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Padres Rumors: Another A.J. Preller Blockbuster Deal???

By James Clark |
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Put down those Mega Millions lottery tickets San Diego, because the San Diego Padres have already won the jackpot! The splash that new General Manager A.J. Preller has made is absolutely monumental. For the past 10 years, thousands upon thousands of dormant Padre fans have been hibernating, waiting for a chance to awake. The time is now my friends, we have an ownership and front office that is determined to compete.

I can feel it walking down the streets of San Diego, Padre fever is starting to take over the city. Watching our Padres offensively over the past few seasons, has been painful to say the least. The Padres addressed that need drastically with the additions of Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, Derek Norris and Will Middlebrooks. Yet after all those changes, the team is still missing a piece or two. We all have heard it. They are too right-handed….they need a shortstop…. what about center field…? With Spring Training just around the corner, we can be assured there will be some more new faces around.

In this day and age, Major League Baseball is changing. The older style of running a team is barbaric. Teams have to adapt, whether it’s a large market team with an inflated payroll, or a small market team floundering to compete. As a franchise you should be always looking for that competitive edge. The modern GM’s of today are gunslingers and treat their respected teams like their fantasy teams. In my eyes, if you aren’t trading, you aren’t’ trying. Fans in this day and age, with Sabermetrics and every stat at their finger tips, demand immediate accountability.

If a player isn’t performing then they are replaced, well to a GM, the same standards apply. If you sit back and do not attempt to improve your team, then you will chastised and then replaced. Mr. Preller is not afraid to make a deal, and the following are potential trades that can help the Padres now and into the future…

#1 TRADE

San Diego sends Rymer Liriano, Yonder Alonso and Casey Kelly to the Minnesota Twins for Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas.

Paul Molitor‘s recent comments that Danny Santana would not be assured the starting shortstop job, got me thinking. With manager Molitor’s proclamation that there will be an open competition between Santana and another young shortstop, Eduardo Escobar…does that make him expendable?. Santana is a 24-year old, Dominican, switch-hitting shortstop and center fielder. He played 69 games in center and 34 at shortstop. In 120 chances at shortstop, he only made two errors. A .319 hitter with 7 home runs and 40 runs batted in to go with 20 stolen bases in 2014, he would provide the speed the Padres desire, add that to his flexibility and youth, the sky is the limit.

Kennys Vargas is a mammoth (6-5, 275 lbs.) 24-year old Puerto Rican slugger who quite frankly reminds me of David “Big Papi”Ortiz. Like Ortiz, Vargas’ forte is not playing the field. He is an average-to-below average fielding first baseman at the moment, but I believe he can easily work on that. Vargas, a switch-hitter as well, was on fire upon first being called up to the Major Leagues. He cooled down a bit come September, but finished with the respectable numbers of .274, nine home runs and 38 runs batted in. In 215 at-bats he did strike out 63 times, so he does need work in that area.

These two players figure in the Twins’ plans for this year, so they likely would not come cheap. Santana and Vargas are also young, which is why the Padres would have to part with talented young players as well. Let’s face it, Rymer Liriano has no worth on this roster. In past seasons, he would probably be playing everyday and hitting in the middle of the lineup. That is the past however, and with Matt Kemp and Wil Myers blocking him long term in the outfield, and Justin Upton here this year, he is bound for Triple-A.

Kelly has quite a bit of upside too, but after Tommy John surgery, he is not the “cant miss” prospect he once was. Yonder would simply give the Twins a better replacement at first base for Joe Mauer. I believe the prospective deal makes perfect sense, if you want me to get the ball rolling on this A.J., tweet me…

#2 TRADE

San Diego Padres send Jedd Gyorko to Cleveland Indians for Jason Kipnis

I know, Gyorko is going to have a great year. Well. that’s what we have been hearing around Padreland. Is that because he is fully healthy, or is that because the Padres are invested long term in him? Unfortunately, Gyorko is exactly what the Padres have a surplus of: right-handed power hitters that strike out too much.

This trade would not address the shortstop hole or center field issue, but it would add a quality left-handed hitter to the lineup. This deal just makes sense for both teams. The Padres have too many right-handed hitters (Kemp, Upton, Myers, Norris and Middlebrooks) and the Indians have too many left-handed hitters (Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall, Brandon Moss, Michael Bourn). Both players are coming off down years, and a change of scenery could rejuvenate both players’ careers.

Kipnis hit .240 last year, with six home runs and 41 runs batted in, in 555 at-bats. He did however hit .284 with 17 homers and 84 runs batted in 2013, while making his first All-Star Game. He also posted a very impressive 5.9 WAR that year. Kipnis has the speed the Padres need, with 31, 30 and 22 stolen bases during his first three seasons with the Indians. He can hit at the top of the order, and even hit in the middle of Kemp and Upton if need be. Theire defense is pretty even, with Kipnis being one year older than Gyorko.

The contracts are slightly different, with Kipnis owed $47 million and Gyorko owed $30 million until the 2020 season. Perhaps we can talk the Tribe into taking on Carlos Quentin to make this deal totally even. This is a total old school baseball trade, value for value.  

#3 TRADE

San Diego Padres send Rymer Liriano, Nick Vincent and Casey Kelly to the Texas Rangers for Jurickson Profar.

Of the aforementioned trades, this one has the most ability to come true. It is well known that A.J. Preller previously worked for the Texas Rangers organization, and is very familiar with their farm system. The Rangers have an excess of Major League-ready middle infielders. Elvis Andrus with that mammoth contract is going nowhere, and they have Rougned Odor, another young infielder.

Odor is currently penciled in to start the season at second base, so does that make Profar available? In 2013, Jurickson Profar was listed by Baseball Prospectus as the #1 prospect in the whole game of baseball. Fast-forward to now, and with a history of shoulder injuries his value is strangely low. He is 22-years old, a switch-hitter with speed and power. I know he missed all of 2014 with a torn throwing shoulder muscle (Teres Major Muscle), but MRI’s as of last week, show the muscle as 95 percent healed.

There is definitely a risk factor in acquiring him, as the history of shoulder injuries is alarming. His value will never be any lower, and A.J. Preller knows Profar well. He surely understands what a special talent he is. Being that A.J. Preller is most familiar with the Texas Rangers, I can be 100 percent sure he has at the very least, checked in on the health of Jurickson Profar.

Like I stated already, Rymer Liriano is clearly blocked here in San Diego. His power and speed would play well in Texas, and the Rangers could have a corner outfielder for years to come. Casey Kelly gives them a nice young arm and Nick Vincent gives them a quality long reliever for their beat up bullpen. This whole trade depends on Profar’s health and his ability to play. Once spring training starts, count on the Padres to keep close tabs on Profar.

Next: What If Justin Upton Played All of 2014 At Petco Park?

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