San Diego Padres Rumors: Could Solarte be on the Move?

Reports indicate that the San Diego Padres are receiving offers for third baseman Yangervis Solarte. How likely is a move involving him to go through?

The San Diego Padres are undoubtedly in need of many additional pieces before they can contend. While their young talent is encouraging for years to come, 2017 looks to be another season of rebuilding for the 2016 NL West cellar dwellers.

General manager A.J. Preller has made it very clear that this winter will be a busy one, as the team looks to add depth to their pitching staff as well as a veteran presence or two in order to assist the plethora of young prospects on the major league roster.

In order to do this though, San Diego will need to give up at least one piece currently on the roster, since they don’t want to relinquish a minor league player that they are investing their future in. Of course, free agency is an option, but several deals are likely to be made before spring training in 2017 commences.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, San Diego is going to receive offers for 29-year-old third baseman Yangervis Solarte. In 2016, Solarte hit .286 in 109 games, proving to be one of the more reliable middle to low hitters in the team’s order. His defense was also decent, committing just 11 errors during the year.

As his prime comes to a close, Solarte is undeniably an attractive add for a good amount of major league teams. The question is, would the Padres be willing to give him up? Much of this rests on whether or not San Diego feels that Ryan Schimpf is a sufficient every day third baseman. The rookie hit 20 home runs in less than a full season, proving that he can provide a spark in the lineup. The only question is whether or not the long time minor-leaguer is ready to play every day.

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If the team is confident in Schimpf’s abilities, there is no reason to hold on to Solarte. They have depth at the position, as Alexi Amarista can play the position as well as Luis Sardinas. Moving the big third baseman could provide more benefits for the Padres than it would cost them, as their priorities should be pitching and minor league depth.

The most likely trade partners for Preller include division rival San Francisco Giants, who is in need of help at the position. If the Padres do not want to trade within their division, other teams such as the Rays, White Sox, or Braves may end up moving their third basemen, opening up a need. If this were to happen though, the Padres would need to wait and see how everything plays out, and could quite possibly miss an opportunity to move Solarte.

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The hot corner is a very important position, and San Diego knows that they can not afford to risk incompetency there. However, it appears that the impacts of giving up Solarte would be more positive than negative. The Giants have a lot of young pitching San Diego would take in a heartbeat, at the Rays and White Sox would likely be willing to ship a veteran or two that Preller is in search of. Either way, it appears very likely that a trade of some sort involving Solarte will go through. It would seem to make sense for the Padres.