San Diego Padres: Players Most Likely To Be Traded This Offseason

With the 2018 season wrapping up, let’s take a look at four players the San Diego Padres could end up trading this offseason.

With General Manager AJ Preller at the controls, no one can predict what exactly will happen with the San Diego Padres this offseason. What we can assume is that the Padres will be active this offseason. The team is approaching 100 losses on the season, so an obvious shakeup is necessary. There’s also the fact that the Friars have too many players and not enough positions to give certain players the playing time they deserve.

Next season is going to be another year of evaluating talent. Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen aside, the rest of the current bullpen is full of young arms that need more than a few weeks to show whether or not they have real value. Jacob Nix is showing promise in his pro debut and is sure to be joined by a large number of rookie starting pitchers such as Logan Allen and Cal Quantrill, next season.

As for position players, Manuel Margot has all the potential in the world but still needs to show he can go longer than two-three weeks of solid production before falling off. Andy Green wanted to give Christian Villanueva an opportunity to prove his versatility by playing more second base, shortstop, and first base, however, an injury immediately put an end to those plans. He could very well be given another chance in 2019. Lastly, rookies Luis Urias, Francisco Mejia, and Franmil Reyes will use 2019 to establish themselves as full-time major leaguers, wherever they end up playing.

So, who could the San Diego Padres look to move this offseason, to give players like the above mentioned the opportunity to reach their full potential? Again, no one knows for sure, but let’s look at four names who may find themselves on the trade block once the offseason begins.

Spoiler alert: You won’t see Austin Hedges mentioned. For at least one season, I fully expect to see San Diego utilize one of the best 1-2 catching combinations in all of Major League Baseball.

If you think the San Diego Padres have a lot of bullpen arms now, just wait until spring training rolls around.

Kirby Yates earned all of my respect, plus some, after he attempted to beat out a ground ball last weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers before being thrown out by Manny Machado and stumbling over first base. He then proceeded to complete a four-out save against an elite Los Angeles lineup that has been the hottest in all of baseball over the last few weeks. There may have been concerns surrounding his ability to routinely produce when rumors swirled at the trade deadline, however, Yates has seemingly put those concerns to bed.

Yates has logged a career-high 59 innings, posting a 5-3 record and 2.11 ERA (2.55 FIP). He’s currently striking out 36% of hitters and walking a career-low 6%, all while limiting hitters to a .183 batting average. With a 1.7 WAR, Yates is second among all Padres pitchers behind only his fellow bullpen mate, Stammen.

The trade value for Padres relievers plummeted after a flooding of relievers on the market at this year’s deadline, however, Yates and his value may never be higher once the offseason begins. He is three years younger than Stammen and could bring back a bigger haul.

With Jose Castillo, Robert Stock, Phil Maton, Miguel Diaz, Matt Strahm, Trey Wingenter, and many others already working at the major league level and a full list of other names sure to join the party next year, more than one name may be on the move.

Will the powerful rookie outfielder have a spot on the San Diego Padres roster in 2019?

If this was a list of players I want to see the Padres trade, Franmil Reyes wouldn’t be on the list. Over the last two months, Reyes and Hunter Renfroe have been two of the most productive hitters in the majors and no one will benefit more from it than Renfroe. Not only has Renfroe improved in nearly every offensive metric, but he’s also shown a big improvement in his defense in the outfield. On the other hand, Reyes is more of a liability in the field, possessing one of the slowest sprint speeds in the league.

As is, the Padres outfield consists of Reyes, Renfroe on the corners with Manuel Margot in centerfield. Travis Jankowski has earned himself a roster spot with his ability to be a late-inning game changer. Don’t forget about possibly the most electric piece of them all, Franchy Cordero. Cordero will return in 2019 to fight for a corner outfield starting lineup spot.

There’s also another name to watch closely, Josh Naylor. The first baseman turned outfielder had a big year for the San Antonio Missions and may find himself in the big leagues early in 2019. Naylor is a name that seems to have gotten lost as the year went on, more than likely as a result of prospect fatigue among fans. Don’t forget about him, though. If he’s not making an impact at the major league level, someone will come calling for him.

Back to Reyes, he may be the odd man looking out in this scenario. If Wil Myers is on this team in 2019 (spoiler), no one has any clue as to where he will play but if he moves back to the outfield, well, let’s just say I’m glad I’m not AJ Preller.

Robbie Erlin, the reliever, provides tremendous value.

For much of the season, the San Diego Padres used Robbie Erlin out of the bullpen, a move that was met with a lot of success. As a reliever, Erlin has logged 52 innings, posting a 2.05 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, a 23% strikeout rate, and a 2.1% walk rate.

Robbie Erlin the starter hasn’t fared as well. In 51 innings, Erlin has a 6.66 ERA, a 1.52 WHIP, 17.5% strikeout rate, and a 3.5% walk rate. As he works his way through a lineup for the second time, the numbers get even worse.

Erlin has worked an 8.86 ERA and 1.69 WHIP the second time through a batting order as a starting pitcher. Opponents are hitting .354 against him in this situation. He has clearly been a much better pitcher out of the bullpen, unfortunately, as we mentioned in a previous slide, the Padres already have an extremely deep bullpen with even more names coming up soon.

The 27-year-old may not bring back a haul by himself, but if Preller were to package Erlin with a few prospects, a valuable piece could find its way back to San Diego. With Matt Strahm and possibly a player like Brett Kennedy able to man the long-relief role, Erlin may find himself expendable this offseason.