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

Might the Chicago Cubs part with Ian Happ?

It’s not a well-kept secret that the Padres lack an established center fielder. After the departure of Manuel Margot, it looks to be a two-person competition between Trent Grisham and Franchy Cordero. The former was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 15th pick in the 2015 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut last August.

His most notable contribution to the Brewers was his error in the bottom of the eighth inning in the National League Wild Card game. The Brewers traded Grisham and Davies after the season for Luis Urias and Eric Lauer.

Cordero was signed by the Padres as an international free agent in November 2011. Neither player has yet to impress, although Grisham has had much less exposure to Major League pitching. Either way, it would be beneficial for the Padres to have a back-up plan.

Ian Happ

Ian Happ is a player that could potentially use a change of scenery. He was demoted before the regular season last year due to his struggles with strikeouts. Happ was recalled to the big league roster at the end of July and slashed .264/.333/.564 (126 OPS+) while reducing his strikeout rate.

And at 25-years-old, Happ could thrive with regular playing time. He’s logged a .984 fielding percentage in center field for his career and has the potential to hit 25-to-30 home runs per year. He’s also under team control through the 2023 season.

The Cubs need pitching and, unlike the Padres, don’t have quality options for their fifth starter. Tyler Chatwood appears to be the front-runner for the job, but his time as a participant in the rotation during 2018 left a lot to be desired.

Quantrill is under contract through the 2025 season and could move up a slot or two after Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, and Chatwood become free agents after this year.

The Red Sox could part with Jackie Bradley Jr. after signing Kevin Pillar.

Jackie Bradley Jr.

Jackie Bradley Jr.’s (JBJ) career in Boston has been a roller coaster ride. He’s a perennial Gold Glove candidate, but his offense has been streaky. Drafted in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft, JBJ was considered to be a highly-touted prospect coming in 32nd overall in MLB’s Top 100 before the 2013 season.

His best year came in 2016 when he slashed .267/.349/.486 with 26 home runs and 87 RBI. As noted, he’s a terrific defender, logging a .990 fielding percentage in center field for his career.

The Red Sox recently added Kevin Pillar, who has a better track record in terms of batting average but isn’t as strong in the field. And with Boston parting with Mookie Betts earlier this month, they may opt for offense over defense in 2020.

Martin Perez is projected to be the fifth starter in Boston’s rotation this year, but another down year may warrant the team declining his $6.3 million option for 2021. A JBJ trade would also clear $11 million more from their payroll and would total approximately $55 million in cleared payroll this offseason for the Red Sox.

Is Cal Quantrill likely to be traded?

Based on manager Jayce Tingler’s statement that he feels comfortable with the depth in his starting rotation, a Quantrill trade would seem unlikely before the season. The Padres’ roster is probably set heading into the 2020 season with any adjustments coming at the trade deadline should the team be in contention.

A platoon in center field between both Grisham and Cordero is plausible with Grisham’s splits against lefties (.712 OPS) being significantly better than the latter (.592 OPS). A fair assessment could be made for both players through half of the year before General Manager, AJ Preller could potentially make a move.

Should the Cubs and Red Sox struggle out of the gate, both Happ and JBJ could be available for far less than their value at the beginning of the year, along with several other teams looking to unload players.

Still, Quantrill’s role in 2020 is unclear, especially if Lucchesi lands the fifth starter role. He still has two minor league options left, so a potential temporary demotion could benefit him to prevent another September 2019 from happening.