SAN DIEGO (Neth.) – Blake Snell passed the ball in Game 6 of the World Series and shook his head after manager Kevin Cash’s curious pitching change.
With three years left on his contract, Snell barely thought this could be his last moment as Tampa Bay Ray.
The San Diego Padres, determined to go all the way, just wanted him so badly.
The upstart Padres completed their acquisition of the ace left-handed from the Rays on Tuesday, sending four potential clients in exchange for the 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner.
The Rays will host right-handers Luis Patino and Cole Wilcox and catchers Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt – all well-regarded youngsters from a San Diego system that has been supplying the farm for years. The Padres said goodbye to the quartet for a 28-year-old with World Series experience and a youthful confidence that should fit alongside star Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.
Snell gives the upright Padres an established ace at the front of the rotation as they try to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. San Diego is also on the verge of acquiring Chicago Cubs starter Yu Darvish, sources familiar with ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan have said.
“They’re super exciting,” said Snell. “They are a team that has a lot of fun playing. They are swaggy and they can swing the bat.”
Snell went 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 regular season, then went 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA in six postseason starts for the American League champions.
He pitched spectacularly in the sixth inning of World Series Game 6 against the Dodgers before Cash pulled him after 73 pitches. The move failed when Los Angeles rallied for a 3-1 Series victory.
Snell was behind Cash’s decision and reiterated that support on Tuesday.
“I respect him and I’ve always trusted him,” said Snell. “He knows how to win. We joined the World Series because we won.”
Snell said he was dumbfounded and saddened to leave Tampa Bay. He expected the Rays to trade him before his contract expired, as the franchise was unlikely to enter into a long-term deal on a shoestring budget. But he hardly expected the move to come so soon.
“The Padres really wanted me and they were persistent, and I’m happy about that,” said Snell. “But it is something I am sad about.”
With a young and talented team with Tatís short stop and Machado on third base, the Padres finished with the second-best record in the Netherlands last season at 37-23 – six games behind Los Angeles – and made it to the play-offs for the first time since 2006.
San Diego’s injury-exhausted rotation was a mess when the postseason arrived, but the Padres managed to get past St. Louis in the first round before being swept by the Dodgers in three games in the divisional series.
Acquired from Cleveland in August, Mike Clevinger isn’t expected back from Tommy John surgery until 2022, but the Padres have other quality starters in Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack. Left-handed MacKenzie Gore is one of baseball’s finest pitching prospects, the jewel of a deep farming system.
“This team can play and we’re going to hunt for a World Series, which of course is the most exciting part of this whole thing,” said Snell.
Of all lefthanded starters in last year’s majors, Snell finished in first place in strikeout percentage (31%) and sixth in ERA.
“This acquisition is in line with our overall strategy of building a consistently winning ball club for the big city of San Diego,” said Padres owner Peter Seidler. “I welcome Blake to the Padres and know that in 2021 and beyond he will enjoy playing for our enthusiastic and supportive fans.”
Snell has three years and $ 39 million remaining on a five-year $ 50 million contract he signed with the Rays in March 2019, and will be $ 10.5 million next year, $ 12.5 million in 2022 and $ 16 million in 2023. owed – bargain prices for a baseball game best pitchers.
Patino could compete to take Snell’s vacant spot in the Tampa Bay rotation in 2021. The 21-year-old from Colombia is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball with a hard fastball and a plus slider. He made his big league-debut in 2020 with 10 relief appearances and one start and went 1-0 with a 5.19 ERA. He struckout 21 batters, but walked 14 batters in 17⅓ innings.
Wilcox, 21, was included in the third round of the University of Georgia 2020 draft. At 1.85 meters tall, Wilcox has shown some excellent things, but he sometimes struggles with his control.
Mejia, 25, became the lead catcher for San Diego during the 2019 season, hitting .265 with eight homers in 79 games. A left thumb injury limited him to 17 games in 2020. Mejia has been one of the game’s most promising young catchers since making headlines with a 50-game hitting streak in the minor leagues, although questions remain about his defensive reliability.
Hunt, 22, spent 2019 in Class A before the 2020 minor league season was wiped out by the coronavirus. He hit .255 with five homers in 89 games for the Fort Wayne TinCaps two seasons ago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.