San Diego Padres: Why Trading Wil Myers Makes Sense

Free agency, production risk, selling high, position hierarchy, team philosophy & timing are factors for the San Diego Padres to consider for a trade of Wil Myers.

There’s no doubt San Diego Padres‘ first baseman Wil Myers is a tremendous talent, and that his 2016 season was just a glimpse of what is more to come.

Predicting a season of .290, 30 2B, 30 HR, 100 RBI, 100 R & 30 SB, along with a gold glove at first base, is not a far reach.

All 30 teams would be drooling to have him as the face of their franchise.

That is the actual value Myers represents if A.J. Preller wants to trade him at the winter meetings.

That represents, at least, one or two top prospects or some good (not great) proven players.

When referring to “top prospects”, there’s no place for the Javier Guerra, Logan Allen, Hansel Rodriguez, Jose Rondon, Enyel de los Santos or Carlos Asuaje fringe type of prospects.

So why trade him?

Not precisely because of the wrist surgery he had in 2015. But…

1. Free agency. The year A.J. Preller has said San Diego will be a contender (2019), is precisely when Myers becomes a free agent, exactly at the age of 28 years. He would be commanding 8-10 years of at least 20 million dollars per, if he keeps up the production. That is a big “if”.
2. Production risk. The risk of a drop in production is a reality. He K´d at a 23.7% rate (160 times) with Matt Kemp & Melvin Upton in the lineup.
3. Sell high. Several teams are potential trade matches for the Padres. The Indians, Rangers, Astros, Marlins, Mets, Yankees, Pirates, are some just to name a few who would more than welcome an upgrade at first base or the corner outfield. Why not try getting, just to name a few players: Jurickson Profar, Alex Bregman, Amed Rosario, Gleyber Torres, Auston Meadows, etc.
4. Position hierarchy. There are other positions that deserve more attention, specifically the middle positions (C, 2B, SS & CF).
5. Team philosophy. This is the most important topic and is going to be addressed in another column.
6. Timing. Acquire AA or AAA players, who could make it to the majors next year, therefore ready to compete on 2019.

Next: Jankowski/Dickerson Trade on the Horizon?

As each of these reasons show, there are more reasons in favor of trading Myers than keeping him.