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Padres Editorial: The Curious Case of Trea Turner

By James Clark

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The San Diego Padres have traded their #1 pick from last season to the Washington Nationals. Everybody in all of baseball knows that he was dealt, problem is, he can’t report to the Nationals until mid-June.

Major League Baseball rule 3(B)(6) states that a drafted player cannot be assigned to another club for one full year after the date he signed his contract. So Trea Turner remains with the Padres, even though he is a Washington National. Sound strange? Well it is.

This is the first time in Major League Baseball history that such a situation has occurred. It is absolutely unprecedented and the ordeal is only going to become more evident as teams report for Spring Training very soon.

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The Nationals have to put a certain amount of trust that the Padres are going to groom and prepare Turner for Major League life. Will the Padres be tempted to give playing time to another shortstop, who by all means is their own player? I am sure the Nationals will have someone following Turner every step of the way while he is still wearing Padre blue.

The whole rule is truly barbaric, and needs to be addressed by the Baseball community. Trea Turner’s agent Jeff Berry is said to be pursuing legal actions to remedy this situation. The whole thing is just a mess, and Major League Baseball should step in and make an amendment to this antiquated major-league rule.

Lets dive in further to this potential mess. So Turner is a Padre, playing games in their minor league system. Lets just say he hurts himself and blows out a knee. Now what?

There is said to be a predetermined list of players selected by the Nationals in case such a situation happens to Turner. That list could contain players the Padres covet more or less that Turner. So where does that leave both clubs? In a tough spot, I tell you.

Trea Turner was the Padres shortstop of the future, he was selected with the 13th pick in last Junes draft. He is now the heir apparent to Ian Desmond, and should be a decent major league player. He is on the fast track to the Major Leagues, but will this trade stunt his growth?

The Nationals and Turner’s agent have every right to be upset, but they selected him when the Tampa Bay Rays and Padres came calling for a trade. They had to know and understand that this would be a unique situation and the rules were pretty evident.

The curious case of Trea Turner adds another chapter to this fairytale-like off season that has gripped all of San Diego. Will Turner actually be dealt come mid-June? Will the Padres do what is right and groom the young shortstop correctly? I suspect the San Diego Padres will most definitely do what is right. With all the eyes upon them, they can’t possibly do wrong.

Next: San Diego State To Honor Tony Gwynn

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