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Padres Rumors: Luis Sardinas A Good Fit For The Padres?

By James Clark

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As per Ken Rosenthal’s post on Twitter Saturday afternoon, the San Diego Padres are discussing a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers for shortstop Luis Sardinas. No mention on who the Padres would have to move to get a deal done and no trade seems imminent. Who exactly is Luis Sardinas and would he be a good fit for the Padres? Lets take a closer look at him.

Sardinas was just acquired along with two minor leaguers (Corey Knebel and Marcos Diplan) by the Brewers from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Yovani Gallardo. In 115 at-bats last year in Texas, Sardinas hit .261/.303/.313. He played all over the infield with 19 games at second base, 7 games at third base and 13 games at shortstop. A very flexible young man in the field. 

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He seems like an odd fit for the Brewers as they already have Scooter Gennett at second base and Jean Segura at shortstop. Both Segura and Gennett are young and assured of starting spots at their respective positions. This certainly adds to speculation that a potential deal could be consummated by the two clubs.

The 21-year old, switch-hitting infielder is from Venezuela and his forte is defense and speed. Being that he was a product of the Texas Rangers, I am sure that A.J. Preller is well aware of his abilities. He stole 32, 64 and 20 (plus 5 with the Rangers) in his first 3 seasons in professional baseball. That kind of speed just doesn’t grow on trees.

His knock is his hitting, although he doesn’t have horrible numbers in the minors, he only managed five home runs in 1500 plate appearances. He is 6-1 and 150 lbs soaking wet, but I contest that the power should come with time. He is only 21-years old after all. Even if the power doesn’t come, a solid shortstop stealing bases at the top of the order is quite valuable.

Looking more in depth at his numbers, you will see that he doesn’t strike out that much. 203 strike outs in the 1,500 at-bats is not horrible for a young player. The lack of power is evident, but a .289 career minor league batting average is not terrible. In fact Sardinas was signed in the same J-2 Class (amateur free agent) as Jurickson Profar, and at the time was considered the better of the two, talent-wise.

Would he be a fit for the Padres? Um, YES! Take into consideration that he is young and might struggle, but a lead-off type hitter to fill the shortstop hole is just what the doctor ordered. The Brewers have needs at first base and in the bullpen. Perhaps a deal involving Tommy Medica or Dale Thayer might get something done. Considering the Brewers just gave up Yovani Gallardo for him, the price tag would not be all that cheap. I’m sure A.J. Preller is working the phones as you read this, the Padres are obviously not content with their current shortstop situation. Stay Tuned Friar Faithful! In Preller we trust!

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