The Current San Diego Padres Trade Assets
Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Just in time for the end of the season, here’s another reference article for the San Diego Padres in regards to their tradable assets.
What could this team afford to lose to improve the team for a playoff push or the push for 2020? Let’s take a look.
Wil Myers
This article will start with a negative asset.
Now, this is the very definition of selling low. Here you have a player with a gigantic contract that is having a career-low year and has stayed healthy all season. The defense has dropped off, power numbers have dropped, all while strikeouts have increased. There isn’t a single team that would call up A.J. and ask what he would want for Wil Myers. Instead, it’ll have to be A.J. forcing him into another trade.
He would likely have to offset him with either a better player or prospect from the original deal or have to take on an equally bad contract in return. It may just be better to keep Myers and try to turn him around a bit in the offseason. He’s owed over $60 million for the next three years. However, a change of scenery onto a team that will consistently play him in the same position may be able to get the most out of him. Myers has come on strong in the last month, but has he salvaged enough of his trade value to be moved pain-free from the team?
Josh Naylor
Josh Naylor hasn’t made the most of his callup. He’s shown flashes of a great left-handed power hitter but hasn’t been consistent. He’s a partial liability in the outfield. Naylor has a plus arm but is very inexperienced when it comes to tracking the ball. Standard roster construction usually includes two players that can play centerfield. The Padres would be much better off moving Naylor and making room for Travis Jankowski. With Naylor in a package deal, you could get a good return.
Kirby Yates
Padres fans love Kirby Yates and don’t want to get rid of him. However, teams are prone to overpaying for closers at the deadline. Andres Munoz has looked great; Trey Wingenter has looked good at times. The Padres have at least one future closer on this roster. Yates would be a great asset to have when the Padres make a run next year and the year after. However, he’s 32, replaceable, and extremely valuable. His return via trade will likely never be higher than it is now.
Austin Allen
Austin Allen has been used a couple of times this year, so he does fit a need. However, he’s excess, and there are better catching prospects in the pipeline. He’s valued as a backup catcher with the prospect of developing into an everyday big leaguer. Left-handed catchers that can hit have some real value.
Cal Quantrill, Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi
These are some of the top assets that the Padres could survive without. There is no rush to move any of them. However, there’s undoubtedly going to be a log jam at starting pitcher next year and beyond. Some might be transferred to the bullpen, but the Padres could also move one or two in a package deal. All have had dominate games, and all have had bad outings. Each pitcher has multiple years of control, and none are considered the Padres “top prospects.” Each player would improve many rotations around the league. The value of each is still high, and would likely need to be included for a top of the rotation pitcher.
Ty France
Ty France looked decent in his limited time in the big leagues. He showed a much better glove than was projected in his scouting report. The infielder can even play a decent second base. France raked at Triple-A El Paso, and his numbers could catch the eye of opposing GM’s. He is an intriguing trade option.
Prospects
The Padres farm system is as deep as they come. Some players are considered untouchable, mainly MacKenzie Gore, Taylor Trammel, and Luis Patino. However, there are other players like Michel Baez or Gabriel Arias that may be regarded as surplus. Here is a list of players that should have at least decent value and could be traded:
The above players have all seen the big league club. These other players listed below Have not yet been called up to the majors.
Ryan Weathers- LHP
Esteuary Ruiz- 2B
Xavier Edwards- INF
Hudson Potts- 3B
Buddy Reed- OF
Tirso Ornelas- OF
Edward Oliveras- OF
There are so many of them, and a lot of them garnered All-Star considerations in their respective leagues. These prospects would improve any team’s farm system. The Padres could lose a few of them and still have a top farm system in the game. These men could be used to entice a G.M. into giving up a prized asset. A.J. Preller could quickly sell the farm and solve any problems on the roster.
However, they should stay the course. The Padres and their fans want to be competing for the World Series for the next decade or so. A great farm system will be a massive part of that. The Padres shouldn’t go all in for one or two years but could package a few players together to make an upgrade or two. They could also trade away a couple of poor contracts.
All in all, the Padres do have a few needs that may be addressed this winter. Several valuable trade pieces could be used to acquire them. Or they could just stay where they are and let those young prospects develop in the coming season.
Lifelong Padre fan born and raised in San Diego, currently living in Temecula. The editors make me sound smart.
I have been a Padres fan since 1969, while almost all the teams that came in or after has won a world series, the Padres even though had made two Appearances then got whipped both times. I think it is time to put up or shut up. It is time to use the farm system to get some hitters that don’t Strike out, it doesn’t matter how many home run you hit if there Isn’t anybody on base to drive in.
Edwards should not be a trade asset. A switch hitting speed demon who gets on base close to a 400 clip is not a trade piece. I look to EDWARDS and Abrams to hit one-two in the Padre lineup ahead of Tatis (3) for years to come. Imagine the havoc Edwards, Abrams and Tatis would cause hitting in front of Machado? All 3 guys can steal 30+ bases a year, play Gold Glove level defense and get on base, why trade any of them? You need trade assets, put Gaberial Arias on the list instead.
Trading Yates would be a mistake. You don’t improve a team by trading your best players. And this club does not have a recipe for an endless stream of good relievers. This year, outside of Yates, the bullpen has mostly been a weak spot.
Trading Myers might just be impossible. As well as unnecessary. He’s likely to rebound next season to something approaching his normal play, which would make him a league average LF. They might be able to save $25 mil of the $68.5 he’s owed, though not more, but Myers will most likely provide $25 mm worth of on the field value. Probably they just have to live with him.
Who you did not mention were Renfroe and Urias. Urias has shown no real sign of being able to hit ML pitching, although he’s still young. And Renfroe will turn 28 before next season, and might be out of time. His second half collapse, although possibly driven by injuries, suggests he just isn’t that good.
Will Myers will not give $25 million worth of value. Some of Myers woes has to be blamed directly on the front office. Maybe one of worst handled in Padres history. Why did they give up Turner and Joe Ross and then shower Wil with the huge back loaded contract only to move him all over the field. Renfroe was playing the second half with ankle injuries. I would ok with trading one or two of Lauer, Lucchesi, and Quantrill. Richard probably puts his TJ surgery behind and is either our #1 or #2. Preller could try and trade for another front starter. We are not that far away if Preller makes the right moves. He will have to make a painful trade to unload Myers.
Dennis,
Why won’t Myers be worth $25 mil over 3 years?
Fangraphs usually values each win above replacement as being worth $9 mil. Myers has already accumulated 1.0 WAR this year, in what has been a terrible season for him. Makes him a pretty solid bet to post $25 mil worth of WAR over the next 3 seasons.
Positions of surplus are pitching, middle INF, catching and OF. Problem is, those are also needs.
Let assume (hope) the last 2 seasons has given the Front Office enough time to separate the ones they want to keep and the ones they can part with. A move of any kind needs to improve the team, period. The 40 man needs to be shaken down to long term pieces and remove all the place holders. As for your list of assets, only Kirby Yates is an obvious desired one. In my mind they should have traded him this deadline cause San Diego has never had an issue with building a bullpen. The rest all have their flaws and if San Diego sees them; chances are the 29 other teams see them too. Losing an asset to the Rule 5 draft is a factor as well. If you can package a player or two who you cannot protect in a deal is better than just losing them without any return. The final piece is the manager. If they are gona fire Andy, hopefully this is done right away and the position is filled quickly. Its hard to say where this off season is gona go but it should be a busy one. Trying to keep the faith but this time of year is the hardest..