Obviously at first glance, this trade looks like a clear victory for the Padres. Although when you look deeper into the young players that the Rays acquired the trade starts to sway in the Rays’ favor.
One of the young studs that the Rays got was 21-year old Luis Patino. Patino pitched in 11 games for San Diego last season finishing with a 5.19 ERA and 21 Ks. Those stats don’t pop out at you, but his elite arm speed generates an upper 90s-100 mph fastball. Now he definitely won’t be able to replace Snell in the rotation, but he could be a solid 3rd or 4th starter as Glasnow takes over the ace role.
Young catcher, Francisco Mejia is another player that the Rays acquired in this blockbuster deal. Mejia played in the big leagues for the Padres from 2018-2020. He hit .265 with 8 HRs in 2019. He can potentially be a very good hitter and I believe he’s just starting to scratch the surface. Mejia will most likely be the backup catcher behind Zunino in 2021, so we’ll hopefully be able to see him grow to his full potential.
The last pieces of this trade are San Diego prospects, Cole Wilcox and Blake Hunt. Wilcox signed with the Padres last offseason after being drafted by them with the 80th overall pick. Wilcox is a RHP out of Georgia with some good upside. Blake Hunt was drafted by the Padres in 2017 with the 69th overall pick. Hunt has slashed .258/.341/.384 in his first 3 season in the minors. The 22-year old will probably remain in the minors for the next few years as he looks to grow with the organization.
The loss of Blake Snell obviously hurts right now, but I believe the pieces we acquired will make up for it in the long run. Also, there is no need to worry Rays fans! You should still see Tampa Bay blue in October come next fall.
Source: tbraysreviews.com
