*Photo from Fox News*
The San Diego Padres are dealing again. The Padres have acquired RHP Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for top prospects Luis Patino, Francisco Mejia, Cole Wilcox, and Blake Hunt. This trade means that Snell's last moment in a Rays uniform was him getting controversially pulled in the 6th inning of game 6 of the world series against the Dodgers, a game the Rays lost. The deal has been confirmed.
In the short 2020 season, Snell posted a 4-2 record with a 3.24 ERA, striking out 63 hitters in 50 innings pitched in 11 starts for the Rays this season. In Snell's 5 major league seasons, all with the Rays, Snell has a 42-30 record with a 3.24 ERA, throwing 556 innings in 108 starts. Snell also has the 2018 AL Cy Young award under his belt, which earned him a 6 year, $50 million extension prior to the 2019 season.
Snell talked about leaving the Rays, saying that "The Rays are all I know. I grew up through this system, I grew up around a lot of those people, I matured as a human, I grew as a man and a lot of those people guided me in that direction. What’s going to suck is to not be able to see those people, because I won’t be able to say thank you to all of them. It goes from the clubbies, the security guards, everyone -- they all had a big impact in my life."
Snell also expressed excitement about joining the Padres, saying that The Padres have a really good team. They can hit, they can play defense, they can pitch and if they get Yu as well, I’m excited about what we’ll be able to do. It’s cool to go to a team where the owner spends money and wants to win and wants to win now, and I’ll get to be a part of that. I know I’ll be a big part of that, so I’m definitely excited about the opportunity, and I can’t wait to thrive in it."
Patino was ranked as the 3rd best prospect in the Padres system and 23rd across MLB. He made his debut in the 2020 season, posting a 1-0 record with a 5.19 ERA and 17 1/3 innings pitched in 11 appearances, making one start. Patino had a breakout season in the minors in 2019, posting a 2.57 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 94 2/3 innings between High A Lake Elsinore and Double A Amarillo. He features 3 plus pitches, his fastball, slider, and changeup.
Wilcox was ranked number 7 in the Padres rankings, and was selected in the 3rd round of the 2020 draft from Georgia. He was considered to have some of the best stuff of all the pitchers selected in 2020, and gave up just 4 runs in 4 starts for Georgia in 2019, walking two hitters while striking out 32. Hunt is the 14th ranked prospect in the Padres system, who is a strong defensive catcher, but still has to improve a bit offensively. He spent 2019 with Class A Fort Wayne.
Mejia spent 2 1/2 seasons in the Padres system after being acquired from the Indians for Brad Hand and Adam Cimber in 2018. Mejia hit just .077 in 2020, with one homer and two RBI in 17 games for the Padres. Mejia has spent parts of 4 seasons in the major leagues, hitting .225 with 12 homers and 33 RBI in 128 games, spent with the Indians and Padres.
The Padres have been searching for rotation help since they announced Mike Clevinger would miss the 2021 season due to Tommy John Surgery, and Snell certainly is rotation help. In 2021, the Padres rotation figures to feature Snell, Dinelson Lamet, and Chris Paddack, with plenty of other candidates competing for the 5th spot. When Clevinger comes back in 2022, that rotation looks even scarier. The Padres are also in discussions with the Cubs about trading for their ace in Yu Darvish, making them that much scarier. They are certainly tired of finishing behind the Dodgers.
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