San Diego Padres: Mitch Moreland acquisition pays additional dividends

Eric Hosmer’s injury underscores how important Mitch Moreland’s acquisition was for the San Diego Padres.

When the San Diego Padres acquired Mitch Moreland from the Boston Red Sox, he was expected to take over as their primary designated hitter. He provided another power bat from the left side for the Padres, something that the team needed. Moreland was a solid addition and an excellent depth piece at first in case anything happened.

The worst case scenario occurred on Monday. First baseman Eric Hosmer fractured his left index finger when he was hit in the hand while bunting. To add insult to injury, Hosmer bunted the two strike pitch foul for a third strike.

Moreland has not exactly had a hot start to his time in San Diego. He has just two hits and a walk in 20 plate appearances, striking out five times.

However, prior to the trade, Moreland had been one of the hotter hitters in baseball. In his 79 plate appearances with the Red Sox, he had produced an excellent .328/.430/.746 batting line, hitting eight homers and four doubles.

While Moreland may not have the defensive reputation that Hosmer has, he is still a solid defensive first baseman in his own right. He was credited with a run saved during his time in Boston, and is sixth amongst active first basemen with 25 runs saved.

With Hosmer being out of the lineup, Moreland becomes even more important. The Padres loaded up at the trade deadline completely revamping their roster for a run to the postseason. Hosmer had been one of the key pieces in their lineup to that point, his career year helping fuel the Padres’ run. Moreland will now need to step into those shoes to keep the momentum going.

Mitch Moreland has now become even more important for the San Diego Padres. He has some large shoes to fill in the lineup this year.