What would it take for the Padres to obtain LHP Blake Snell?
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly making star pitcher Blake Snell available. Should the San Diego Padres make a move?
While the Tampa Bay Rays look to get over the World Series hump after falling in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers, one report that is sure to shake up the baseball world just surfaced. According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the Rays aren’t actively shopping Blake Snell, but they are listening to offers for the southpaw. The Padres would appear to be an immediate favorite in light of the Mike Clevinger news.
Unless Joey Lucchesi, Adrian Morejon, or another southpaw steps into the rotation, the Padres are heavy on the right-side. Snell turns 28 in a matter of days and is two seasons removed from winning the AL’s CY Young Award. He was outstanding in the shortened season, posting a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts while fanning 63.0 batters in just 50.0 innings.
He ended the postseason on a sour note, pulled from his start in Game 6 after allowing a single, just his third hit of the game, in the sixth inning. The move immediately backfired, as the Dodgers rallied to take the lead and ultimately the series. Snell still has three years left on the five-year, $50M contract he signed before the 2019 season.
These two clubs are no strangers to swapping players, completing two trades last offseason.
Snell would give the Padres a true ace at a much-needed time. And when Clevinger presumably returns healthy, San Diego’s rotation looks scary on paper. Snell features a four-pitch mix, showing his four-seam fastball 50 percent of the time with a healthy balance of his slider, curveball, and changeup to round out his arsenal. He has excellent swing-and-miss stuff and induces weak contact when the ball hits the bat.
Sources: Rays open to trading Blake Snell https://t.co/xdHhGsT8NA
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 23, 2020
The major question for the Padres, and every other interested team, is what it would take to get this kind of deal completed?
CBS Sports’ Jim Bowden stated that the Rays were interested in upgrading their catching situation this offseason. However, if they’re willing to move Blake Snell, there has to be some give and take in terms of what they hope to accomplish in 2021. They can’t expect any catcher they might acquire to possibly outslug the runs lost from not having Snell in your rotation.
Any deal obviously begins with Luis Campusano and potentially Francisco Mejia. The Padres have a few catchers, and Austin Nola is under contract through the 2025 season. Finding playing time for anyone else could be tough to come by. The Rays’ pride themselves on their farm system, highlighted by top prospect Wander Franco, who is expected to patrol the shortstop position next year.
Beyond that lies LHP Brendan McKay, a couple of infielders, and several more pitchers. The Rays recently DFA’d former Padre Hunter Renfroe, leaving a glaring hole in right field. Jorge Ona makes a lot of sense to include in the deal, as he’s projected to see an increased role in 2021. Completing the possible deal, Morejon could give the Rays a starting pitcher for the future.
With Snell on the Padres roster, someone will be the odd man out in the rotation. Both Luis Patino and MacKenzie Gore appear to be safe, but Morejon could thrive in Tampa. Obviously, the Rays would not retain any money in this potential deal. Snell would improve the Padres greatly, and the team can certainly afford the asking price. What will the Padres do?
Padres writer/editor for East Village Times. LA Kings writer/editor for Hockey Royalty. IBWAA member.
Not sure if you get the Atlantic, but Eno Sarris just did a piece on this and Pads fans aren’t gona dig his idea. No Gore or Abrams but he’s taking the next three in Morejon, Patino and Campusano. Umm that’s a no for me to f that is the cost. All three have been rushed and to think what we have seen is what they will become is foolish.
I get the window has opened and don’t want 2021 to be wasted with Clevinger down but. Now that Cimber and Hand are gone in CLE, can’t they punt on Mejia and replace him for Campusano? Weed not included. Or if you do include Camp then keep the one pitcher you like better from Patino and Morejon and seen Lucchesi as the third piece since Tampa would be getting 2 top 50s assuming Patino would go.
Will be interesting Winter Mtg for sure
There is a reason why Tampa trades players. It is called cheapness. They trade every player as they get expensive. It’s just what they do.
Did the BR article prompt this article or was it on your own? The BR article suggested Patino, Baez and Mejia. For me that is a hell yes, do it. Even if Tampa corrects Patinos control issues, it will take a season or three. Baez too.
Ryan Weathers, Adrian Morejon, Reggie Lawson and Anderson Espinoza will hold them over to see if any of Cole Wilcox, Justin Lange, Efrain Contreres, Osvaldo Hernandez or Omar Cruz can rise up.
The Pads need someone now and into 2022 and 2023, which is what Blake gives you. He easily would be their best arm. This is the pitching version of the Tommy Pham trade. Tampa is motivated to move Blake as he enters arbitration (gets expensive).
I would think there is next to zero chance Nola or Campusano are in play here. Even with the arrest which supposedly got reduced to a misdemeanor. Patino would be the headline with 2 other pieces with upside.
Yeah, if Preller hadn’t given away so much in the Clevinger trade and the Nola trade (and trade with Boston … for nothing but negative value) then he could easily go after Snell. Either way, there is a reason why TB is willing to trade Snell, just like with Pham. Two things for sure, he has had injuries, and he seems to have some attitude issues (somewhat ironically, he loved Pham, and was very upset he left … maybe he saw Pham as a mentor/leader). GM’s know how to leverage Preller. It is a shame he is still the GM. Padres will be stuck in mediocrity (at best) with him at the helm.
Preller and Co. still have plenty of top prospects and depth to deal from if they are interested in Snell. And yes, finishing last season with the 3rd best record in all of baseball screams “mediocrity”.
Yes, they have plenty of prospects, they also have a finite amount. “Small market teams” have to be exceedingly efficient, just like Tampa Bay, ironically. Either way, this does not mean they should give value away, at least not at a fair price.
Yes, 3rd best record in baseball. That was in a truncated season, where they went all in with a multitude of trades, where other teams did not, but even then, they barely, BARELY got out of the first round, and got absolutely CRUSHED and swept in the 2nd round.
But the point was going forward, that they “will be” stuck in mediocrity with AJ, and with Clevinger out next year, and part/most of the following, and with Lamet likely out, and with Paddack struggling. If that is the case, which is highly likely, then they will be very mediocre. That does “scream” mediocre.
AJ gave away too much? Please. The only player in the Clevinger deal that could have helped in 2020 was Cal. Naylor and Hedges had no place and Owen Miller isn’t better than Cronenworth. So that leaves Cal, Gabriel (blocked) and Joey for a frontline starter. Hardly an overpay even if they get only one year. Who’s to say the way they handled the injury gets them an advantage to resign Clevinger if 21 goes well.
Nola too much? Trammel still has much to prove and any one of the arms that came with Austin even step up, it’s not close. Austin sent an affordable Realmuto w control. Regardless of if he can maintain the small sample prior to being a Pad, he’s an upgrade at the C and is easily their starting C in 2021. Ty France will be the piece in the trade that will succeed and well, like Naylor wasn’t gona play in SD. Luis Torrens was solid for them in a small sample but a back up catcher, a blocked 3B, and a lottery ticket OF surely isn’t too much. Austin Adams could easily have José Castillo upside.
Boston? please. Have you seen what Hudson Potts has done as a Padre? Or Jeisson Rosario? They will end up being released just like Robert Stock was today.
you had me until you compared Potts and Rosario to Robert Stock…
Ok so that was a leap, but Hudson has had little sustained success since being drafted in the first rd. Jeisson Rosario is a name that sticks around but really what has he done to even care. That was really my point.
Potts played as the youngest player in the league at virtually every stop he made in the minors… His future has yet to be determined. There is plenty of upside though. Rosario has a ton of athleticism and could be a factor if he puts on weight and muscle. They were great additions for the Sox
Perhaps any 2 players was too much, but the specific players make it all the worse. Yes, Cal would have been very helpful, and is far more healthy. Preller should have seen the writing on the wall with his injuries, at least the high risk with Clevinger.
In case you didn’t notice, Naylor had a record setting postseason, which would have been nice, and was very much needed. Aside from how they performed this year, the talent/value was way, WAY too much. Also, the bigger point is that Gabriel will prove to be very good (his actual value is irrelevant to if he was “blocked” or not). Nola is fine, but he is OLD for the start of a career, and they are now looking for more catching?! Ty France is very good/underated, and Trammel and the rest have a lot of value. The relievers the Padres received are so-so, if not unproven, and almost didn’t make the final roster (at least one of them). Torrens was, indeed, solid, but it was a small time frame.
Boston? Yes, the Padres got absolutely negative value, and then released whom they traded for. So to give anything up, especially those 2 (whether they are stars in the majors or not, they have valued) was absurd. Potts was always put in levels where he was very young. He has a lot of potential, and they always sang the praises of Rosario, soooooooooo yes, Preller gave up waaaaayyyyy too much.
Great take! I can see Morjon and Ona for Snell and two middle infield prospect ( the Pads might regret the trade-away of X Edwards and Gabriel Arias). Or, does Tampa Bay need a left handed first baseman?
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To be honest I’d rather give them patino instead of Morejon. He showed some real improvement last year, and as far as I’m concerned Patino is still an unk own. The only thing that would make me reconsider is that obviously we want to bring gore up soon, so at that point we will have 3 lefty arms starting. So maybe some imbalance, but is that really a bad thing. If there talented enough I don’t think righty/ lefty really matters too much.