The San Diego Padres continue to be mentioned as a potential landing spot for Mookie Betts should the Boston Red Sox trade the superstar outfielder ahead of the 2020 Major League Baseball season.
Now, we’re gaining a better idea as to what the Friars might be offering in a possible deal.
Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Monday, citing multiple sources, the Padres are willing to trade Wil Myers, two young major league players and at least one prospect for Betts.
Sources told Acee San Diego is willing to include outfielder Manuel Margot or Josh Naylor and starting pitcher Cal Quantrill or Joey Lucchesi in the trade, adding some clarity as to who might be available from the Padres in terms of young, controllable big leaguers.
This comes one day after The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported the Red Sox remain engaged in trade discussions with the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. News of talks between San Diego and Boston broke last week, with The Athletic’s Dennis Lin pointing to Myers as a possible trade chip while also identifying 21-year-old catcher Luis Campusano as a prospect who interests the Red Sox.
One holdup in a potential trade sending Betts to San Diego, according to Acee, is the amount of Myers’ contract the Red Sox are willing to absorb. Myers is slated to earn $61 million over the next three years, and Acee reports Boston is willing to assume about half that, whereas San Diego would prefer to eat only about a quarter of the total still owed to the 29-year-old.
If the Red Sox trade Betts — a possibility multiple people in the Padres organization described to Acee as only “marginally possible” at this point — as he prepares to enter the final year of his contract, part of the motivation would stem from Boston’s desire to get under the $208 million luxury tax threshold. It also would be a proactive move by the Red Sox given Betts’ desire to test free agency next winter.
This report suggests one of the key disagreements in a Betts-Padres trade surrounds how much of Wil Myers’ remaining contract (3 yrs, $61M) SD would have to pay: about 1/2 (Red Sox proposal, per Acee) or 1/4 (Padres position). https://t.co/BBYeqWLcmV
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) January 27, 2020
If Padres pick up $15M over the remainder of the deal, it’s more like $17M off the payroll, and Sox would need other moves to get below $208 million payroll (as calculated for luxury tax).
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) January 27, 2020
Myers, who has ample experience at first base and in the outfield, is coming off a 2019 season in which he batted .239 with 18 home runs, 53 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and a .739 OPS. He posted -0.3 WAR, according to Baseball Reference, his lowest mark since 2014. Myers slugged a career-high 30 home runs in 2017, one year after earning an All-Star nod en route to hitting .259 with 28 homers, 94 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, a .797 OPS and a career-high 3.5 WAR.
Red Sox fans are familiar with Margot, as Boston traded him to San Diego as part of the deal that landed Craig Kimbrel with the Red Sox before the 2016 season. Now 25 years old, Margot hasn’t quite lived up to his top prospect billing but still comes with upside. He hit .234 with 12 home runs, 37 RBIs, 20 steals and a .691 OPS last season.
Naylor, a first-round pick (12th overall) of the Miami Marlins in 2015, hit .249 with eight homers, 32 RBIs and a .719 OPS in 279 plate appearances across 94 games in 2019. He was Baseball America’s No. 99 prospect before last season.
Quantrill, a right-hander, turns 25 in February. He went 6-8 with a 5.16 ERA, a 4.28 FIP and a 1.30 WHIP in 23 appearances (18 starts) spanning 103 innings pitched last season.
Lucchesi, a left-hander, turns 27 in June. He went 10-10 with a 4.18 ERA, a 4.17 FIP and a 1.22 WHIP in 30 starts totaling 163 2/3 frames.
