Kris Bryant rumors indicate Padres on the prowl
(Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
Former USD baseball star Kris Bryant recently became linked to the San Diego Padres once again.
The San Diego Padres’ young general manager is on the prowl.
A.J. Preller is active and in search of a hitter to add to his lineup. The team seemingly just missed out on acquiring Mookie Betts before he was ultimately dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Recent rumors indicate the Padres and the Chicago Cubs are discussing a trade of Kris Bryant. The Padres are looking to make a splash, and it seems more than likely that a significant deal will happen eventually for San Diego.
The Padres have a young major league team and a farm system full of talent. The team has plenty of depth in multiple areas. The 40-man roster is jam-packed, and there is an ever-growing thought that the Padres will package groups of players to fill certain voids they have on the major league roster.
For the Chicago Cubs, the team is in a rebuilding phase. The franchise would never admit it, but they are regrouping.
The Padres can easily pay the price tag the Cubbies have placed on their perennial All-Star talent. But should Preller and the Padres go down this road?
Kris Bryant is not an excellent fit for the Padres. The team has a third baseman entrenched at the position already in Manny Machado. Bryant is capable of playing in the corner outfield, but Tommy Pham and Wil Myers look to have those positions on lockdown. Myers could be moved to make room, but that is easier said than done due to the amount of money he will receive over the next three seasons.
Bryant would be a great addition to the lineup, but where would he play on defense? Constructing a team where players are playing out of position is not the best formula for success. Myers is capable of playing center field, but seeing him out there daily is not something that fans want to see.
The most important thing to gather from these latest rumors is that San Diego is not content.
A.J. Preller stated multiple times this winter that the team would like to add another bat to the lineup. Since then, the team has added Brian Dozier to the mix. The veteran second baseman is capable of being an offensive threat, but there is a sense that Preller is after a more significant name. Whether it be Kris Bryant, Francisco Lindor, or Nick Senzel, the Padres are undoubtedly capable of paying the asking price.
At some point, the Padres will need to make some moves. Rumors of Kris Bryant to San Diego seem strange, but Preller and his staff are exploring all scenarios when attempting to revamp the roster. Stay tuned. Things could get very interesting in the coming weeks as the Padres begin to feel the pressure of the roster crunch. Having too many quality players is a great problem to have, and the Padres are about to face that issue firsthand. What they will do is anybody’s guess.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
We do not need Bryant!
The team is already an odd mix with many questions marks. So, let’s throw more questions into the mix and play players out of position. THAT’S the way you build a winning team, one that lasts and is a perennial playoff team.
We have waaaayyyy to many unanswered questions. AJ, get answers, not more questions!
We have a farm system capable of being great and capable of bring us the correct players WHEN we need them. If you need to clear 40 man roster space, bundle a few of them for a top prospect a year or two away. Do not trade for short contracts or players past their prime.
Let Myers play
Pham and Grisham are a lock in the outfield, with Myers being the platoon guy. So yes there’s room in the outfield. At this point no one will take Myers because of the contract. Question is are the padres willing to take on another $50+ mil for 2 yrs of Bryant while keeping Myers. And the answer is a big NO. Taylor trammel is looking really good in spring training. Maybe we should do Pham in LF, Trammel in CF, and Grisham in RF and have Myers as the platoon guy.
Keep Myers, build his value then possibly trade him next year when his contract is $21 mil less and his value higher. Next year we have a huge roster crunch w Pham having only one year left on his contract. Ideally, Pham will have a good year and w his age accept a QO. If not, we get a draft pick back and hopefully will replace the loss of Xavier Edwards w a nice prospect.
Myers, and Trammel create interesting dynamics to the 2021 roster. But also keep in mind the DH is supposed to be here that year as well. The Cubs most likely will like to trade Bryant next year as well when his arbitration salary could be close to $25 mil. At that time we could trade for a big bat like Bryant and slot him in at DH. Or if Phams elbow gets worse use him as DH as well w Bryant sharing time.
Hopefully Garret Richards has a great year and we can QO him as well. Trade Lucchessi, and some prospects for Clevinger, and sign Realmuto if he doesn’t re up w Phil’s. Championship lineup and pitching staff.
Yeah! Maybe we can trade Myers for Thor LOL!
Oh and if the Indians do trade Clevinger, they won’t be interested in Joey Lucchesi who is only controlled 1 year longer than Clevinger.