Padres News: A Detailed Look at 2017 Padres Rotation Possibilities
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
POSSIBLE TRADE CANDIDATES
I know the Giants just acquired this young lefty and they paid a pretty hefty price tag in parting with Matt Duffy. However the Giants do have an excess of starting pitchers with Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner, Jeff Samardzija and Matt Cain in the rotation. Having Moore is a luxury for the Giants and they could very easily move on from him for the right price. The Padres would be interested to some degree as Moore has a series of team friendly options for the next three seasons. An inter-division trade would be tough though and the Giants would demand a decent return.
The Chicago White Sox reportedly ere taking offers on both Chris Sale and this talented lefty. No deal was made, but perhaps during the offseason something could be worked on between the two teams for Qunitana. The Padres have a need in the rotation and Quintana being left-handed is a definite bonus. He is due $15.85 million in total for the 2017 and 2018 season, then has a couple of team options at $10.5 and $11.5 for 2019 and 2020. At 27 he is due a hefty (but reasonable) sum. The pitcher owns a career 3.32 ERA in 142 starts and is one of the best pitchers you never heard of. The Padres would have to part with some decent players to land Quintana.
The Indians are loaded with pitchers. Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and Danny Salazar provide the Indians four top of the order starters. Mike Clevinger and Brady Aiken are also knocking on the door in the minor leagues. Salazar seems the most attainable from their big four, but in reality the Padres could be interested in any of them. The Friars have the outfield ready prospects the Indians could covet to get a deal done. It would take a pretty significant deal to land Salazar, but it could be done.
The Rays are in a slight rebuild. They have added Brad Miller, Corey Dickerson and Matt Duffy this season and word is they are still trying to move one more of their starting pitchers. Chris Archer would be fantastic for the Padres but his price tag would be way too expensive for the Padres. Drew Smyly or Jake Odorizzi make sense as the Rays wouldn’t require as much for their services. The Rays have some young prospects almost major league ready. Jacob Faria and Brent Honeywell just need an opening in the rotation. Derek Norris makes sense for the Rays, but we will see what happens.
A forearm strain looks to have Gray sidelined for the remainder of the 2016 season. The former all-star pitcher was having a horrible year in Oakland after being considered one of the best young pitchers in the game. Gray is 5-11 with a 5.74 ERA this season, but at the age of 26 he is not washed up by any means. He is under team control for the next three years and 2017 will be his first arbitration year. The A’s will want a decent return despite his down year and injury issue. The Padres would have to do their homework with Gray but he has the ability to be really special. The price tag would be huge though.
This 24-year-old right handed pitcher was reportedly made available by the Phillies before the trade deadline. He was not dealt but the fact the Phillies shopped him around a bit is interesting to the Padres. He has excellent stuff and is just coming into his own as a pitcher. He is 8-4 this season with a 3.94 ERA in 20 starts. The Phillies are wisely taking it easy with him a bit with his pitch counts and such. The Padres would have to part with a decent young player or two to land this pitcher from the Phillies.
A local prep star who just made his major league debut this past week is Joe Musgrove. The 23-year-old right hander has great upside. He would not be easily attained from the Astros as they need starting pitching and he looks to have a decent future. The Padres have some players who would interest the Astros and that is a nice starting point for a potential trade. Musgrove could grow under Darren Balsley and has a decent ceiling.
For some reason the Mariners are reportedly fielding offers for Taijuan Walker. He looked to be the next ace pitcher in the American League but has struggled with being consistent. Perhpas the M’s believe this is their last chance to get full value for him a potential trade. Walker was recently sent down to Triple-A Tacoma. The Mariners are clearly becoming impatient with his growth. He is still only 24 and looks to have a tremendous future so the Padres may have to look into this. The price tag would be huge but the team has players to get a deal done.
Not one of these pitchers would be attained very easily. The Padres would have to part with some quality players, but the team does has depth. Derek Norris at catcher could help someone. Then there is the outfield depth. Manuel Margot, Travis Jankowski, Alex Dickerson, Jabari Blash, Hunter Renfroe and Nick Torres are all either major league ready or really close to being so. The team has trade chips, but what they do with them is another thing. A.J. Preller isn’t one to be shy when it comes to solving a problem. I would suspect the team does pull off a trade for a pitcher. Perhaps not of the quality of the pitchers on this list, but he will bring in some arms for the 2017 season.
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.
Maybe Walter Lockett should be added to the list too!! He’s on fire!!