The Padres missed out on Pablo Sandoval, who signed with the Red Sox earlier today, and MLB.com’s Corey Brock reports that the they are now heavily focused on trades, although Yasmany Tomas appears to be one notable exception. According to Brock, the Padres are believed to have reached out to the Red Sox regarding Yoenis Cespedes’ availability.
Cespedes, 29, would become San Diego’s top power threat, though he’s only under control through the 2015 season and has a contractual clause preventing him from receiving a qualifying offer. However, as Brock notes (and as many others have speculated), a trade centering around Ian Kennedy and Cespedes would seem to be a fair swap of comparably priced players with only one year of control remaining. Cespedes is earning $10.5MM in 2015, and MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Kennedy to earn $10.3MM. San Diego has a wealth of pitching talent but little in the way of outfield bats, and the Red Sox have the opposite problem. Boston also added Hanley Ramirez on a four-year deal today and announced him as their new left fielder, leaving little doubt that Cespedes could be had on the trade market. At this time, however, Brock notes that it’s unclear just how serious the Friars are about working on a Cespedes trade. GM A.J. Preller is tirelessly exploring possibilities, so there’s no guarantee to this point that Cespedes is a top target.
In addition to Cespedes, names like Justin Upton, Evan Gattis, Matt Kemp, Michael Saunders, Dexter Fowler, Allen Craig and Matt Joyce have seen their names surface in trade rumors over the past week or two.
As for Tomas, Brock hears from a source that San Diego has had an offer on the table for some time now, but Tomas has yet to make a decision. San Diego’s offer is not the highest for Tomas, Brock reports. However, they’re still in the running at this time, and he Brock wonders if missing out on Sandoval will cause the Padres to raise their offer. He adds that Preller was in the Dominican Republic on Saturday to meet with Tomas’ agent, Jay Alou.
Tomas notwithstanding, it’s unsurprising to see the Padres focus more heavily on the trade market. Petco Park’s reputation as a pitchers’ haven makes it tough for the Padres to land free agent bats, and their pursuit of Sandoval is a perfect example. Reports have indicated that the Padres actually offered Sandoval a longer contract than either the Red Sox or Giants, but Sandoval still declined in favor of a lesser guarantee in a more hitter-friendly environment.
