The San Diego Padres have obtained left-gave starter Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays in return for a multiple-player package, sources have affirmed to CBS Sports. The Rays will get right-handers Luis Patino and Cole Wilcox, and catchers Blake Hunt and Francisco Mejia in the 4-for-1 exchange. Neither one of the teams has declared the arrangement.
Snell, 28, won the 2018 American League Cy Young Award and has ordered a 2.85 ERA (148 ERA+) and 3.54 strikeout-to-walk proportion throughout the last three seasons. He is owed $39 million through 2023, which amazingly moderate when it’s all said and done yet in addition a bit expensive for the Rays, who work on tight financial plans.
Tampa has now headed out in different directions with two of their best three starters this offseason – they declined Charlie Morton’s $15 million club alternative a month ago and he accordingly endorsed with the Braves – leaving Tyler Glasnow as the group’s last ace. The Rays should sort out how they’ll round out their pivot behind Glasnow, Michael Wacha, and Ryan Yarbrough prior to spring preparing.
With respect to the Padres, Snell gives them a real top of the turn arm in a group neighborly agreement. Indeed, even without Mike Clevinger, who will miss 2021 while rehabbing from Tommy John medical procedure, San Diego has an amazing pivot stacked with potential gain:
- RHP Dinelson Lamet
- LHP Blake Snell
- RHP Chris Paddack
- RHP Zach Davies
- LHP Adrian Morejon
- LHP Joey Lucchesi
The Padres had the option to finish this exchange – just as the Clevinger exchange – without surrendering lefty MacKenzie Gore, seemingly the top contributing possibility the game. Violence could make his MLB debut next season and it’s totally conceivable the Padres will go into 2022 with a pivot highlighting Lamet, Snell, Clevinger, Paddack, and Gore.
San Diego had the third best record (37-23) and second best run differential (in addition to 84) in baseball in 2020, and they’re ready to be shockingly better in 2021, even without Clevinger. They’ll have Snell, an entire year of exchange cutoff time pickup Austin Nola, and a sound period of Tommy Pham, in addition to adolescents like Paddack and Fernando Tatis Jr. will have more insight added to their repertoire.
The issue for the Padres? They’re in a similar division as the protecting World Series champion Dodgers, who consider to oblige one year from now as top choices to rehash. This current Padres group resembles the greatest danger to the Dodgers in the Andrew Friedman time. Los Angeles has won eight straight division titles and San Diego should give them a run for their cash in 2021.
Patino, 21, is the main event going to the Rays. He was messed up in his MLB debut this previous season (10 runs in 17 1/3 innings) however MLB.com positions him the No. 23 possibility in the game. Our R.J. Anderson positioned Patino the No. 2 possibility in San Diego’s framework behind Gore recently. Here’s a scrap of his review:
Patino is on the smaller side, but he has big-time stuff, including an above-average fastball and breaking ball. Patino still needs to work on his changeup and his command; provided he makes progress — do note his age — he should get a chance as a mid-rotation starter. Otherwise, he has a promising future in relief, where his size wouldn’t be talked about as frequently.
The 25-year-old Mejia was a top possibility in the not very far off past. Gained from Cleveland in the Brad Hand exchange, Mejia has attempted to build up himself at the MLB level, and is a profession .225/.282/.386 hitter in 128 games. Remembering Mejia for the exchange reveals to us the Padres are sure about Nola and Luis Campusano as their catchers of the present and future.
Wilcox, 21, was the 80th generally speaking pick in the 2020 draft and still can’t seem to play an expert game. Chase was the 69th pick in 2017. The 22-year-old is a .258/.341/.384 hitter in 175 vocation small time games, none above Single-A, and he stands apart most for his tossing arm behind the plate. Chase and Wilcox are long haul projects. Mejia and Patino ought to have more prompt effect.
The Rays had the subsequent best record (40-20) and the third run differential (in addition to 60) in baseball this previous season, and went to Game 6 of the World Series. They’re as yet impressive – no group is as acceptable at uncovering quality players for barely anything – however Morton and Snell will be difficult to supplant. Pro type starters are hard to come by and that is two pros out the entryway in one offseason.
Prior this offseason we positioned Snell fifth on our exchange competitors list. Spear Lynn, who put fourth, was exchanged to the White Sox a month ago. Trevor Bauer is the solitary tantamount starter accessible in free office this offseason.
