San Diego Padres: Emilio Pagan trade ranked seventh best offseason move

Bleacher Report ranked their top ten best (and worst) moves this offseason with the San Diego Padres acquiring Emilio Pagan coming in at seventh-best.

The San Diego Padres bullpen was already a strength heading into the winter. Last year, the group finished with a combined 4.59 ERA, led by All-Star closer Kirby Yates. However, with Yates set to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the upcoming shortened season, Padres general manager AJ Preller was proactive in the offseason market.

He not only signed left-handed reliever Drew Pomeranz to a four-year deal, but he also made a sneaky trade, acquiring Emilio Pagan from the Tampa Bay Rays. The 29-year-old is looking to find a home with the Friars after spending the previous three seasons with three different teams. With the Rays, Pagan collected 20 saves while posting a 2.31 ERA and fanning 96 batters in 70.0 innings.

Under team control through the 2023 season, there’s a good chance that Pagan takes over closer duties for Yates, who will make $7.1 million in his final year in San Diego. However, in a 60-game sprint, the addition of Pagan makes the Padres bullpen a significant asset where every game matters.

And Bleacher Report put together their list of best and worst offseason moves with the Pagan trade coming in at number seven.

"“Their best move was the trade that sent Manuel Margot and prospect Logan Driscoll to the Rays for Emilio Pagan. In that one, the Padres essentially gave up a defense-first outfielder for a reliever who dominated with a 2.31 ERA and a 7.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2019.”"

A little surprising, but not unexpected I suppose, is B/R omitting the Tommy Pham trade from their list.