BREAKING: Padres trade Franchy Cordero to Royals

The San Diego Padres sent Franchy Cordero to the Royals for reliever Tim Hill on Thursday night. Here’s what the trade means.

Not what I expected to be focusing on during the Padres live-streaming of the intrasquad matchup, but general manager AJ Preller has pulled the trigger on trading Franchy Cordero. The 25-year-old was starting to look like the odd man out in summer camp due to the emergence of Edward Olivares and Taylor Trammell.

The Kansas City Royals have acquired outfielder Franchy Cordero from the San Diego Padres for reliever Tim Hill, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.

Cordero has massive power and has played all three OF positions. Hill has been an effective lefty for the last two years.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 17, 2020

In exchange, the Padres will receive a bullpen arm in the form of southpaw, Tim Hill. Drafted in the 32nd round of the 2014 MLB Draft, Hill is a cancer survivor and is reportedly not going to opt-out, despite being high-risk for COVID-19.

“I stick by my decision, obviously,” Hill said, via the Oakland Press. “There’s been some concerns with people testing positive, stuff like that. But I still feel like I made the right decision, and I’m not really worried about it.”

Last year, Hill made 46 appearances for the Royals, posting a 3.63 ERA while fanning 39 batters in 39.2 innings. He allowed just 13 free passes and was exceptional against lefties, holding opponents to a .186 average in such scenarios.

The acquisition means two things. Cordero was going to lose the summer camp outfield battle, with no option to play DH either. He’s been praised for his exit velocity and bat speed, but he’s failed to remain healthy.

Trey Wingenter is "getting a second opinion on his elbow, and that's all we have as of right now," Jayce Tingler said. Wingenter was dealing with inflammation when he was shut down last week. Infer what you will, but "second opinion," usually means the first opinion wasn't good.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) July 16, 2020

Second, Jose Castillo is likely to miss at least six weeks, and Trey Wingenter is set to receive a second opinion on his elbow, according to AJ Cassavell, which likely means he’s going to be out for quite a while.

Hill provides the Padres with another solid left-hander in the bullpen. He’s also under team control through the 2024 season.

UPDATE:

Ronald Bolanos was also sent to Kansas City in the deal.

Ronald Bolaños was also in the deal. He, too, was on the outside of the roster picture. But the Padres gave up lots of control on Bolaños and Cordero for Hill, a 30yo lefty reliever.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) July 17, 2020

The San Diego Padres sent Franchy Cordero to the Royals for reliever Tim Hill on Thursday night. Here’s what the trade means.

Schedule