San Diego Padres Rumors: Could Cal Quantrill be traded before the season?

The San Diego Padres have outstanding depth in their starting rotation with a couple more prospects on the way. Might Cal Quantrill be traded before the season?

It’s remarkable what a difference a year makes. Before the 2019 season, the San Diego Padres rotation was a wide-open competition with the better part of ten players having a shot at landing five slots. Heading into the 2020 season, the depth of the rotation is phenomenal to the point that it’s going to be difficult to give the team the best chance to win without hindering anyone’s development.

One of those players is Cal Quantrill, who made 23 appearances – including 18 starts – last year, posting a 5.16 ERA while striking out 89 batters in 103.0 innings of work. His ERA was heavily swayed by a 10.90 ERA in September, but many scouts believe that he can stick as a back-end of the rotation guy.

However, given that the top four guys in the rotation are established, Quantrill’s only chance at making the big league roster would presumably be as the fifth starter. Joey Lucchesi figures to be his primary competition for the job, and the 26-year-old posted a 4.18 ERA in 30 starts last year.

Lucchesi has a better strikeout rate and lower WHIP, so Quantrill’s efforts are going to be an uphill battle. Combined with the fact that Michel Baez, Adrian Morejon, and several top pitching prospects are chomping at the bit, Quantrill could potentially find himself in a different uniform before the year begins.

Let’s look at a couple of landing spots that make sense for both parties.