Wil Myers stands as one of the Padres’ highest-profile and highest-paid players, the recipient of a six-year, $83MM contract extension entering the 2017 season. Myers was a first baseman coming off his lone All-Star season at that point, but his production has dipped since he landed his deal, and he lost his first base job when the team made an eight-year, $144MM commitment to Eric Hosmer in February 2018. Now, three months into the 2019 season, a struggling Myers is losing playing time as a member of a crowded outfield, as AJ Cassavell of MLB.com writes.
Myers was out of the Padres’ starting lineup for their game against the Cardinals on Saturday. The 28-year-old has now started just twice for the Padres since June 19, a span in which he has totaled only 10 at-bats. Padres manager Andy Green insists Myers’ relegation to the bench is temporary, a way for the player to work on getting his strikeout issues under control.
“We expect Wil to be a part of what we’re doing here for a long time,” Green told Cassavell. “He’s handled everything that we’ve given him well.”
Green’s words may not do much to quell trade speculation centering on Myers, who doesn’t look like an ideal fit for the team’s roster anymore. The problem, even if San Diego does want to trade Myers to alleviate its outfield logjam, is that he likely doesn’t have much value. Myers’ 104 wRC+ since he signed his extension is just a bit better than league average – which isn’t optimal for a first baseman (if another team put him back there) or a corner outfielder, let alone a well-compensated one. Because the Padres heavily backloaded Myers’ contract, he still has $62.5MM in guarantees coming his way through 2022 (including a $1MM buyout for ’23).
Myers is now in the throes of his worst season since 2014, the year before the Rays traded him to the Padres. Across 272 plate appearances, Myers has hit .223/.317/.408 (94 wRC+) with 11 home runs, nine steals and 97 strikeouts against 31 walks. The former AL Rookie of the Year’s strikeout rate (35.7 percent) is 9.5 points worse than his career mark and good for dead last in the majors among qualified batters. Moreover, Myers ranks toward the bottom of the sport in expected batting average (16th percentile), average exit velocity (37th percentile), expected slugging percentage (43rd percentile) and expected weighted on-base average (43rd percentile), according to Statcast. There’s very little difference been his .325 xwOBA and .318 real wOBA.
To Myers’ credit, he’s a fast runner who has been a neutral or better corner outfielder over the past couple years, per Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating. Myers has accounted for 3 DRS/1.5 UZR in the corners this year, though subpar work in center (minus-6 DRS, minus-2.7 UZR) has stained his aggregate defensive contributions. Overall, the package has been worth a measly 0.3 wins above replacement this year. Three Padres outfielders – fellow right-handed corner sluggers Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes as well as athletic center fielder Manuel Margot – have outdone him by that metric. The club also has rookie corner outfielder Josh Naylor on hand, though his career has gotten off to such a slow start that even Myers’ so-so 2019 numbers trump his.
To be sure, Myers is a better player than Naylor at this juncture. Still, Myers continues to look like a questionable fit in San Diego, and his recent role change (even if impermanent) makes that all the more obvious. But it remains to be seen whether the Padres, who are 41-40 and pushing for a playoff spot, will try to find a taker for Myers in advance of the July 31 trade deadline. Considering Myers’ unspectacular production and the money left on his deal, doing so wouldn’t be easy.
Padres kind of stuck with him unless they eat a lot of money. He basically takes good strikes and swings at balls or borderline strikes. A lot of it seems mental.
If only there was a way to work out a bad contract swap Myers for Longoria. Myers has always hit well at Oracle (AT&T) Park, Longoria hits OK anywhere that isn’t Oracle (AT&T) Park.
Even if Myers didn’t hit any better, he would still be an upgrade.
Why on earth would the Padres do that?
Longoria makes less money and about $2 mil of that is also paid for by the Rays. They would save about $17 million and spot starting somewhere other than SF might build his trade value back up.
Where would Longoria play in San Diego? With Machado at 3rd and Tatis at short (moving Machado over) and Hosmer at 1st I just don’t see a fit. Longoria makes to much to start a few times a month and ride the bench. Myers is the better fit between the 2. He is too talented to be this bad forever. He will figure it out and hopefully some team would be willing to pay part of his contract and move him to 1st. He is too injury prone for the OF.
An even-money trade built around Myers and Ian Desmond might make more sense. COL has not had great luck at 1B, and SD might realize some value in Desmond and what is at least better-than-Myers range in CF and the possibility of chipping in at 2B now and again.
This seems reasonable
Hmmm…I feel like the Padres have someone at 3rd base already…but they will probably do that move just to help the Giants…hahahaha!
Longoria is less of a fit then Myers. There’s literally no where for Longoria to play. Myers doesn’t fit much, but Longoria fits worse now that Machado plays everyday at 3rd.
Dude would rather be gaming.
I just wonder if they could make Myers a throw in to the Blue Jays for Stroman. Something like Stroman for Myers + paying a bunch of Myers’ contract + pitching prospects.
Padres have a bevy of pitchers in the minors, Jays have been public about wanting to GET pitching. In addition, Jays have a gap in center that Myers could cover, and at first if Smoak gets traded. Could see them bite on viewing him as a lottery ticket.
Jays already have 2 1B (smoak, tellez) and lots of OF (Grichuk, Hernandez, McKinney, Davis, Gurriel, Biggio
The Jays will swing Stroman for actual top prospects, so why on earth would they take garbage like this in return even if the Padres eat salary? Padre fans come up with the most ridiculous trade scenarios.
Because the Padres could give them even better prospects “if” the Jays took Myers and more of his salary.
He could still rebound also…l.he’s still young.
Good prospects without taking garbage and eating salary versus just taking good prospects? Yeah, tough decision there…
Unreal Padre fans trade takes
Myers or Hosmer could have potential, albeit a massive longshot. If….
– Grichuk and Smoak are part of the deal.
– Jays throw in Galvis since 2B is a problem spot for SD.
Stroman, Grichuk, and Galvis for Myers and truckload of prospects.
or…
Stroman, Grichuk, Smoak and Galvis for Hosmer and prospects.
Strange fit.
NTC
The Padres don’t have a “problem” at 2b.They have Luis Urias about ready to go.
They also didn’t keep Galvis for this reason.
Hosmer now wow the smartness of Padre fans showing
Padres signed Ian Kinsler instead. Don’t think that’s worked out any better. You’ll need a backup, and the whole idea is to offset some salary. Then again, you have Kinsler. All is good!
Padreforlife – Your team needs to offload salary, it’s one or the other. A Hosmer trade means Myers can move to 1B or Naylor, unless Naylor is traded. Either way, it is a consideration and a consideration only. Something has to give for your Padres.
Myders is a terrible first baseman. Trading Hosmer to keep Myers at 1B would be ridiculous.
Hosmer has a full NTC and no trade value so the issue is moot
Because nobody has ever broken their NTC, ever.
Um, yeah.
The point of this exercise was to show Oddball what it would take for the Blue Jays to take on salary from SD. The OF is crowded in Toronto, hence the Hosmer example. In NO WAY, shape or form would Hosmer ever become a Blue Jay, or Myers for that matter. All I did was provide a little example. That is all.
Cleveland is desperate for outfielders. They may think long and hard about a deal for Myers.
@TrimReaper the bigger issue is the “no trade value.”
@SDHotDawg We spent most of last offseason hearing about how they had to cut payroll. It’ll be a cold day in Hell before they add Myers and his $22.5m salary.
True, but stranger things have happened.
Padreflorlife is NOT a Padres fan. He is an illiterate troll
The irony here is precious.
You have to be able to trade Myers without eating of his contract before you can even think about using him in a trade for someone with Stroman’s value.
myers was never that good lol he just just hyped up his SBs for one season and everyone went crazy. pads should never have offered anything like that sum
People all over baseball were questioning Preller’s trade for Myers. But he really raised eyebrows when he gave Myers that unwarranted extension. Both the Royals and the Rays got rid of him due to his attitude, his work ethic, his poor defense, and his high K rate, but Preller ignored it all.
Now, the Pads are on the hook for over $60MM, and they can’t give him away. Well done, “rockstar.”
What caused this quandary was the signing of Hosmer. Myers was left with no position. Wil was starting to become a decent first baseman.
He has made leaps and bounds playing in the outfield, he uses his athleticism to make plays.
I hope he can get over his mental block at the plate and return to form. He can be a good player, he has pop and he can run. Hopefully he can correct those issues at the plate.
I actually like him in his new role. Bench player coming in late for defense. Won’t need the defensive part once Jank is back. Question is who goes when that happens, though I think it will still require a decent rehab assignment for him.
The link to his Baseball Reference page suggest he has $68.5 million left to come (including buyout).
I think that’s his total contract, not remaining contract. Try Cots Contracts for the details rather than baseball-reference
According to Spotrac.com, Wil Myers has the remainder of his 5.5 million this season. The next 3 season he is owed 22.5 million each year with a 20 million option in 2023.. He will be very, very, very, very, very hard to trade considering his current lack of production.
It looks like Myers is owed $20mm/season for each of the next 3 seasons and then a $1mm buyout after 2022. His contract included a $15mm signing bonus, so as long as that has been paid out in full, he is owed $62.5mm for the next 3.5 years and his buyout. A huge number for his production anyway you cut it.
Wonder if the Angels would take him straight up for Trout (if they eat the salary of course)? LMAO…
Trade to AL…DH too. He is dumb. Money doesn’t fix dumb. Preller couldn’t see this? Shameful.
Padres-Mariners trade
Mariners send Mike Leake and Dee Gordon to SD for Myers, Kinsler and Ryan Weathers. Remaining contract obligations for Leake and Gordon are about $33M (with option buyouts) and $66M for Myers and Kinsler. Essentially Dipoto buys another top prospect while banking on improvement from Myers. Kinsler provides leadership to the young Mariner nucleus, while second base becomes Shed Long’s.
Along with moving the Myers contract and two of their least productive bats, SD gets a solid, durable innings eater in Leake, who’s having a good season and who gets his wish of moving closer to Phoenix for personal reasons after the trade to the Diamondbacks fell through. Gordon, while not great this year is an upgrade at second.
This is a solid idea. Nice work putting that together.
Very solid, and thanks for connecting him. Most people get eaten alive for making proposals on here. That was pretty legit.
I’m a Padre fan and think one more prospect would need to head to SEA in that framework above. Something like:
Mike Leake and Dee Gordon to San Diego for Wil Myers, Ian Kinsler, Ryan Weathers and Tirso Ornelas.
Tie two top 10ish prospects to that deal from San Diego’s end & it would be hard to not get Dipoto’s attention.
It is a little more than 66 million for Myers alone then adding Kinsler’s contract makes it closer to 72 million so the prospects to Seattle would have to be very good for Seattle to take on that amount of money.
Leake and Gordons contracts would go the padres so the Mariners would only be adding 33
Million to what they are currently paying
I think it would take more than Weathers to get the Mariners to eat 33 million or more like 38 million. I think San Diego is stuck with Myers.
Not a bad offer, but I don’t think Weathers alone is enough to overcome the money San Diego would be offloading there.
I didn’t scroll down and read this before responding above, from a Padre fan prospective which is saying a lot, I don’t think it is either.
Add one of Tirso Ornelas, Hudson Potts or Buddy Reed and that looks more realistic.
Gordon can play 2B against tough righties to give Urias days off. Can also use his speed late in ball games to affect the outcome of close games.
Leake returns home to pitch in San Diego. He will stabilize innings down the stretch, that is needed whether we are in the hunt still or not.
Myers + Kinsler have fresh slates in Seattle while they enjoy two new top 10 prospects that just entered their pipeline.
Gordon can also play CF. Try and get Haniger as well. Add Reyes
Kinsler had one bad month. SD should want to move him to clear space at 2B for Luis Urias but he is not “one of their least productive bats.”
Gotta face it, Myers isn’t ever gonna be the super star many predicted he’d be when he was drafted. Still, in this day and age when a player’s BA has fallen way down on a team’s list of priorities, Myers is still a nice power/speed player. I believe a number of teams would welcome. He’s stretched in CF at PETCO, but in a park like Philly or Wrigley, he would be better than passable. Both the Cubs and Phillies could be destinations for him as neither team has a lot of outfield depth on their current roster.
Dunno, seems like a good guy, so moving him wouldn’t entail the Padres having to explain away a lot of baggage as is the case with some players currently thought of as being available..
Padres aren’t gonna make the playoffs this year, so getting an average-to-decent prospect or two for him could be a smart move for a team with too many outfielders.
Lmao and who do you think is going to trade an “average-to-decent prospect or two” for Wil Myers?
Do you realize the ONLY reason Myers was on the All-Star team is because EVERY team has to be represented?
He never was, and never will be an elite player. And Preller calls himself a scout?
Do you realize the ONLY reason Myers was on the All-Star team is because EVERY team has to be represented?”
That’s not true. The Padres had two representatives that year (Myers and Pomeranz). And Myers not only made the team, he was in the starting lineup. Hasn’t been the same since then however.
That is completely true. Pomeranz was with the Red Sox at that time, having been traded before the All-Star game. Myers start was a manager’s decision due to injuries. He was the Padres team selection, he was not voted in.
Managers alo select the pitchers; they aren’t voted in.
No SDHotDawg. You’re wrong. All Star game was on July 12th. Pomeranz was traded on the 14th. And Pomeranz pitched for the NL during the All Star game. They didn’t have to nominate Myers to the ASG.
You are correct. I was wrong about the Pomeranz thing. Myers was a reserve, selected by the managers. He played DH.
He needs to start wearing batting gloves!
Trade Myers to Royals for Ian Kennedy. Trade of bad contracts, but Padres get useful tool in the short-term while Royals may get a long-term piece.
The Royals won’t touch him. I can’t envision any rebuilding club having much interest.
Seattle makes sense due to large contracts they have.
Colorado makes sense as Desmond is similarly paid and swapping the two make each club better by addressing the different weaknesses. CF in San Diego for Desmond, 1B in COL for Myers.
Or something like Wade Davis, Ian Desmond for Wil Myers and Craig Stammen, with some prospects added from both sides.
Maybe a deal with Texas, Odor plus Leclerc for Myers, Weathers and Mason Thompson. No money switches teams.
A few possibilities
Myers came up in Royals system. They would know something about him (and maybe they would not want to touch him). Myers could rebuild value in low-stress environment, at which time Royals could flip him. Although he is not that old. Moore likes to take chance on underachieving guys to flip them. Royals do not have an abundance of corner OF beating down the door. They need to move Hamilton.
There’s a reason they got rid of him.
Myers hitting mechanics are really off. His swing has too much length in it in addition to that stupid slide step mid swing. Myers needs to have his hands in more of hitting position rather than resting the bat on his shoulder. He has problems recognizing off speed pitches down in the zone against right handed pitchers which most likely means that he needs to have an open stance against righties.
This site is full of losers, whiners, nerds and people who both suck at baseball and/or don’t know any pros. I’ll do you a favor and relay the word from on high: Yes Meyers has disappointed. However, he is better than Headley who was better than Giles. Just about every Championship Team has a bad contract on the roster, who, while not living up to expectations, is a much better asset than some prospect. Why do some of you concern yourself with Meyers’ contract? There is no salary cap in baseball – what’s your problem? All I know is Will Myers was vital in the recent All-Time Great Series against the Rockies. Anyone trying to break up the chemistry of this team is seriously hooked on Sabermetrics. Like I always say to you poor people who suck at baseball and don’t know any pros – sometimes it’s a show so people have a good time. Live with Meyers fools, could be a lot worse.
Thanks genius!
… and I thought only the SABR-geeks were ignorant dix.
Yeah that trade and signing were nothing short of a disaster. Owed $67.5m in 2020-2022 and either unable or unwilling to make adjustments. Then Trea Turner is shining in DC.
Padres fans value Wil Myers like Twins fans value Miguel Sano. Neither have any value, but for different reasons. Sano looks unplayable most of the time and has at least 1 major offseason distraction and Myers is just playable, but has a massive contract nobody wants to touch.
Myers is going nowhere. The Padres will have to concentrate on upgrading other positions with the prospects they’d rather be playing.
At least the Twins have the ability to non-tender Sano and move on if he’s really that much of a problem (and I’m not saying he is or isn’t)
A buddy of mine suggested a swap of high contracts for some of the Rockies relievers. That would alleviate the logjam and bring in some relief help that Balsley could work his magic with. I dunno…..