Padres To Flip Hanigan To Boston for Will Middlebrooks

A.J. Preller strikes again!

After sending the baseball world into a frenzy Thursday night after acquiring Derek Norris from the Oakland Athletics, the Padres made headlines again this morning when it was announced that they had traded for Justin Upton.

Before the ink was even dry on the report, Jeff Passan of Yahoo announced that the Padres were nearing a deal that would send Ryan Hanigan to Boston in exchange for third baseman, Will Middlebrooks.

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Middlebrooks was to be Boston’s hot corner of the future before they picked up Pablo Sandoval this offseason. He originally broke onto the scene in 2012 and took the baseball world by storm, hitting .288 with 15 home runs in just 75 games. His play has since gone down hill. In 2013, Middlebrooks surpassed his rookie season’s home run total with 17 but his batting average suffered at .227 in 94 games. Last season was his worst campaign yet, hitting just 2 home runs with a .191 batting average in 63 games.

Middlebrooks should have a nice bounce back year in what is turning out to be a very protective 2015 lineup. A success for Middlebrooks would look something like 16 home runs with a .260 average while playing in at least 100 games for the first time in his career.

Stay with Friars on Base as we bring you the latest developments!

#InPrellerWeTrust