Why Haven’t The Padres Looked Into Allen Craig?

We all have heard the talk. Matt Kemp. Yoenis Cespedes. It’s rumor central right now and nothing has really been done. There’s one name that really hasn’t been talked about and I’m not sure why he hasn’t been. That name is Allen Craig.

Craig was an All-Star just two years ago putting together a .315/.373/.457 with 13 homers and 97 RBI. He hit an absolutely insane .454 with RISP.

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Last year, injuries plus a trade to the Red Sox led to a .215 average with 46 RBI and he hit just .128 for the Sox. With all the moves they’ve made to acquire bats, including moving Hanley Ramirez to the outfield, Craig could be expendable.

Craig is locked up through the 2017 season with a $13 million option for 2018. With the way prices are for free agent bats, Craig, if he rebounds, could be an absolute bargain.

Another plus on Craig is that he plays outfield and first base. The Padres have holes at both positions. I don’t really think you can trust Yonder Alonso to be productive or Carlos Quentin to stay healthy at this point and I don’t think the Padres do either.

Instead of Ian Kennedy going in the deal, Tyson Ross may have to be the one to go because of the amount of control you’d have for Craig rather than the Cespedes/Ian Kennedy trade that has been speculated.

Instead of going big game hunting for Kemp and Cespedes, why not get Craig?