San Diego Padres trade Margot and Driscoll to Rays for Emilio Pagan
Credit: AP Photo
San Diego Padres’ outfielder Manuel Margot and minor league prospect Logan Driscoll have been traded to the Tampa Rays for Emilio Pagan.
The San Diego Padres strengthened their bullpen with a trade on Saturday.
Right-handed reliever Emilio Pagan is going to be acquired by the Padres in exchange for Manuel Margot and minor league prospect Logan Driscoll. Pagan saved 20 games last year for the Rays featuring a plus fastball and a tight slider.
A.J. Preller is undoubtedly active on the trade front in his quest to make San Diego better. The Padres may not have needed relief help, but the team has plenty of options moving forward with the unit.
The Padres arguably have one of the best bullpens in the league now with the addition of Pagan who could easily close ballgames if needed.
A.J. Preller is known to hoard talent in certain areas. Relief pitching appears to be that area currently.
#Rays are trading reliever Emilio Pagan to the #Padres in exchange for outfielder Manuel Margot and prospect C/OF Logan Driscoll, sources tell @TheAthleticMLB.
— Josh Tolentino (@JCTSports) February 9, 2020
Pagan owns a career 3.26 ERA and a 0.982 WHIP in 182 innings pitched. The Mariners originally drafted the right-hander in 2013 as a 10th round pick. Last year, in Tampa, he went 4-2 with a 2.31 ERA and a 0.829 WHIP in 70 innings pitched. The power pitcher struck out 96 in that time while walking only 13 batters. He throws strikes and records outs. Pagan is also under team control for the next four seasons and cannot test free agency until after the 2023 season.
Sources confirm the Padres have landed Emilio Pagán from Tampa Bay for Manuel Margot and prospect Logan Driscoll, as @JCTSports said. Pagán, who posted a 2.31 ERA with 12.3 Ks/9 last season, makes a very good bullpen even better.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) February 9, 2020
The Padres paid a hefty price tag in Manuel Margot. The 25-year-old is full of promise but has never been able to put it all together. In four years with the Padres, he recorded a .248/.301/.394 slash line. The speedy outfielder may have been a solid defender, but he was not able to consistently get on base and was unable to steal once he did. Margot finishes his Padres’ career with only 50 steals.
Logan Driscoll is a decent prospect. The catcher/outfielder has a plus arm and a tremendous left-handed bat. The former second-round pick in 2019 is 22 and advanced for his age.
The Padres now have a solid bullpen that is anchored by Kirby Yates. With Drew Pomeranz, Pagan, Andres Munoz, and a healthy Jose Castillo, this unit will be dominant.
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 used more than a few relief pitcher days in place of starting pitching last year. So, top relievers will be in demand again this season. I don’t expect our starters to go deep into games again this year. Another reason why higher end relief pitchers will be needed.
Having such a high end relief staff (maybe baseball’s best) will give us a position of strength when the AS break roles around. I see Yates being traded sooner than later now. Perhaps before the regular season is even started.
We could attempt to upgrade here or there but how big of upgrades would they truly be? Maybe Yates would be the MLB ready player that would make Myers more attractive if AJ is still hard at work on that. I would actually prefer we start the season with what we have and let this team come together. While we aren’t catching the Dodgers, we can still enjoy a fun Competitive year (including growing pains) with who we have.
Actually, Preller is clearing the way for Myers to play center ; )
Here’s an idea, put Tatis in center (he is bad defensively at short, and hurt too often), move Machado to SS, put France at third, and Myers at first. If Preller were to be so bold I might actually have some respect for him.
Um, a Pagan on the Padres? This reminds me of the contradictory name: Angel Pagan.
The writing was on the wall. The padres have been trying to trade Margot for a while now. They gave him plenty of chances and Margot couldn’t make the most of it. They have 3 center fielders to choose from, Taylor Trammel, Wil Myers, and France Cordero. This guy Pagan has future closer written all over him with 4 yrs of control and Kirby Yates having 1 yr left and probably will be traded by all star break. Good trade
Love this trade for the padres. Traded from a position of depth and the Yankees proved last year that a deep bullpen of good arms can lead to a deep playoff run. Pagans slider is nasty and to go with a 96mph fastball with a deceptive windup. Easily the best bullpen we have had since Bell/Adams/Gregerson combo. But with Margot gone and now bolstering a bullpen the padres now open the door for a potential Betts trade again if the Dodgers/Sox trade falls through.
I like it. Also gives us a proven closer it a deal for Yates at the All Star break would give us a piece we really need to make a playoff run