San Diego Padres Trade Rumors: Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen

Will the San Diego Padres trade any of their remaining bullpen pieces?

After sending Brad Hand and Adam Cimber to the Cleveland Indians for catcher Francisco Mejia, it’s widely been assumed that the San Diego Padres would move Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen next. With less than 24 hours remaining before this year’s trade deadline, will one or both of these men be moved?

Over the last few minutes, the Seattle Mariners have traded for Zach Duke from the Minnesota Twins and Adam Warren from the New York Yankees. In return, the Mariners sent RHP Chase De Jong (28th ranked prospect) and 3B Ryan Costello (a 31st round pick in 2017 out of Central Connecticut State). In exchange for Warren, the Mariners sent international bonus slot money.

On Sunday, the Atlanta Braves addressed their bullpen by acquiring Brad Brach from the Baltimore Orioles for international bonus slot money. LHP Jonny Venters was also acquired for the same return.

Joel Sherman of MLB Network and the NY Post tweeted earlier that he believes six teams will be “aggressive/creative” at the deadline: Oakland, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, Philadelphia.

Oakland has already acquired Jeurys Familia, on top of having Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen. Milwaukee went out and traded for Joakim Soria from the White Sox.

Nearly every other potential playoff team has made at least one deal for a bullpen piece over the last few days, shoring up their staffs for a deep playoff run. Impactful arms have been acquired for cheap prices, however, there are still a few teams who may pay the high price tag for Yates or Stammen.

Will any teams spend for San Diego Padres relievers?

Two teams could still be major players for at least Kirby Yates. Don’t be surprised to see the Philadelphia Phillies or Chicago Cubs pay the high asking price for Yates.

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The Phillies have a real shot of winning the National League East and making a run in the playoffs. Seranthony Dominguez is having a fantastic year, as is Victor Arano. However, both pitchers are very young and the Phillies could benefit from having another veteran like Yates to join Tommy Hunter in the pen.

The Chicago Cubs make more sense. Word is that the Cubs have “heavily scouted” Yates and while they have the third-lowest bullpen ERA, Chicago has highest walk rate in the league (11.3%). Yates has allowed just 11 walks in 39 innings while striking out 50.

As for Craig Stammen, AJ Cassavell is reporting that talks have “cooled off” recently (that includes Yates) but teams remain interested, specifically, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who may be the top contenders for Stammen, per Ken Rosenthal.

Is your head spinning yet? Just a few more hours left before the madness ends.