The San Diego Padres completes a transaction to acquire former Cy Young winner Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays for potential pitcher Luis Patiño, receivers Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt and pitcher Cole Wilcox, sources familiar with the said. according to ESPN.
The transaction, which is pending medical reviews, would send 28-year-old Snell to the Padres and was agreed exactly two months after the day of Game 6 of the World Series, in which he threw only 5 1/3 brilliant innings. Tampa Bay eventually lost the game and series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The aggressiveness of the Padres has put them at the center of conversations for change all winter. As they discussed possible deals for Yu Darvish of the Chicago Cubs and Sonny Gray of the Cincinnati Reds, their attention turned to Snell, whose contract will pay him $ 39 million over the next three years.
Tampa Bay, whose history of trading top waters includes trading James Shields, David Price and Chris Archer, will receive significant loot in exchange for Snell. Patino, 21, the head of the bargain, a six-foot right-handed man with a 97 mph fastball and slider rated among the best in the minor leagues. In 17 1/3 innings this season, he posted a 5.19 ERA, struckout 21 and walked 14.
Mejia, 25, is a great candidate who fell out of favor in San Diego, but he’s a power switch hitter. Wilcox received a $ 3.3 million bonus, a record for a third round, after being pulled from Georgia in this year’s draw. Hunt, 20, is the least known of the four, but he impressed in the instructional competition this year and is a great receiver (1.85 meters long, 215 pounds) whose swing, testers said, has a chance of making that. rising rapidly in the lead ranking.
The Athletic was the first to report that the players would go to the Rays over the deal.
This is San Diego’s second big exchange for a pitcher in the past six months after Mike Clevinger took over from the Cleveland Indians. He pitched just 19 innings for the Padres before needing Tommy John surgery, but he is expected to return from the elbow injury by the 2022 season.
Even without Clevinger, the Padres have a strong rotation as they try to capture the Dodgers in the NL West. Snell is backed by Dinelson Lamet, Zach Davies, Chris Paddack, and an arsenal of potential No. 5 starters, including MacKenzie Gore, who is considered the best left-handed pitching prospect in baseball.
The Rays’ rotational depth has taken a significant hit, with the trade in Snell and Atlanta Braves signing free agent Charlie Morton. Tampa Bay still offers great pitching depth and has the best field system in baseball, led by shortstop Wander Franco, Kiley McDaniel’s number one Top 100 prospect.