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Padres Looking To Trade For Left Field Help

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No team in baseball has gotten less from the left field position this season than the Padres, whose left fielders have combined for an unimpressive –0.7 bWAR over the team’s first 50 games.  While the trade deadline is over two months away, it isn’t surprising that this glaring weakness is already on the radar, as Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that “the Padres have begun exploring the trade market for a left fielder.”

The list of internal options got even thinner on Saturday when San Diego placed Jason Heyward on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain.  The severity of Heyward’s strain isn’t yet known, but even a minor oblique issue usually means at least a few weeks of recovery time, which deals another blow to what has already been a rough season for the veteran outfielder.  Heyward is hitting only .176/.223/.271 over 95 plate appearances, and he already missed 10 days of action in April due to an earlier IL stint for left knee inflammation.

Luis Campusano was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move for Heyward, technically giving the Padres three catchers on the roster between Campusano, Elias Diaz, and Martin Maldonado.  However, manager Mike Shildt indicated that Campusano will act as the Padres’ DH against left-handed pitching, and could also get some time as a first baseman.  Either deployment could free up Gavin Sheets to spend more time in left field, and the combination of Sheets, Brandon Lockridge, and utilityman Tyler Wade are expected to handle left field duties until Heyward is healthy or perhaps until a new addition joins the team.

After Jurickson Profar departed in free agency, San Diego signed Heyward and Connor Joe to one-year, $1MM free agent contracts with the idea that the two veterans could form an inexpensive left field platoon.  Those plans went awry due to Heyward’s struggles and the Padres’ preference to give prospect Lockridge more of an extended look at the MLB level, so Joe (who appeared in only seven big league games for the Friars) was dealt to the Reds earlier this month.  Oscar Gonzalez was also released earlier this week so he could sign with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of NPB, as the Padres parted ways with another under-performing outfielder.

Lockridge is hitting just .197/.258/.262 over 68 PA, and rookie Tirso Ornelas also hasn’t done much in limited playing time.  Sheets is enjoying a very nice year at the plate but he is a defensive liability as a regular outfielder, plus regular usage in left field would also create another lineup hole since Sheets would spend less time in the first base/DH mix.

Given that the Friars acquired Luis Arraez from the Marlins in early May 2024, it wouldn’t necessarily be a shock if president of baseball operations A.J. Preller moved sooner rather than later on a significant addition.  That said, the Arraez trade was something of a perfect storm of circumstances, as most out-of-contention teams wait until much closer to the deadline to start unloading their top trade chips.  Landing the left-field equivalent of an established regular like Arraez is also not simple, as the Padres might for now just be looking for more part-time or platoon types.

Since it is only late May, struggling teams like the Orioles or Pirates will likely see how June plays out before moving fully into sell mode.  If Baltimore can’t turn around its shocking disappointing season, such outfielders and impending free agents as Cedric Mullins, Ryan O’Hearn, or Ramon Laureano could all be of interest to outfield-needy teams like the Padres.  Tommy Pham is having a rough year for the Pirates and might be available earlier, but despite Pham’s struggles, the ex-Padre might get some consideration from his former team.

Looking at teams who are already in clear sell mode, White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi is probably too expensive to merit serious trade consideration unless Chicago eats the majority of Benintendi’s remaining salary.  Mike Tauchman, Michael A. Taylor or Austin Slater also figure to all be available as deadline rentals.  Another early trade with the Marlins might be possible since Jesus Sanchez is readily available, yet Sanchez hasn’t hit much in 2025.  The Rockies figure to be open to moving anyone besides their most prized younger players, though Colorado’s roster doesn’t offer much in the way of a clear upgrade for San Diego.

Padres Place Michael King On 15-Day Injured List

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The Padres announced that right-hander Michael King has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 22) due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder.  Righty David Morgan was called up from Triple-A El Paso to take King’s spot on the active roster, and earlier today, the Padres also called up left-hander Omar Cruz while right-hander Alek Jacob was optioned to Triple-A.

King was scheduled to start Saturday’s game against the Braves, but he was scratched from the lineup after arriving at the ballpark with a sore shoulder.  The righty “just felt like he slept on it wrong,” manager Mike Shildt told the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee and other media members yesterday, and the discomfort persisted after some pregame testing and weighted-ball tossing.

After another day of evaluation, the decision was clearly made to put King onto the 15-day IL, perhaps just as precaution.  Shildt said yesterday that “we do believe it’s not anything overly serious” and that King perhaps may have been able to pitch Saturday, but the club saw no reason to risk a more serious injury.

The centerpiece of the trade package the Yankees sent to the Padres in the Juan Soto trade, King more than lived up to the hype in his first season in San Diego.  King had already gone from dominant reliever to dominant starter after he was moved into New York’s rotation near the end of the 2023 season, and he continued to elevate his game with a 2.95 ERA over 173 2/3 innings with the Padres last year.  That superlative effort earned King a seventh-place finish in NL Cy Young Award voting, and he has kept up the terrific work this year.

Over 10 starts and 55 2/3 innings in 2025, King has a 2.59 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate, and 7.6% walk rate.  Both of the latter figures are improvements over his already strong numbers in 2024, though his whiff rate (28.4%) has declined and King is allowing far more hard contact than he did last year.  These issues notwithstanding, King has continued to look the part of a frontline pitcher, and he has paired with Nick Pivetta to form a big one-two punch at the top of San Diego’s rotation.

Losing King even for 15 days, then, would be a setback for a Padres team that is still missing Yu Darvish to injury.  Darvish threw four innings in a Triple-A rehab start on May 14 but hasn’t pitched since, seemingly adding some fresh doubt over when exactly Darvish will be making his 2025 debut.  Shildt did say two weeks ago that Darvish’s rehab work would be going somewhat by feel rather than a strict throwing progression, as the club was relying on Darvish’s experience and knowledge of his arm to gauge his readiness.

With King and Darvish out, the Padres’ rotation now consists of Pivetta, Dylan Cease, Randy Vasquez, and Stephen Kolek.  Kyle Hart is the only other pitcher who has made any starts for the Padres this year, as he had a 6.00 ERA in five starts and 21 innings for Friars before being optioned to Triple-A in April.  Hart is the likeliest candidate to take King’s spot in the rotation, as Matt Waldron is also on a rehab assignment in his own recovery from an oblique strain.

Yesterday’s impromptu bullpen game saw the Padres use Jacob and three other pitchers, so Jacob was optioned in part to bring some fresh arms into the bullpen.  Cruz is a swingman who has started four of his eight Triple-A appearances this season, and he made his MLB debut earlier in 2025 in the form of two relief outings and 3 2/3 total innings for the Padres.  He might also factor into the rotation plans in some limited capacity with King out, as the Padres will need all hands on deck for a stretch of 26 games in 27 days that starts off on Friday.

With the Friars in need of pitching help, Morgan will get another opportunity to make his MLB debut.  The right-hander’s contract was selected to the big league roster back in late April, but Morgan was optioned to Triple-A a week later without ever getting into a game.  Morgan had never pitched even at the Triple-A level before that unexpected call-up, and after showing up in El Paso earlier this month, he has been hit hard to the tune of a 12.71 ERA over seven appearances and 5 2/3 innings.

Extreme problems with the home run ball have plagued Morgan this year, as he has allowed five homers over 14 1/3 total minor league frames at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.  For comparison, the righty had given up only seven big flies in his 108 1/3 previous minor league innings.  Morgan has displayed excellent control throughout his minor league career, and his good strikeout numbers have spiked to an eye-popping 45.45% over his 14 1/3 innings in 2025.

Oscar Gonzalez Signs Two-Year Deal With NPB’s Golden Eagles

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May 22: Gonzalez has officially signed a two-year deal with the Golden Eagles, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The MAS+ client will be paid $2MM through the 2026 season.

May 19, 7:50pm: Gonzalez has an agreement with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, reports Francys Romero.

3:44pm: The Padres have placed outfielder Oscar Gonzalez on unconditional release waivers in order to allow him to pursue an opportunity in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, reports Dennis Lin of The Athletic. With Gonzalez being granted his release, San Diego is down to 37 players on its 40-man roster.

Gonzalez, 27, signed a minor league deal with the Friars back in November. He’s appeared in 21 big league games and tallied 61 plate appearances while hitting .220/.246/.237. The Dominican-born slugger showed promise during his 2022 rookie campaign with the Guardians, bursting onto the scene with a .296/.327/.461 batting line and 11 homers in 382 plate appearances, but he’s hit just .216/.241/.293 in 241 MLB plate appearances since that time.

Gonzalez posted league-average offense with the Guards’ Triple-A club in 2023 and was a slight bit better than average in the Yankees’ system last year, but he’s been on a blistering tear in El Paso this season. It’s only 57 plate appearances, but the righty-swinging corner outfielder touts a .333/.368/.704 line with the Chihuahuas. The Pacific Coast League is notoriously hitter-friendly, but he’s still been 54% better than average in that time and now touts a career .285/.321/.502 output in 1212 Triple-A plate appearances spread across parts of five seasons.

The Padres have had some of the worst production in baseball out of left field in 2025, hitting just .190/.236/.268 as a whole from that position. The resulting 44 wRC+ (indicating they’ve been 56% worse than average at the plate) ranks 28th in MLB. The bulk of Gonzalez’s plate appearances — 42 of the 61 — came as a left fielder. He’s combined with Jason Heyward, Brandon Lockridge, Tirso Ornelas, Gavin Sheets, Jose Iglesias and Connor Joe to compile that floundering left field line at the plate.

As it stands, left field seems likely to be an area of focus for the Padres when the deadline rolls around. The 27-18 Padres, sitting just one game behind the Dodgers in the NL West, look like surefire buyers. The farm system doesn’t have much in the way of immediate help to offer. Most of the outfielders in Triple-A are journeymen types who aren’t on the 40-man roster. Names like Tim Locastro, Forrest Wall, Mike Brosseau and Bryce Johnson have all logged time there with El Paso.

Twenty-six-year-old Yonathan Perlaza, a former Cubs farmhand who signed a minor league deal with the Padres after a nice performance in the KBO last year, is hitting .293/.335/.463 — but that’s about 8% worse than average in the PCL’s supercharged offensive atmosphere and he’s fanned in 28% of his plate appearances. It’s a dire situation, so any of those Triple-A names could get a look at some point — particularly with three vacancies on the 40-man roster. In general, the Padres’ system is lacking in impact outfielders after years of aggressive dealing on the trade market.

Matt Carpenter Announces Retirement

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Veteran infielder Matt Carpenter announced his retirement on Sports Spectrum’s Get In The Game podcast (h/t to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) this morning. He hangs up his spikes after 14 years in the majors.

“I wanted to take this opportunity on this podcast, here with you, and officially announce my retirement from baseball. I was very fortunate enough to play for some great organizations, and had quite a thrill being able to don the St. Louis Cardinals logo for many years, a brief stint with the New York Yankees, and also the San Diego Padres.” Carpenter told former MLB pitcher Scott Linebrink. Carpenter went on to thank his family, before adding that he’s “excited for what’s next.”

Matt Carpenter | Jeff Curry-USA TODAY SportsA veteran of 14 MLB seasons, Carpenter was open to continuing his career in 2025 as recently as this past September. That was following a season with the Cardinals where he battled injuries and struck out at a 32.5% clip but still produced a roughly average 95 wRC+ across 157 plate appearances in a part-time role. That sort of production was still enough to make Carpenter a solid bench piece, though with the Cardinals’ attempted pivot towards providing young players more opportunities this year, a reunion between the 39-year-old and his longtime club evidently wasn’t in the cards.

As Carpenter mentioned, he was wearing Cardinal red for most of his career. The Cards selected him in the 13th round of the 2009 draft. He made it to the big leagues in 2011, the year of the club’s most recent World Series win, but he was a footnote in that season. He was selected to the roster in June and optioned back to the minors after a seven-game cup of coffee.

His major league career began in earnest in 2012. As a 26-year-old rookie that year, Carpenter took to hitting in the majors almost right away. He hit an impressive .294/.365/.463 in 114 games while splitting time between first base, second base, third base, and both outfield corners. That show of versatility was enough to earn Carpenter a sixth-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting despite the fact that he had yet to generate the type of power he would later in his career, clubbing just six homers in 340 trips to the plate. He also hit .286/.412/.571 in playoff games, though the Cards were felled by the Giants in the NLCS.

He took a step forward in 2013 and had arguably his best season. He almost doubled his power output, getting to 11 home runs. He walked at a 10% clip and only struck out 13.7% of the time. That led to a .318/.392/.481 slash and 146 wRC+. He was selected to the All-Star team for the first time. FanGraphs credits him with 7.2 wins above replacement for that season, his personal best by a good margin. He finished fourth in National League Most Valuable Player voting. Carpenter didn’t perform especially well in the postseason that year, hitting .217/.263/.290, but the Cards made it as far as the World Series, losing to the Red Sox in six games.

The Cards then locked him up on an extension which would pay him $52MM over the 2014 to 2019 seasons and keep him in St. Louis into his mid-3os. Over the rest of the decade, his production shifted slightly, with a bit more power but a bit less on-base ability. The aggregate was roughly similar though, making him a very useful player as he bounced around the infield. From 2015 to 2018, he hit between 21 and 36 home runs in each season, totalling 108 long balls in that four-year stretch. He slashed a combined .260/.376/.497 for that span, leading to a 135 wRC+.

In April of 2019, as Carpenter was entering the final guaranteed year of his deal, he and the Cards agreed to another extension. This one would pay him $39MM over the 2020 and 2021 seasons. However, that ultimately proved to be a misstep for the club, as Carpenter’s production declined over those next few years. His wRC+ finished at 96 in 2019, then 85 in the shortened 2020 campaign, before going all the way down to 68 in 2021.

The Cards could have retained Carpenter for 2022 via an $18.5MM club option, but with his declining results, the $2MM buyout was the easy call. That sent him to free agency for the first time in his career, ahead of his age-36 season.

Though many had written him off at that point, Carpenter was able to engineer a brief but brilliant renaissance. Thanks to some help from Joey Votto, as reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Carpenter worked to revamp his swing. He signed a minor league deal with the Rangers and clubbed six home runs in 21 games for their Triple-A club. Despite the strong results, the Rangers weren’t willing to give him a spot, so they released him.

The Yankees gave Carpenter a major league deal, which paid off immediately. He amazingly hit 15 home runs in just 47 games for the Yanks, while also walking at a 12.3% pace. Unfortunately, that amazing run was cut short when Carpenter fouled a ball off his foot in August. He suffered a fracture and missed the rest of the regular season. He was activated for the playoffs but struck out in nine of his 12 plate appearances. His regular season line for that year finished at a ridiculous .305/.412/.727, translating to a 216 wRC+.

Though it was cut short by injury, the Padres bought into Carpenter’s return to form. They signed him to a two-year, $12MM deal going into 2023, but that bet didn’t pay off. Carpenter slashed .176/.322/.319 for the Friars that year. He was traded to Atlanta ahead of the 2024 season in what was clearly a salary dump deal, as Atlanta released him shortly thereafter. He returned to the Cardinals and, as mentioned, had a serviceable season as a role player. That will now go down as his final big league season.

All told, Carpenter got into 1,511 games and stepped to the plate 5,773 times. He had 1,257 hits, including 179 home runs. He scored 813 runs and drove in 659. He walked in 13.4% of his plate appearances, helping him slash .259/.366/.449 for a 125 wRC+. He produced 31.5 fWAR and 28.7bWAR, making three All-Star teams along the way. Baseball Reference pegs his career earnings at just over the $100MM mark.

We at MLB Trade Rumors salute Carpenter on his fine career and wish him the best with whatever comes next.

Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images

Padres’ Jhony Brito Underwent UCL Surgery

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Last month, Padres righty Jhony Brito underwent an internal brace surgery to address his UCL as well a flexor tendon repair. General manager A.J. Preller announced the news to reporters (including AJ Cassavell of MLB.com).

Brito will miss all of this season and likely the first couple months of next year. The internal brace procedure can sometimes come with a slightly quicker timeline than would a full Tommy John ligament reconstruction. It’s nevertheless typically at least a yearlong rehab process. Brito is already on the 60-day injured list after beginning the season on the shelf with what was initially diagnosed as a forearm strain. He’ll remain on the IL all season but will need to be reinstated to the 40-man roster or placed on waivers at the beginning of the offseason.

San Diego acquired Brito as an ancillary part of the Juan Soto return from the Yankees. He had reached the big leagues with New York in 2023 after seven seasons in the minors. The righty started 13 of 25 appearances as a rookie, working to a 4.28 ERA through 90 1/3 innings. The Friars used him out of the bullpen last year. He allowed 4.12 earned runs per nine with a well below-average 15.7% strikeout rate over 43 2/3 innings. Brito did start all six appearances that he made with Triple-A El Paso. Opposing lineups tagged him for 17 runs over 14 innings.

An elbow strain ended his ’24 season in August. He was healthy enough to return to the mound in Spring Training, where he was competing for a middle relief role. The new elbow injury prevented that from happening and could put him on the roster bubble next winter. Brito will be paid the MLB minimum $760K salary for this season. He’ll surpass the two-year service threshold and isn’t on track to qualify for arbitration until the 2026-27 offseason. The Padres could control him for another four seasons if they’re willing to carry him on the 40-man throughout the offseason.

Padres Notes: Cronenworth, Cease, King, Suarez

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The Padres activated Jake Cronenworth from the 10-day injured list yesterday, and the infielder went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Friday’s 13-9 win over the Rockies.  Cronenworth ended up missing almost exactly a month of action due to a non-displaced fracture in his right ribs that he suffered after being hit by a pitch.

Since the bone isn’t fully healed, Cronenworth told reporters (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune) that he will wear a padded undershirt for the time being, and he’ll add another layer of padding when he is at the plate.  Despite the precaution, Cronenworth said he is feeling good, and might have been able to return from the IL earlier but the team wanted to wait until the bone had healed to the point that a re-aggravation is less likely.

The injury cut short a hot start for Cronenworth, who has a .263/.429/.474 slash line over his first 49 plate appearances of the 2025 season.  Some regression is inevitable, but the Padres are certainly hoping he can keep providing at least some level of above-average production, after Cronenworth batted a subpar .236/.318/.385 in 1178 PA in 2023-24.

As San Diego’s lineup gets healthier, Dylan Cease also seems to have avoided any kind of injury after he left his last start with a forearm cramp.  While any sort of forearm issue is cause for concern, Cease got through a 90-foot game of catch on Friday (part of his usual between-starts routine) with no issue, so it seems as if the right-hander should be making his next outing.  Since the Padres didn’t play this past Thursday, Cease can even have an extra day of rest to fully ensure he is ready for his next scheduled start, on Wednesday against the Angels.

Cease has yet to get fully on track this season, as the righty has posted a 4.91 ERA over eight starts and 40 1/3 innings.  There isn’t much of a marked change in Cease’s peripherals from 2024, so his inflated ERA might simply be a case of bad batted-ball luck (a .333 BABIP).  The standout number might be that Cease’s signature slider has been “only” a pretty good pitch in 2025, as opposed to when it was arguably the most devastating pitch in the majors in both the 2022 and 2024 seasons.

Getting back to top form is of particular importance to Cease this season, as he’ll be perhaps the top pitcher available in free agency this coming winter if he delivers a strong campaign.  Since both Cease and fellow starter Michael King are slated to become free agents, both pitchers were heavily mentioned in trade rumors throughout the offseason and even deep into Spring Training.  As it turned out, San Diego ended up retaining both starters, and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes that “the Padres would love to keep one of” the duo over the long term.

Keeping just one (at most) of the starters always seemed like the most logical outcome for the Padres, given how both Cease and King are on pace to command big salaries and San Diego already has a lot of long-term contracts on the books.  The logic behind the trade speculation was that the Padres might look to move some salary and address other needs by trading whichever of the two pitchers they felt less confident about signing, but the Friars instead pivoted by keeping not just Cease and King, but most of the other higher-priced players rumored to be on the trade market.

Robert Suarez was one of those players who reportedly received some trade interest, but “no team made a serious play for” his services, Heyman writes.  The flame-throwing Suarez racked up 36 saves last season while posting a 2.77 ERA and an above-average walk rate in 65 innings.  Some of his other metrics were more middling, however, and Suarez’s age (he turned 34 in March) and his contract status were perhaps obstacles to a deal.

Suarez is owed the remainder of a $10MM salary this season, and is owed $8MM in each of the 2026 and 2027 seasons.  However, those final two seasons are actually player options, and at season’s end, Suarez can either simultaneously trigger both options, or opt out entirely to re-enter free agency.  Given this uncertain contract status, teams might not have wanted to give up too much for just one year of control if Suarez opted out, or some other teams might have been wary about being on the hook for $26MM to a 34-year-old reliever.

The lack of attractive offers may have made the decision to keep Suarez pretty easy for the Padres, but in any event, the club is surely glad the closer is still on the roster.  Suarez has a superb 0.51 ERA in 17 2/3 innings, with a league-high 15 saves and a greatly improved 29.5% strikeout rate.  A .154 BABIP is surely contributing to Suarez’s success, but even if Suarez’s 2.87 SIERA is a better reflection of his actual performance, that is still more than solid.

Latest On Yu Darvish

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Yu Darvish’s 2025 debut may be getting closer, as the veteran right-hander threw 48 pitches over three innings of a simulated-game situation on Thursday at the Padres’ Spring Training facility.  Darvish has spent the entire season on the injured list after developing elbow inflammation during spring camp in mid-March, but despite the long layoff, Padres manager Mike Shildt told MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell and other reporters that he doesn’t believe Darvish will need much rehab time before making his return to the San Diego roster.

While no specific timeline has been established, Shildt said the team might have Darvish undergo the final stages of rebuilding his arm strength while pitching Major League innings, rather than embarking on a lengthy minor league rehab assignment.  Assuming all is well with Darvish physically, Shildt said the club trusts that Darvish’s veteran know-how would allow him to properly ramp up on the fly while pitching in games.  The Padres would manage Darvish’s workload via inning limits and pitch counts, but even a somewhat limited version of Darvish would still be very helpful for an upcoming busy stretch of the schedule.  As Cassavell notes, the Padres have a stretch of 26 games in 27 days beginning on May 30.

Before such plans can be put into place, of course, Darvish will have to continue taking positive steps in his pitching progression.  Some level of minor league game activity seems likely, as Shildt said that Darvish will have to build up to an 80-pitch limit.  The 38-year-old Darvish has already been thrown multiple bullpen sessions, and Thursday marked the first time since the spring that he faced live batters.

This is the third straight season that Darvish has dealt with some type of elbow problem.  The most serious of the injuries was an olecranon stress reaction that ended his 2023 season in August, and the righty has battled inflammation in each of the last two years.  Darvish also had IL stints in 2024 due to a neck strain and two groin strains, and he also missed more time due to an undisclosed family issue.

Given how Darvish pitched only 95 1/3 innings in 2024 between the regular season and the playoffs, it is perhaps a little surprising that (for now) the Padres aren’t planning for a longer rehab stint in the wake of his latest injury.  Still, Darvish did get most of his Spring Training work in before his elbow inflammation arose, and obviously the Padres aren’t going to take any undue risk with Darvish’s health.

It is perhaps telling that San Diego has kept Darvish just on the 15-day injured list since Opening Day, as a placement on the 60-day IL would mean Darvish can’t be activated until the last week of May.  Since that might end up being Darvish’s timeline anyway, the Friars might well shift Darvish to the 60-day purely for procedural reasons if the team is in need of an extra 40-man roster spot.  But, Darvish’s continued stay on the 15-day IL gives the Padres some flexibility in bringing him back even earlier than that 26 games-in-27 day stretch.

The 24-13 Padres have gotten by just fine without Darvish to date, but needless to say, the rotation will look a lot stronger with the five-time All-Star back in the ranks.  Michael King and Nick Pivetta have both been excellent, but Dylan Cease has been uncharacteristically shaky (despite some strong peripherals), and Randy Vasquez’s shaky peripherals undermine his solid 3.76 ERA.  Multiple off-days in the last two weeks have allowed the Padres to get by without a proper fifth starter for a while, but Stephen Kolek is now lined up to take that role, and he is today’s scheduled starter against the Rockies.

Darvish had a 3.31 ERA over his 81 2/3 frames of regular-season work in 2024, with a 6.6% walk rate that was solidly above average, even if his 23.6% strikeout rate was only slightly above the league-wide midpoint and he allowed much more hard contact than usual. A sharp dropoff can arise suddenly for any pitcher as he ages, and Darvish has already been testing Father Time just by making it into his age-38 season.  This said, the Padres only need Darvish to be a solid mid-rotation arm rather than an ace, and it seems quite possible that he can reach or better that status if he can avoid the injury bug.

The Biggest Trade In Nationals History Looks Better Every Day

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The 2022 Nationals found themselves at a crossroads. Washington had sold at the prior year's trade deadline, shipping Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers, sending Kyle Schwarber to the Red Sox, dealing Daniel Hudson to the Padres and trading Jon Lester to the Cardinals. The organization's steadfast hope had been that even while rebuilding, Juan Soto would be at the heart of those efforts to build back up. Longtime general manager Mike Rizzo acknowledged as much in June, plainly stating on the record that he had no intention of trading Soto.

The Nats offered Soto an extension reportedly worth $440MM in guaranteed money. It would've been the largest deal in MLB history at the time. Only after Soto turned that offer down -- drawing plenty of criticism for doing so -- did Washington begin to seriously explore the possibility of trading him. Moving the game's best young hitter when he had two and a half seasons of club control remaining was no small undertaking. It'd require a seismic haul of young talent -- the type of prospect package that several interested parties simply didn't have the inventory to assemble. Most other clubs simply couldn't stomach the asking price.

A limited market of suitors for Soto emerged. To no one's surprise, the hyper-aggressive Padres entered the bidding and made a strong push. San Diego president of baseball operations A.J. Preller throws his hat in the ring when nearly any star-caliber player is available. From the moment Soto hit the market, the Padres -- then armed with one of baseball's best farm systems -- were among the most logical landing spots.

San Diego indeed wound up reeling in their big fish, and it took the type of trade haul we might not see again for years to come. Soto and Josh Bell went from the Nats to the Padres in exchange for shortstop CJ Abrams, left-hander MacKenzie Gore, outfielder James Wood, outfielder Robert Hassell III and right-hander Jarlin Susana. The Padres also sent first baseman Luke Voit to the Nats as something of a financial counterweight, and in a separate deal they shipped Eric Hosmer -- who'd invoked his no-trade rights to block his inclusion in the Soto trade -- to the Red Sox.

It was a jaw-dropping haul. Abrams, Gore and Hassell had all been top-10 draft picks within the past five seasons. Abrams was a consensus top-10 prospect in the sport at the time. Gore had struggled through some mechanical issues in the upper minors but was only a few years removed from being one of the consensus top pitching prospects in the game. Wood was a 19-year-old who was just a year removed from being a second-round pick, and his stock was firmly on the rise at the time of the swap as he ripped through A-ball. Hassell entered the 2022 season as a top-40 prospect in the game. Susana was only 18 at the time of the trade and was in his first season of pro ball after signing out of his native Dominican Republic; Baseball America likened his upside to that of a high schooler who might go in the first round of the MLB draft.

While not every blockbuster trade pans out -- Washington hasn't gotten a ton of value from that Scherzer/Turner stunner, for instance -- the Soto trade has produced a bumper crop that seems likely to form the nucleus of the next contending Nationals club.

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Padres Trade Connor Joe To Reds

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The Reds acquired outfielder Connor Joe from the Padres for minor league reliever Andrew Moore and cash considerations, the teams announced. Cincinnati transferred Tyler Callihan to the 60-day injured list to create a spot on the 40-man roster. San Diego’s roster count falls to 38.

Joe, a San Diego native who attended USD, signed with his hometown team on a $1MM contract during the offseason. He was expected to work as the right-handed half of a left field platoon with Jason Heyward. The Padres tabbed speedster Brandon Lockridge for that role instead, optioning Joe to Triple-A El Paso to begin the season. He was recalled in mid-April and went hitless in nine at-bats. He drew one walk while striking out six times.

The Friars optioned Joe back out last week. He made 16 appearances with El Paso, hitting .267/.405/.350 through 74 trips to the dish. He has yet to hit a home run but has stolen four bases and taken more walks (13) than strikeouts (10). He should have a better path to big league at-bats in Cincinnati. Rece Hinds and Will Benson, each of whom were recalled from Triple-A Louisville this week, are operating as backup outfielders. Starting right fielder Jake Fraley has missed four straight games on account of calf soreness.

Cincinnati did welcome righty-hitting outfielder Austin Hays back from the injured list this afternoon. Their primary corner outfielders, Fraley and Gavin Lux, each hit from the left side. Joe had a productive .251/.353/.418 slash in 363 plate appearances against lefty pitching with the Pirates between 2023-24. He didn’t hit much without the platoon advantage (.230/.314/.382 in 525 PAs), but he’s an affordable bench/platoon player.

This is Joe’s second minor league option year. The Reds can shuttle him back and forth between Cincinnati and Louisville for this season and next if he holds his 40-man roster spot for that long. He’s nearing four years of service time and will be eligible for arbitration for at least two more years if he sticks with the club.

Moore, who is not the former Mariners MLB pitcher of the same name, is a 25-year-old reliever. He was, however, drafted by Seattle in 2021. The Mariners included him alongside Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo as part of the 2022 deadline deal for Luis Castillo. Moore has spent the past few seasons working his way up to Double-A. He combines big strikeout rates with astronomical walk tallies. He did not rank among Baseball America’s write-up of Cincinnati’s top 30 prospects, though Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him 22nd in the Reds’ system just last week.

Longenhagen wrote that Moore’s fastball/slider combination looked like that of a setup man at his peak, though his velocity has been down early this season. He’d need to dramatically improve his control to pitch above a low-leverage role in either case. Moore walked upwards of 17% of opponents across 46 1/3 Double-A innings last year. That resulted in a 4.47 ERA despite an excellent 32.3% strikeout rate. He has surrendered five runs (four earned) on three hits and eight walks with 12 punchouts through his first 8 2/3 frames this season.

As for Callihan, his IL transfer was an inevitability. He broke his left arm in a nasty collision with the left field wall at Truist Park on Monday. He promptly underwent surgery that’ll prevent him from doing any kind of baseball activities for six to eight weeks. He probably won’t be able to resume his rookie season until August or September at the earliest.

Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images.

Latest On Anthony Rizzo

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Back in February, veteran first baseman and free agent Anthony Rizzo expressed a desire to continue his playing career. However, he also expressed frustration over the limited market for his services and the services of other players like him. Rizzo suggested that teams didn’t “want to pay a few million dollars for veterans,” and said he wasn’t interested in signing a contract that would hurt the market for future players in a similar position. Speaking to Ken Rosenthal and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, he bemoaned “the fact that teams want you to play for basically league minimum. I’m like, you guys are crazy. You’re almost trying to ruin the market for the next guy.”

Rizzo was not credibly connected to any interested teams over the winter. Yet, his comments to Rosenthal and Kuty implied that he had received some interest, just not to the degree he would have liked. That may very well be true, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Thursday that the Padres pursued Rizzo during the offseason. Specifically, he notes that San Diego was interested in Rizzo before pivoting to Jason Heyward instead.

Heyward and Rizzo don’t fill the same niche – Heyward is an outfielder, while Rizzo plays first base – but they are both 35-year-old left-handed batters. Still, the fact that the Padres signed Heyward wouldn’t have precluded them from signing Rizzo from a positional fit/roster-building standpoint. After all, they still needed a DH, and they ultimately signed another lefty batter, Gavin Sheets, to fill that role. What’s more, Sheets actually has a higher guaranteed salary than Heyward, even though he initially joined the team on a minor league deal; Sheets is making $1.6MM this season, while Heyward is guaranteed $1MM. If the Padres were hoping to sign him in that same price range, Rizzo’s February comments make clear he wouldn’t have accepted. And regardless, if San Diego ever made Rizzo a formal, guaranteed offer, it clearly wasn’t the kind of offer the veteran first baseman was seeking.

San Diego would have made an interesting fit for Rizzo. While he is best remembered for his years with the Cubs, he made his MLB debut for the Padres in 2011. Twelve years later, it was in a game against the Padres that Rizzo suffered the injury that led to his post-concussion syndrome diagnosis. Entering that game, Rizzo had an .823 OPS and a 131 wRC+ through his first 231 appearances with the Yankees. From that day onward, he produced a .590 OPS and a 70 wRC+ in 139 contests. So, for both of those reasons, it would have made for a nice story if Rizzo had bounced back with the Padres.

As time goes by, it becomes less and less likely that Rizzo will return to the majors, especially if he remains adamant about signing for much more than the league minimum salary. Theoretically, the Red Sox are a good fit for Rizzo after Triston Casas ruptured his left patellar tendon, likely ending his season. They have already made it clear that neither of their top prospects, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, will move to first base, nor will Rafael Devers. That leaves Romy Gonzalez (career .672 OPS, 82 wRC+) as the primary first baseman, and he, too, has been dealing with a minor back injury after a collision at first base on Wednesday. Ultimately, the righty-batting Gonzalez might be a fine fill-in against left-handed pitching, but the Red Sox could use another lefty bat with Casas and Masataka Yoshida both on the IL. Nevertheless, Heyman notes that a reunion between Rizzo and the Red Sox – it was Boston who drafted him before trading him to San Diego – does not “seem to be in play.”

Some contending clubs that have struggled against right-handed pitching and could make room for Rizzo in a part-time role at first base or DH include the Rangers, Blue Jays, and Royals. However, there is no reporting to suggest that Rizzo has received interest from any teams since the start of the season.

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