams would love to have his bat, especially if he could be a DH, as long as they are getting the first-half Hunter Renfroe.
In the first half, there was a possibility of him being on the All-Star roster or participating in the Home Run Derby. He hit 27 home runs while driving in 49 and being the team’s most complete outfielder.
In the second half, he battled an injury that could have been a factor to his not so impressive second half. He was only able to hit 6 home runs and drive in 15 while owning a .161 batting average.
Despite all of that, I think he should still be an attractive asset that the San Diego Padres have because of his offensive potential which teams like the Cardinals needed more of in the postseason.
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The only thing that could halt the trade market for Renfroe is his second half as I mentioned. If this occurs then I still wouldn’t be surprised if he was on the roster on Opening Day in 2020.