San Diego Padres improve bench with Mitch Moreland

The San Diego Padres are continuing to tinker around the edges of their roster, having added Mitch Moreland for a pair of prospects.

With the San Diego Padres in the midst of the playoff hunt, general manager A.J. Preller has been looking to improve his roster as much as possible. On Saturday, he acquired Trevor Rosenthal to bolster the Padres bullpen.

However, Preller was not done. On Sunday, he added Mitch Moreland, acquiring the first baseman from the Red Sox for a pair of prospects.

In theory, Moreland would not seem like a needed piece. Eric Hosmer is having an excellent year and is also a left handed hitting first baseman. Ty France has performed well this year as well, taking over as the Padres; regular designated hitter with Tommy Pham on the shelf.

But Moreland has been on fire this year, producing an excellent .328/.430/.746 batting line, hitting eight homers and four doubles in 79 plate appearances. He has also typically hit right handed pitching well in his career, putting together a .257/.326/.471 batting line with 153 homers and 160 doubles.

In return, the Red Sox get a pair of intriguing prospects. Hudson Potts had been blocked with the Padres, but could find a role in Boston. His 2019 numbers, a .240/.302/.423 batting line with 17 homers and 131 strikeouts do not jump off the page, but he was a 20 year old who spent most of 2019 at AA.

He makes hard contact when he does hit the ball, and has plenty of raw power, but will need to improve his plate discipline in order to tap into his potential. Potts has also spent time around the infield, and had 19 games at second next year, making him someone that the Red Sox could develop into a super utility player.

Jeisson Rosario is not as highly regarded, but he could develop into a better overall player than Potts. He produced a solid .242/.372/.314 batting line with three homers and 11 steals in 525 plate appearances in the California League last year, but those numbers do not exactly tell the full story of his potential.

An excellent defensive outfielder, Rosario has the type of speed that should allow him to remain in center, while his strong arm would be a good fit in right. He has plenty of raw power, and an innate ability to put the barrel of the bat on the ball to make hard contact. However, he will need to make some adjustments in his swing if he is to tap into that power potential, which could be the difference between his developing into a decent fourth outfielder type or a potentially special player.

The San Diego Padres have added solid depth in Mitch Moreland. In exchange, the Boston Red Sox picked up a pair of prospects that should be a key part of their future.