The 2016 San Diego Padres Trades (One Year Later)
Credit: MiLB
The Padres have been sellers for the past few years after the failed experiment in 2015.
General manager A.J. Preller has been wheeling and dealing ever since.
The trades of the past year have resulted in several good minor leaguers, some top-30 prospects, and even some top-100 overall prospects.
Let’s take a look back at some of the trades of the past calendar year or so and see where we are now as far as winning or losing the trade.
June 4, 2016: James Shields traded to the Chicago White Sox for SS Fernando Tatis Jr. and RHP Erik Johnson.Â
This trade is starting to look like highway robbery. For once, the Padres seem to be on the right side of a “steal” for now. Obviously there is a long way to go for the 18-year-old shortstop Tatis, but as of now, he looks like he could be a star. He recently set the Fort Wayne TinCaps’ single-season home run record with his 21st. He also has posted a 20-20 season. Tatis is slotted as the #58 prospect on MLB.com’s Top 100 list. He has had quite the coming out party this season. In addition to his 21 home runs, he has 66 RBI, 28 stolen bases, a .275 average, and .893 OPS.
Erik Johnson has not thrown a pitch this season yet. He is 27 and likely will not be a huge contributor. He has a 5.28 ERA in 22 major league starts. He was 0-4 with a 9.15 ERA in four starts for the Padres after coming over from Chicago. He may well be a bust.
On the flip side, James Shields has not been good. He had a 6.77 ERA for the White Sox last year after moving from San Diego. This season, he has a 5.90 ERA in 13 starts.
Essentially, the Padres got a top-100 prospect and perhaps their shortstop or third baseman of the future for Shields.
Result: WinÂ
June 30, 2016: Fernando Rodney traded to Miami Marlins for RHP Chris Paddack
Rodney was the Padres’ closer for part of the 2016 season. He ended up being an all-star right after he was traded to Miami. In San Diego, he had 17 saves and a 0.31 ERA. He spent the rest of the season in Miami, where he struggled with a 5.89 ERA and just eight saves in 39 games. He then went to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the off-season as a free agent. He has had his share of struggles, but has saved 26 games with a 4.93 ERA.
Chris Paddack is currently on the 60-day disabled list. However, in limited action last season (three starts in Class-A Fort Wayne), he had a stifling 0.64 ERA. Paddack is listed as the #26 prospect in the Padres’ system and still could turn out to be a solid starter someday. There are a lot of unknowns here.
Result: To Be Determined
July 14, 2016: Drew Pomeranz traded to Boston Red Sox for RHP Anderson Espinoza
Pomeranz was an All-Star for San Diego and then was quickly traded to Boston. He made 13 starts for Boston with a 4.59 ERA and right around average with a 97 ERA+ (100 is considered league average). This season he has looked more like his 2016 San Diego self. He is 12-4 with a 3.39 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 127 innings for the Red Sox in 2017. He also has a 134 ERA+, which is very solid. He is part of the reason why the Red Sox are in hot contention for the AL East division crown.
Anderson Espinoza has yet to throw a pitch this season and has been shut down for Tommy John surgery. He appeared in eight games for Fort Wayne last season. He was 1-3 with a 4.73 ERA in 32 1/3 innings. He is considered one of the Padres’ top prospects and is ranked #81 overall.
For how much teams have been complaining about the Padres giving away players with so-so health records, this one stings the Padres.
Result: Loss (for now)
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Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.