The Padres are acquiring minor league outfielder Ben Gamel from the Rays, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). Tampa Bay receives cash in return, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).
According to the transaction log at MLB.com, the veteran outfielder was assigned to Triple-A El Paso. Gamel will not immediately occupy a spot on the 40-man roster, as he’d signed a minor league pact with Tampa Bay over the offseason.
The 31-year-old Gamel has had a strong season in Triple-A Durham with the Rays, hitting .276/.402/.463 (120 wRC+) with eight homers, 12 doubles, a triple, four steals, a huge 16.8% walk rate and a 22.8% strikeout rate in 250 plate appearances. He’ll give the Friars an experienced veteran bat who could be up in the Majors and help in a corner outfield spot sooner than later.
Gamel has seen Major League time in each of the past seven seasons, dating back to his 2016 debut with the Yankees. He’s a lifetime .253/.333/.385 hitter (97 wRC+) in just over 2200 plate appearances, and while he’s typically been light on power — career-high 11 homers, .132 career ISO — he’s drawn walks at a strong clip for the majority of his big league tenure (10.2%).
Looking at his career as a whole, Gamel’s track record against right-handed pitching is roughly average. That’s skewed somewhat by some shaky performances earlier in his career, however. Dating back to Opening Day 2021, Gamel carries a solid .255/.351/.408 slash against right-handed pitchers — about 12% better than league-average after weighting for his home park and league run-scoring environment, by measure of wRC+. During that time, he’s walked at a stout 13.9% clip in platoon matchups.
The Padres have a righty-heavy lineup and have gotten negligible production out of a thin bench group this season. Their reserve options off the bench currently include catcher Austin Nola and infielder/outfielder options Rougned Odor, Brandon Dixon and Matthew Batten. Odor is the only lefty of the bunch, and his .212/.307/.371 batting line (91 wRC+) in 150 plate appearances hasn’t been much to write home about. Gamel could be a veteran option to step into a bench spot, and if the club eventually decides to reduce struggling Matt Carpenter’s role or move on from him entirely — the 37-year-old is hitting .173/.300/.314 — then Gamel could have a clearer path to some DH or corner outfield at-bats.
Soto replacement???????
The Pads should have brought in guys like Cody Bellinger and Adam Duvall, instead of raiding their entire farm for Juan Soto, who puts up pretty analytic stats, but doesn’t impact winning as much as his contract suggests he does.
Well they did raid the farm but Bell was responsible for at least one of those guys. Now, as for the guys traded, none are really making an impact at their respective levels. They may at some point in the next 5 years but not this year. The goal was to try for WS in 2022 and 2023 – not to sit and wait 3-4 years.
Cody is enjoying a resurgence but still – not the guy you wanted to add to your team based on his previous couple of years. Dodgers didn’t even want him. Duvall – no thanks and that is that and that is all on that subject.
Couldn’t agree more that Soto hasn’t been the impact bat for a while. Wasn’t he the new Ted Williams? Buyer beware on opening the vault to Soto.
Personally I do think Soto is very good, but looks even better in analytics, because in analytics walks are just as “valuable” as hits, but in my world they’re really not. Two guys, such as Belli/Duvall would more than offset Soto’s production and leave the Pads with a huge, high end prospect pool and a boatload of cash.
You must not have watched Soto in the World Series
“Not watched Soto”…I haven’t missed a World Series since 1972. 2019 was great for baseball and for Juan Soto. In case you haven’t noticed, the year is now 2023, not 2019.
Since you’re big on years Bellinger wasn’t available to the padres last year they made the trade for Soto prior to Bellinger becoming a free agent this past year.
To suggest Soto isn’t an impact bat is just ludicrous.
Dumbrowski is the only GM who should be trusted to sell the future for a win now strategy. No one else can find the magic.
This Padres squad has no reason to miss the playoffs, except bad juju. Soto is not the reason they’re losing. Ben Gamel isn’t going to solve anything. Their only hope is to try getting even dumber, double down, and trade for Scherzer or Verlander.
That myth has been debunked.
I saw Angels are open to an Otanai trade. Do they package Soto+ Merrill and…
For Soto and Merrill we better be getting a fully paid off Trout and Detmers, too.
Or include Garcia and the rest of Hosmer salary, that should sweeten the pot. Or, just give the Angels Garcia, and keep Soto and call it a day
If you had read the whole article, it said that they are opening to trading him, but it seems unlikely they will
I read the headline and article as well. I’ve been listening to ESPN too. I know this isn’t going to happen.
For many baseball fans, to keep credibility, I receommend not mentioning you heard news/rumors from E!SPN.
Gamel was with the Pirates last year. He hustles and a team player.
But can he play? lol
A+ photo for the article on mobile
Depth piece…right on!
Rule #317 of the GM Handbook:
Never claim players discarded by Tampa Bay.
Rule #318 of the GM Handbook:
If Tampa Bay calls you for a trade, sound intetested, make note of the players they want, then hang up the phone! Immediately promote those players up to the majors and give yourself a pat on the back.
Snell for Patino, Mejia, Hunt, and Wilcox turned out pretty well for Padres.
Cronenworth and Pham turned out decent too.
Cronenworth?
Yeah the Padres have done quite well in trades with the Rays these past several years. They definitely cleaned up on those two deals as none of the pieces traded away have done all that much.
Papi – you know your agreement on the Rays is a point that I have been trying to make for a few years now with all of the guys that are bashing the recent trades. You just can’t really know until some time passes. As I stated above, the guys traded for Soto haven’t done anything and aren’t producing at their respective levels in 2023. Only France is in the Seattle trade; only Naylor in the Cleveland trades and well, he was out for a year and just now doing it after all this time.
Some people just get so enamored with prospects that they act as if they are something “right now”.
I appreciate your pointing out that the Rays trades have worked out in the overall. One last thought for those that don’t get it – trades can work out for both sides and in theory, should. What that looks like may be on different timelines.
I wish all of the former Padres prospects well – just please not against Padres.
AJ just traded our milk cow for a magic bean. Does the mascot in the picture come with him?
He is much better than guys like Odor, Carpenter, Cruz, Marisnick, Tyrone Taylor, etc who are all in the majors or have been this season.
Hoping for another Cronenworth? Hope they don’t get a Pham.
Man, and I thought that trading your garbage that you want gone to some other team was only something people said in pipe dream trade suggestions.
Much respect for the Rays actually pulling off dumping their garbage on someone else.
Is that pink mascot part of the deal? Would look good in a Padres Barbie Suit for those Friday home games.
Dropping Carpenter would be a great start. Dude strikes out like it’s his job.
Carpenter’s fountain of youth he had with the Yankees has dried up. A mice away from him to Gamel has no downside except to eat the rest if Carpenter’s contract. Time for him to retire.
Gamel takes the place of Dixon in El Paso. Dixon was called up and started tonight’s game for the Padres in Philadelphia.
Agree. Just look at all of these recent depth / lightning in a bottle signings lately. Everyone is doing it and really always do. I don’t get the people that have to find a way to bash such a signing. Recent Yankees and Dodgers signings are just examples. Minor league deals that don’t cost anything really. It might be a precursor to an Odor release or an injury back up or maybe the guy gets hot for a few weeks and Tatis goes to CF.
Maybe Gamel can be a late inning Defensive Replacement for SOSO?
Or maybe he can be made into a RP