Padres rumors: Eric Hosmer trade might finally be a reality

Latest Padres rumor is that they’re going to trade Eric Hosmer to the Mets

Are the New York Mets really this foolhardy, or do they just not care about money in the slightest?

That’s what everyone’s wondering now that The Athletic (subscription required) is reporting that the San Diego Padres and Mets are discussing a trade for Eric Hosmer.

The rumored trade would also involve righty Chris Paddack would reportedly bring left fielder/first baseman Dom Smith to the west coast.

Paddack makes sense for the Mets in light of the news that their ace, Jacob deGrom, is shut down for at least a month due to a stress reaction to his right scapula. Losing him for such a significant period of time is a huge blow for the hopefuls from Queens, who face stiff competition in the NL East from the defending-champion Atlanta Braves and seriously-upgraded Philadelphia Phillies.

The Mets’ new co-ace Max Scherzer was also scratched from his spring start on Saturday, but the reason is not yet known.

Would Dom Smith be a good fit for the Padres?

Like many players who struggled to return to a 162-game season after the shortened 2020 season, Dom Smith is coming off a down year. He hit .244/.304/.363 with a .667 OPS, 11 home runs, 20 doubles, 43 runs scored, and 58 RBI. However, it was also the first season in which he played more than 89 games (145), so it’s fair to assume some of it was an issue of stamina.

Can the Padres unload Eric Hosmer’s enormous contract?

The Padres gave Hosmer an eight-year, $144M contract ahead of the 2018 season, their biggest contract in franchise history at the time. It’s something he’s never really lived up to, and the Padres have been ‘aggressively shopping’ him for a while now. He has four seasons and $59M left on his deal.

While 2022 is the last year in which Hosmer will make $20M – it reduces to $13M/year for the remaining seasons of his contract – it’s the average annual value, $18M, that hurts the Padres, as AAV is what gets allocated towards their luxury tax.

There are several reasons why a trade to the Mets makes no sense for them. They have Home Run Derby champ Pete Alonso at first base and veteran slugger Robinson Canó, fresh off a PED suspension, as their new designated hitter, so where does Hosmer even fit into the equation? And why would they take on even part of his hefty price tag with no obvious landing spot for him?

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