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Wil Myers trade "nearing the finish line" with Padres, Nationals rumored

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According to multiple reports, the Rays are nearing the finish line for a Wil Myers trade that would send the former Rookie of the Year to the Padres, bringing back two key pieces.

The first piece has been rumored to be top defensive catching prospect Austin Hedges, a possible top-twenty baseball talent whose bat has disappeared since his promotion to Double-A in 2013.

Hedges is currently the No. 22 prospect on MLB.com's Top-100, where his hit and power tools continue to grade at 50.

Three other names listed thus far are Class-A 1B Jake Bauers, Double-A RHP Joe Ross, and RHRP Burch Smith. Jim Bowden has been the Padres source on all names, and expects the deal to include five players from San Diego.

Some number of the players received are then expected to be flipped to the Nationals for an intriguing outfielder, right-hander Steven Souza.

After boasting a .421 wOBA and 161 wRC+ in 2013 with the Nationals' Double-A squad, Souza graduated to Triple-A and bested those numbers, with a .448 wOBA and 180 wRC+ over 96 games, including career bests in homeruns (18) and stolen bases (26).

Before the season was over, Souza was then promoted to the major league team for chances at the beginning and end of season, where he accumulated a meager 74 wRC+ across 26 games in April, May, August, and September.

Over on Fangraphs, Carson Cistulli recently projected Souza to the fourth most WAR among prospects up to age 26 for 2015. Souza placed fourth, just ahead of Joey Gallo thanks to a favorable bat, and just behind Jorge Soler.

UPDATE - 12:15 PM

Bowden has removed Hedges from the anticipated trade, which may make the deal a bit more difficult to swallow if a top-flight pitcher like Max Frier or Matthew Wisler.

Meanwhile, Marc Topkin mentions a fourth team may be entering the fray.


PSA Comments of the Day 12/17/14: It's all falling into place

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Chris Capuano is back in pinstripes on a one year deal worth $5 million dollars. The team is starting to come together for their 2015 regular season. Pitchers and catchers report in 64 days.

In their bid for another championship run, the Yankees signed Chris Capuano to a one year, $5 million dollar deal. A lot of people had opinions about that, some of which you will see below. Speaking of the hotter than hot stove, the Rays and the Padres supposedly have some big trade in the works involving Matt Kemp and Wil Myers. Wil Myers out of the AL East is not a bad thing at all.

Comments of the Day

By jove, Harlan's right. Jolly good use of the British spelling!

LTL forgot the coupon for free brunch included with your ticket.

So long and thanks for all the tweets.

It's true and kind of sad when you think about it.

Magneto was never suited for teaching.

"Can of worms" was definitely the correct analogy in this case.

See what I mean?

We should just create our own Hall of Fame. We can call it the Parliament of Excellence.

Still laughing.

There's been a lot of this, lately.

GIF of the Day

THWIP!

It's spitting hot fire!

It was that kind of day

It was reaaaaally that kind of day

Honorable Mod Mention

I win again. Because why not?

Fun Questions
  • Yankee prospect you are most excited to see? Furthermore, when do you hope said prospect is called up?
  • Favorite winter/X-Mas time meal?
Song of the Day

Harder Than Steel by The Megas

It's MegaMan's 27th anniversary today. Woohoo. As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Well, here we are. Like it or not, the Yankees now have a full time third baseman. Now that they signed Headley, which player would you like to see the Yankees go after next?

Now go do that voodoo that you do so well!

Is the Matt Kemp deal falling apart?

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A couple of recent tweets have us wondering.

A couple of tweets have helped build up the rumor that the Matt Kemp deal may be hinging on a failed physical. Last night Ken Rosenthal, who has been all over the Kemp story since it because a couple weeks ago tweeted this:

Then, this morning Will Carroll who goes by @injuryexpert and is someone I have followed for years and years because of his knowledge about player injuries tweeted this:


Local report Dennis Lin added these tweets shortly after Carroll's:



That is not a lot to go on, but it does tell us that the physical is likely the only thing left to overcome to complete the deal and that there are formalities left to do like informing players. There was some thought that maybe the amount of money changing hands could be holding up the deal because the commissioner's office was dragging their feet, but this seems to nix that idea.

It was also expected that Zach Eflin (who the Padres traded to LA in the Kemp deal) was going to Philadelphia in LA's acquisition of Jimmy Rollins, so that deal made by the rivals up the I5 may be collateral damage. We shall see.

Edit: Bob Nightengale and Ken Rosenthal try to calm things down




Nationals Rumors: Nats somehow involved in Rays/Padres Wil Myers trade talks?

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The Washington Nationals have come up this morning as a potential third team in the trade talks between the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays which reportedly center on outfielder Wil Myers. Steven Souza's name is being mentioned. Rumor time...

If you haven't been glued to your Twitter feed all morning or following ours (@federalbaseball), you may have missed out on the brewing rumors of the Washington Nationals' involvement in the ongoing trade talks between the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays which have centered around 24-year-old Rays' outfielder Wil Myers.

There has been talk all winter about the Nationals making a big deal (or some big deals) this winter with a number of players eligible for free agency after this season and a few major-league-ready players currently, or at least seemingly, blocked at the big league level.

To what extent the Nationals are actually involved in the goings-on between the Padres and Rays is unclear, but early this morning, Yahoo!Sports.com Jeff Passan threw the Nats' name out there as a possible third team getting involved in trade talks in the last twenty-four hours:

A little while later, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal noted on Twitter that if the Nationals were, in fact, involved, as Passan suggested, Nats' outfielder Steven Souza's name was one to keep an eye on:

Tampa Bay Times' Rays beat writer Marc Topkin too reported on Twitter that he was hearing Souza might be a name involved in any potential deal:

Rosenthal checked back in just after noon with another update on Souza potentially being involved in whatever is being discussed:

"Somewhat blocked"?

Though there were several reports that whatever is going down could be happening soon, Marc Topkin tweeted with his own thoughts on what might be delaying the completion of the rumored deal:

Both Nats' skipper Matt Williams and Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo talked this past weekend about Souza, 25, competing for a spot on Washington's bench in Spring Training:

What might the Nationals be thinking? Could the Nationals be interested in dealing Souza, knowing that they have Tyler Moore, who is out of options, available to fill the same sort of role as a backup outfielder and first baseman that Souza would likely fill if he were to make the major league roster? There's no hint in any or the tweeted rumors about what the Nats might be getting in return if they are actually involved in all this...

More information if/when it is available...

[ed. note - "Feel free to voice your complaints about rumor-mongering below in the comments section."]

UPDATE (12:50 PM EST):

Padres acquire Wil Myers in Rays, Nationals 3-team trade

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The Padres get another legitimate hitter, the Rays hit reset again, and the Nationals end up with talented kids.

The Rays have traded outfielder Wil Myers to the Padres in exchange for a prospect package highlighted by pitcher Joe Ross and 2014 first-round pick shortstop Trea Turner, wrapping up a three-team trade with the Nationals that first appeared in rumor form Tuesday. ESPN's Jim Bowden was the first to report a deal was complete, with Bob Nightengale confirming, while FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported the players involved. The Rays aren't keeping either of those prospects, however, as they are flipping them to the Nationals for outfielder Steven Souza.

All told, Ross and Turner would go from the Padres to the Nationals, with Turner going as a player to be named later since he was drafted this past June. Myers, catcher Ryan Hanigan, and minor-league pitchers Jose Castillo and Gerardo Reyes would go to the Padres from the Rays. The Rays would end up with backstop Rene Rivera, pitcher Burch Smith, and minor-league first baseman Jake Bauers from the Padres, with Souza and 2013 draft pick Travis Ott coming from the Nationals.

Turner gives Washington a potential long-term replacement at shortstop for Ian Desmond, who will be a free agent after 2015.

Myers was considered a cornerstone the Rays could build around when he was first acquired before the 2013 season, but two years later, he's at the center of another deal to a team taking a huge risk in order to contend. Souza is a late-bloomer the Rays are hoping can replace Myers in their outfield for the next six years, and the Nationals are the predators who stole away the best prospect in the deal just by dealing Souza, who was blocked in Washington.

The Padres started the offseason in desperate need of offense, but added five years of Matt Kemp at a discounted price in a trade with the Dodgers, and now have added Myers to the mix as well. The lineup isn't perfect by any means, but Myers is 24 and isn't a free agent until 2020 at the earliest, while Kemp can still mash and has a huge chunk of his tab being paid for by Los Angeles. There is time yet to add to this, and maybe as soon as this offseason if the Padres are as interested in winning in 2015 as they appear to be. Trading Rivera for Hanigan creates some potential problems behind the plate, but retaining their top prospect, catcher Austin Hedges, might be how they solve that issue at some point next summer.

New general manager A.J. Preller is taking an aggressive stance with the Padres in the first months of his tenure, but it's likely the right move. The Padres have enviable prospect depth, but likely lack a franchise-changing youth in the group. Using that depth to attempt to bring in such a player in Myers -- and to a much older, more expensive extent, Kemp -- makes all the sense in the world for Preller and co.

As for the Rays, they've lost their ace David Price, their general manager Andrew Friedman, and their manager Joe Maddon since July. They aren't necessarily rebuilding, as there is still a lot of talent in Tampa Bay and the pitching is legitimate even sans Price -- especially once Matt Moore is back from Tommy John surgery -- but they are certainly going for the soft reset. Myers was young enough to be a major piece in the Rays' future, but he also represented an opportunity to bring in quality youth that the farm system was in need of. Friedman's time in Tampa Bay was many things, but it was not a successful era of drafting: there is a reason the Rays are known for these kinds of veteran-for-youth trades, and it's not just to cut costs, as pre-arbitration Myers can attest to.

Nationals trade Steven Souza; Acquire Trea Turner, Joe Ross in three-team deal with Rays, Padres

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The Washington Nationals were rumored to be a late entrant in trade discussions between the Tampa Bay Rays and the San Diego Padres. The deal today brings Trea Turner and Joe Ross to the Nats with Steven Souza and Travis Ott going to the Rays.

Multiple reports have now confirmed that the Washington Nationals have acquired shortstop prospect Trea Turner, 21, the San Diego Padres' 2014 1st Round pick, who will have to be a PTBNL since he was drafted just last June, and 21-year-old right-hander Joe Ross, a 2011 1st Round pick who pitched at High-A and Double-A in the Padres' system in 2014, in a three-way trade with San Diego and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Turner is ranked 5th overall on MLB.com's list of San Diego's top prospects. Ross is 8th overall.

In order to acquire them, the Nationals sent outfielder Steven Souza and 2013 25th Round pick Travis Ott to the Rays.

Souza, you know. Ott is a 19-year-old left-hander drafted out of Shippensburgh, PA who pitched at Class-A Auburn and Low-A Hagerstown in the Nats' system in 2014.

The rest of the deal: The Rays are reportedly sending Wil Myers, catcher Ryan Hanigan and prospects Gerardo Reyes and Jose Castillo to the Padres in return for catcher Rene Rivera, right-hander Burch Smith (who debuted in the majors in 2013 and pitched at Triple-A in 2014) and 19-year-old first baseman Jake Bauers, San Diego's 7th Round pick in 2013.

Here's the Twitter roundup:

Ken Rosenthal (proposed trade when he tweeted this, since confirmed):

Trea Turner:

Joe Ross:

BOWDEN!!:

MLB:

Joel Sherman (NY Post):

Washington Post writer Barry Svrluga:

Jeff Passan (Yahoo!Sports):

More info when it's available....

Rays, Nationals, Padres agree to three-team deal involving Wil Myers, 10 others

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The mega-deal will send 2013 AL ROY Wil Myers to the Padres, with a bundle of players heading back to the Rays and Nationals.

Following a slow progression over the past 24 hours, the Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, and Washington Nationals have finally agreed in principle to a massive swap involving 11 players in total, with outfielder Wil Myers heading to San Diego as the centerpiece of the deal. The trade, which was first reported to be complete by ESPN's Jim Bowden, is still pending physicals, but it's safe to say that the complex nature of this trade and the shear magnitude of players involved makes this one of the more intriguing deals of the offseason.

The trade breaks down as follows:

Tampa Bay Rays

Rays sendRays receive
OF Wil Myers (to Padres)C Rene Rivera (from Padres)
LHP Jose Castillo (to Padres)RHP Burch Smith (from Padres)
RHP Gerardo Reyes (to Padres)OF Steven Souza (from Nationals)
C Ryan Hanigan (to Padres)1B Jake Bauers (from Padres)
LHP Travis Ott (from Nationals)

Washington Nationals

Nationals sendNationals receive
OF Steven Souza (to Rays)RHP Joe Ross (from Padres via Rays)
LHP Travis Ott (to Rays)SS Trea Turner (as PTBNL from Padres via Rays)

San Diego Padres

Padres sendPadres receive
C Rene Rivera (to Rays)OF Wil Myers (from Rays
RHP Burch Smith (to Rays)LHP Jose Castillo (to Padres)
1B Jake Bauers (to Rays)RHP Gerardo Reyes (to Padres)
RHP Joe Ross (to Nationals via Rays)C Ryan Hanigan (to Padres)
SS Trea Turner (to Nationals as PTBNL via Rays)

For the Rays, this move is a clear step back in the short term, as they lose a key component of their lineup and one of the brighter 24-year-olds in the game in Myers. But what Tampa Bay loses in quality, they sure make up for in quantity, acquiring a quartet of prospects in Souza, Smith, Bauers, and Ott. Both Souza (Fangraphs' Kiley McDaniel recently compared Souza to Matt Joycewho the club traded away just yesterday) and Smith are near big-league ready, having made brief cameos in the majors last year. The reigning International League MVP, Souza will likely slot in as Myers' replacement, and is somewhat cheaper with one extra year of control. If his numbers from the minors can translate in some capacity to the majors, then the Rays could end up making out quite well with this deal.

Bauers seems to be the real wild card for the Rays here, as a smooth-fielding first baseman with an advanced bat for his age (19). Meanwhile, Rivera will supplant the outgoing Hanigan, giving the club a potential upgrade behind the plate. The 31-year-old Rivera broke out in 2014, hitting for a 117 OPS+, while posting a 3.1 WAR thanks to some very strong defense. He is widely regarded as a strong pitch framer, and is under club control for the next three seasons.

The Nationals seem to be the runaway winners of this trade as the clear third party. Washington gives up Souza and Ott, neither of whom are considered elite names, and receives two potentially top 100 prospects in Ross and Turner. The 21-year-old Ross is the younger brother of Padres' starter Tyson Ross, and was a first round pick in 2011. He possesses strong raw stuff, but is erratic in his command, which could limit him to a relief role rather than the number three starter upside he has if all goes well. Turner, assuming he is the player to be named later as expected, is possibly the most intriguing name in the entire deal, as he was taken 13th overall by the Padres just six months ago. The shortstop had a strong pro debut, hitting .323/.406/.448 with 23 steals in 69 games split between Low and High-A. Mcdaniel credits Turner as the best prospect in the deal, noting a strong hit tool and potentially average play at short to go along with plus-plus speed. He could wind up being Washington's long-term solution at shortstop if the incumbent Ian Desmond departs after next season, though Turner isn't actually eligible to join the Nationals' organization until June 13th, exactly a year after signing his professional contract.

For the Padres, the outcome of this deal hinges entirely on Myers, particularly the health of his wrist, as Yahoo's Jeff Passan points out. The Padres could very well be acquiring a future perennial All-Star under club control for the next five years, however, Myers, acquired two years ago in the infamous James Shields trade, has been a mixed bag early in his career. He hit a robust .293/.354/.478 with a 131 wRC+ and 2.4 WAR in 2013, en route to the AL Rookie of the Year award. Expected to progress in 2014, he did the exact opposite, hitting just a .222/.294/.320 with a 78 wRC+ in an 87-game injury plagued season. The Padres will be betting on him to rebound to the talent level he displayed in 2013, and while he has immense upside, the wrist issue provides for plenty of risk.

On the other end of the catching swap, San Diego will receive Ryan Hanigan, who the Rays acquired and signed to an extension just last winter. He is more expensive than Rivera, with $8 million owed to him over the next two years (with a $3.75 million team option and $800,000 buyout for 2017), but comes with a longer track record of production. The 34-year-old is, like Rivera, an excellent pitch framer with strong on-base abilities. He hit .218/.318/.324 with a 1.2 WAR in 84 games last season.

San Diego has now completely overhauled their catching situation this offseason, with Yasmani Grandal moving to Los Angeles in the Matt Kemp deal. The jettisoning of Rivera and Grandal could be viewed as the club setting up a clear path for top catching prospect Austin Hedges.

The Padres also receive a pair of young arms in Reyes and Castillo. Reyes is likely headed for a possible bullpen role down the line, with the 18-year-old Castillo being the more talented of the two. Castillo was signed out of Venezuela for $1.55 million in 2013, but wound up injured for a majority of the 2014 season. The hard-throwing southpaw has a strong fastball, but weak offspeed offerings at the moment. Due to his pedigree and talent, he should be an interesting name to watch in the coming years.

Comparing Ryan Hanigan and Rene Rivera, the catchers in the Wil Myers trade

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Who is Rivera and why did we trade for him?

The Rays have reportedly completed a blockbuster trade, sending former Rookie of the Year Wil Myers to San Diego, along with a ton of other moving parts. I'd like to focus on one small slice of the deal -- the Rays just swapped their starting catcher, Ryan Hanigan, for fellow catcher Rene Rivera.

Your first thought, upon hearing the possibility of the Rivera-Hanigan do-si-do, was likely, "Who?"

Danny profiled Rivera as a Rays target earlier this winter, but if you looked him up you found that Rivera is a 31 year old journeyman with 673 major-league plate appearances.

The Rays will be his eighth team. This leads to an obvious follow up question of "Why?"

The initial rationalizations I came up with were not satisfactory when I went through the same thought process, so I followed-up with something that's not really a question:

"Danny, I will eat my hat if the Rays trade Ryan Hanigan for Rene Rivera."

That wasn't a metaphor, either. It was exactly what I sent to Danny when he first floated the trade rumor my way, and I was referring to a very literal and specific hat that I'm rather fond of.

So like most of you, I immediately disliked this aspect of the trade. I am, however, about to defend it.

Offense

Ryan Hanigan has been a pretty good offensive player -- for a catcher -- over the course of his career. He's walked more than he's struck out (11.9% to 10.7%), and he owns a career on base percentage over .350. He knows the zone and he sticks to it; he fights off pitches; he battles. He's enjoyable to watch.

Rene Rivera has had a much less successful offensive career at the plate. He's had trouble finding a spot in the major leagues, so these "career" numbers cover only 673 plate appearances (about one full season for an every-day starter or two for a standard catcher), but he's walked 6.1% of the time while striking out in 24.5% of those plate appearances. His career on base percentage is .279. That's ugly.

But here's the thing. There's more to baseball than taking a walk. Ryan Hanigan has almost no power, and he's not about to develop some. His great plate discipline is undercut by a paltry .085 career isolated power. Rivera is no Giancarlo Stanton, but he's better than Hanigan, with a .130 career ISO. That means that the two catchers are closer offensively than the perception around them would suggest.

Moreover, Ryan Hanigan will be 34 next year, and is coming off multiple seasons impacted by injuries. Rene Rivera will be "only" 31, and just had his best offensive showing, with a 114 wRC+ in 329 plate appearances for San Diego. The Steamer projection system (which is better at understanding this data than humans who couldn't pick Rivera out of a lineup, like me) thinks they'll produce very similarly next year in terms of offensive value, even if they arrive there in different ways.

Here are those 2015 projections:

BB%K%AVGOBPSLGwOBA
Ryan Hanigan10.5%13.6%0.2300.3190.3180.286
Rene Rivera6.8%21.2%0.2330.2900.3610.289

Pitch Framing (and other, less-important defense)

Mike Fast first broke it into the public domain. With Fast now in the Astro's front office, Ben Lindberg has picked up the pitch framing flag beautifully over at Grantland. We've talked about it a lot here, and I think that while most reasonable people now accept that pitch framing is both a real and measurable skill, there's a few holdouts on this site who would like it to go away.

It's not about to.

One of the reasons for trading for and then signing Ryan Hanigan to an extension last season was that, like Jose Molinahe's also good at pitch framing, but Rene Rivera is better (probably, SSS caveats, etc.). Pitch Framing data is now available, using two different calculation methods, both on StatCorner and on Baseball Prospectus.

By the Baseball Prospectus numbers, Molina has been worth 31.6 framing runs per 7000 chances (roughly what a full season of playing time would look like) over the course of his career, while Hanigan has been worth 16.3 runs per 7000, and Rivera 18.0 runs per 7000.

Recently, though, Hanigan's framing numbers have declined, perhaps due to injury or age, while Rivera has improved on a mediocre 2011, his only other year in the books. Last season specifically, Hanigan produced at a rate of 12.7 runs per 7000, while Rivera bought his pitchers 22.1 runs per 7000. Rivera was simply better.

Jumping over to the StatCorner numbers, Hanigan was worth only an extra 0.23 calls per game through his framing in 2014, while Rivera was worth an extra 1.75 calls per game -- fourth best in baseball behind Hank Conger, Molina, and Christian Vazquez.

Of course, there's more to catching than pitch framing.

Baseball Prospectus calculates contributions from pitch blocking as well, also using PITCHf/x data. Molina was a terrible blocker and Hanigan was a great one. Rivera is somehwere in the middle.

Consider the scale of the skill, though. Hanigan, a master pitch blocker, saved his teams a bit under three runs a season. Molina, a terror, lost six. That makes blocking a more visible but less important skill than framing.

As for controlling the running game, both Rivera and Hanigan have gunned down 38% of the runners who have attempted to steal on them.

Money

So if Hanigan and Rivera have similar offensive projections, and are similarly strong defensive catchers, why would the Rays prefer one over the other? There's Hanigan's worrisome injury history, for one, but this is also a case where the money really does matter.

The Rays signed Hanigan to an extension that potentially locks him up through 2017. Rivera will also be under Rays control for the next three years, as his inability to stick in the majors means that although in his 30s, he's just now reaching arbitration (where Matt Swartz projects him to make $1.3 million).

Ryan HaniganRene Rivera
2015$3.5M$1.3M
2016$3.7M$1.95M*
2017$3.75M/$0.8M^$2.6M*

^Team option/Buyout

*I've calculated the second and third arbitration year assuming a 40/60/80 model, which may or may not be accurate. Also, those years are not guaranteed.

I know we'd all like an owner who's willing to shell out and build the best team money can buy, but that's not how this works, even in the fantasyland of baseball. And in the real world, paying less for the same amount of something is smart. It's not just about $tu's wallet. Paying less for one commodity means that the Rays have more room in their budget (whatever that might be) to buy wins elsewhere on the field.

Conclusion

I'm not evaluating the entire Wil Myers trade yet. It's very big and we'll have more to say about all of the pieces involved. You don't come to DRaysBay just for the hot takes, though, so take this conclusion for what it is: an assessment of what Matt Silverman just did for the Rays catcher position over the next couple years.

At the top of their game, Rene Rivera has a lower 90th percentile projection than Ryan Hanigan, but we're unlikely to get that best-case scenario from either of them. Their mean projection on offense is similar, though, and Rivera is younger and has a less-troubling injury history.

On defense, they're comparable over their careers, and if you consider recent seasons as being more predictive of current ability, there's a case to be made that Rivera is better.

Finally, the contract matters. Rivera costs less, and if he doesn't pan out (or gets injured), the Rays aren't on the hook for anything in 2016.

Ryan Hanigan has been a good baseball player, and it sounds like he's a really nice guy, too. He's great to watch behind the plate. When Matt Moore spikes a curve into the dirt, there's no one in this league I'd rather have back there than Hanny. He also works with pitching staffs better than most.

All of that is true, but it doesn't change the fact that Rene Rivera is trending upward, and has a decent chance of outproducing Hanigan over the next couple years while making less money and carrying less risk.

That makes the catcher section of the Wil Myers trade at least a wash, with plenty of pathways for the Rays to come out ahead in 2015 and beyond.


Fantasy Impact of the Wil Myers three team trade

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Ray offers his thoughts on the fantasy impact of the huge three team trade that happened earlier today.

So, this offseason is probably going to go down as one of the more active offseasons in terms of players changing addresses in quite some time. Earlier today, we saw the biggest trade of the offseason, involving three teams, the Padres, Rays and Nationals. Oh, and Wil Myers, the 2013 American League Rookie of the Year was at the center of the deal, along with a few prospects and a Nationals outfielder who the Rays think is very valuable.

Here are the players involved in the deal:

Padres get: OF Wil Myers, C Ryan Hanigan, P Gerardo Reyes, P Jose Castillo

Rays get: OF Steven Souza, C Rene Rivera, 1B Jake Bauers, P Travis Ott, P Burch Smith

Nationals get: P Joe Ross, SS Trea Turner

So, the Padres gave up quite a bit her, trading two of their top prospects, Joe Ross and 2014 first round pick Trea Turner, along with first base prospect Jake Bauers, pitcher Burch Smith and catcher Rene Rivera for five years of Wil Myers, catcher Ryan Hanigan and pitching prospects Gerardo Reyes and Jose Castillo.

The Rays give up Wil Myers, Ryan Hanigan, Castillo and Reyes for Steven Souza, Rene Rivera, Jake Bauers, Travis Ott and Burch Smith

The Nationals give up Steven Souza and Travis Ott for Joe Ross and Trea Turner.

By all accounts, the Nationals appear to have got the best of this three team deal, with the Padres coming in a close second and the Rays a distant third. It appears to me that the Rays have soured on Myers just over a year after he won the AL rookie of the year award, and new Rays GM Matt Silverman is pulling a page from the Billy Beane playbook and trading Myers for a package of prospects along with Souza, who should take over right field in Tampa.

Here are my quick takes on the fantasy impact of this trade:

Steven Souza

Souza's fantasy value takes the biggest jump in this deal, as he goes from a fourth outfielder in Washington to a starting outfielder in Tampa. He has power and speed, hitting .350-.432-.590 with 18 home runs, 62 runs scored, 75 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 96 games in AAA last season. He owns four seasons of 20+ stolen bases in the minors, so he should be an asset in that category in 2015, along with a chance at double digit home runs, even in Tampa. I wouldn't be surprised to see him outperform the disappointing Desmond Jennings in 2015.

Michael Taylor

Before this trade, many felt that Souza was the heir apparent to the the center field job in Washington after Denard Span left via free agency after the 2015 season. Now that he will call Tampa home, outfield prospect Michael Taylor probably gets the first shot at replacing Span in 2016, and should be the Nationals fourth outfielder in 2015. It's entirely possible he starts the 2015 season in AAA to work on reducing his propensity to strike out. Taylor has the tools to be a future 20-20 hitter in the big leagues, but has too much swing and miss in his approach presently.

Wil Myers

Myers is coming off wrist surgery and a down year at the plate in 2014, so the move to San Diego may reduce his fantasy value a bit in 2015. According to Stat Corner, Petco Park was tougher on right-handed power hitters than Tropicana Park was in 2014, so Myers may struggle to put up the power numbers fantasy owners expect from him next season. We may want to temper our expectations for Myers in 2015, and possibly going forward, as it is not a good sign that he has been traded twice before the age of 25.

But, make no mistake, the Padres lineup will be improved with the addition of Myers and Matt Kemp, assuming that trade does finally go through. The Padres have added two solid power hitters to their lineup, and indications are that they are not done dealing.

It also appears the Rays are going to rebuild, but some think that Souza could be a solid replacement for Myers. If they are, in fact, going to rebuild, one would think the Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria will be on the trading block as well. If this is not a rebuild, then why deal such a young power hitter like Myers in an era where run scoring and power is down?

Fantasy Rundown

If you are looking for more fantasy baseball news and rankings, make sure you check out Fantasy Rundown, for all things fantasy.

Matt Kemp has arthritis in both hips

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Last week baseball media announced a trade between the Dodgers and Padres that would bring Matt Kemp to San Diego.  Then all was quiet, too quiet.  There was no announcement until Sunday.  According to Ken Rosenthal the Padres would put Matt Kemp through a physical on Tuesday.  Then all became quiet again, still no official announcement.  On Wednesday rumors popped up that the deal for Kemp was falling apart, because he had failed his physical.   As if to ease our worried minds Rosenthal insisted that the Padres still wanted the trade to happen.

Today we learn from Bob Nightengale the results of Tuesday's physical.  Apparently Kemp has arthritis in both hips.  The Padres are talking to medical experts while the rest of us worry whether or not the trade will go through.

If it doesn't the Dodgers could be screwed and if you believe in conspiracy theories then maybe the Padres wanted this to happen.  The market for outfielders has dropped off since last week and LA would again have a logjam in the outfield and no catcher.  I don't believe this, but I want to believe this.  I love conspiracy theories so I'm open to the possibility.

Report: Matt Kemp has arthritis in both hips | UTSanDiego.com

Now, the revelation of arthritis could erase what leverage the Dodgers had left. Los Angeles, which is planning on swinging Eflin to help land Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, might be facing one very awkward mess, should they have to renege on the deal.

Maybe this means the Padres still get Kemp but the deal is renegotiated with the Padres getting more money, Preller has done so in the past. We'll wait and see.

Wil Myers trade represents the kind of risky deal Padres must make - Yahoo Sports

The Padres want Kemp. Whether the $32 million the Dodgers are offering will suffice is the question, because Texas, where Preller grew his executive chops, has in the past used medical concerns as a way to rework deals at the last minute. And with Kemp’s physical the holdup, 11th-hour haggling remains a roadblock.

If the Padres leaked the physical results then they could be in big trouble and the Dodgers could get super pissed.

Respond in the strongest possible fashion? What's that even mean? Small leather back packs? That kind of fashion?

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Should Padres go ahead with trade for Kemp or call it off?

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Matt Kemp trade reportedly delayed by hip arthritis

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We finally found out the hold-up in the now week-old trade of Matt Kemp to the Padres. A physical exam reportedly showed that Kemp has arthritis in both hips, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Kemp's injury history is well known, but it included two left shoulder surgeries, one right ankle surgery and three left hamstring strains in 2012-2013. The hip news is new, and it isn't yet known just how this will affect the trade.

One week ago, the Dodgers reportedly agreed to send Kemp and catcher Tim Federowicz to San Diego in exchange for catcher Yasmani Grandal and pitchers Joe Wieland and Zach Eflin, with Eflin to be sent to the Phillies to complete the trade for Jimmy Rollins.

It is worth noting that, unless the arthritis somehow showed up after the season, Kemp did hit .287/.346/.506, a 140 OPS+ with 25 home runs and a career-high-tying 38 doubles with those bum hips.

It seems likely that the Padres are trying to squeeze the Dodgers to pay more than the $32 million they already agreed to send, to cover the remaining $107 million on Kemp's contract.

Having the information on his hips can't be good for Kemp, especially if the Padres were the ones who leaked his medical information to try to get a better deal, or for the Dodgers if the trade falls through, receiving back an unhappy player who would be harder to trade, and with the catching position still in need of an upgrade. Not to mention needing to rework the Rollins deal.

But until we hear otherwise, both teams still want the trade to happen, perhaps in a slightly altered form.

"Everything is okay. We're just waiting on the final details," Kemp's agent Junior Spiveytold Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports on Thursday morning, before the hip news leaked. "Should be good to go."

We'll see.

David Ross choosing between Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox

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The veteran catcher could follow Jon Lester to Chicago.

Before the start of the Winter Meetings, veteran catcher David Ross was drawing a significant amount of interest from teams looking for catching depth, however a deal never got done. According to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford, Ross is considering three offers and will choose between the Cubs, Padres, and Red Sox.

The 37-year old posted a .184/.260/.368 batting line in 50 games with the Red Sox last season. Bradford notes that of the three teams reportedly interested, the Cubs may be favored because they signed Jon Lester in San Diego last week. Chicago traded for Miguel Montero, but is looking for backup catching help after non-tendering John Baker. Although the Cubs initialy considered trading Welington Castillo, the team is not actively shopping him, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

Boston is looking for a backup catcher and sees Ross as a mentor for catching prospectBlake Swihart and Christian Vazquez. Ross has had difficulty remaining healthy in his time with the Red Sox, though, suffering from concussions and other minor injuries. Boston could pursue a left-handed catching option that would be able to provide consistent offense, and Vazquez is know to be a solid defensive backstop who is preparing to play his first full major league season.

San Diego may no longer be involved after the trade that sent Wil Myers to the Padres on Wednesday night. The three team deal also sent Ryan Hanigan to San Diego, and as a result, the Padres may no longer be in pursuit of catching depth. Tim Federowicz is also expected to be flipped to the Padres in the Matt Kemp deal that has yet to be finalized.

Although his offensive numbers were not notable last season, Ross is valued as a solid defensive catcher. His ability to manage games led to him receiving an opportunity to catch Jon Lester in the 2013 World Series, and the Cubs might take advantage of the connection. Considering his age, a one or two-year deal is most likely for Ross.

Padres, Josh Johnson closing in on one-year deal

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The right-hander is expected to receive a deal with a base salary in the $2 million range.

The Padres are "getting close" to a one-year deal with right-hander Josh Johnson, according to a major-league source. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports was the first to report that the sides were close to a deal.

Johnson, who missed the entire 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, has been leaning towards re-signing with San Diego all winter, as we reported at the beginning of the month. According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the deal is expected to come with a guarantee of under $2 million, with incentives that could push its total to around $8 million.

The impending signing of Johnson comes just two days after the Padres agreed to a deal with right-hander Brandon Morrow, who is also injury-prone and received an incentive-laden deal. The team will likely head to spring training with a rotation of Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner, Ian Kennedy and Odrisamer Despaigne, with Morrow, Johnson and Robbie Erlin providing depth at the back-end of the group.

In nine major league seasons, Johnson is the owner of a lifetime 3.40 ERA while being named to two All-Star teams in 2009 and 2010. He struggled in sixteen starts with the Blue Jays in 2013, posting a 2-8 record and 6.20 ERA.

Why Matt Kemp trade is taking so long to complete

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The Dodgers and Padres agreed to a five-player trade with Matt Kemp as the centerpiece one week ago, but the deal still hasn't been finalized. Kemp's physical reportedly showed he had arthritis in both hips, but he didn't even take his physical until Tuesday, five days after the trade was agreed to.

Now we know why.

Perhaps the Padres should have seen this coming.

Athletics trade rumors: Derek Norris traded to Padres


Matt Kemp trade between Padres and Dodgers finally happens after all

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After what seemed like sixteen years of waiting, speculation, rumors, and medical reports, the Padres' acquisition of outfielder Matt Kemp is finally coming to fruition. The long-established terms of the trade will not be changing; the Padres are still sending Yasmani Grandal, Joe Wieland, and Zach Eflin to Los Angeles for Kemp and backup catcher Tim Federowicz, with the Dodgers including $32 million to offset some of the salary Kemp is due.

Apparently the arthritis in Matt Kemp's hips was not as severe as feared, since Padres general manager A.J. Preller followed through on the deal despite not receiving any additional salary relief from the Dodgers to hedge against an increased risk. And, yes, Preller did attempt to use this to get some more money in the deal. Can you blame him? Again, it must not have been that pressing, since at the end of the day the deal got done just the way everyone thought it already was done.

Update (6:39pm):

Jon Heyman clears up what was taking so long: getting insurance stuff straightened out.

Athletics trade Derek Norris & Seth Streich to Padres for Jesse Hahn and R.J. Alvarez

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The Oakland Athletics traded catcher Derek Norris, 23-year-old minor league right-handed starting pitcher Seth Streich, and international signing bonus slot 117 ($144,100) to the San Diego Padres for right-handed pitcher Jesse Hahn, 25, and right-handed pitcher R.J. Alvarez, 23, the Athletics announced. The player details were first reported by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. The A's have not yet announced a corresponding move off the 40-man roster.

Word of a deal involving Derek Norris was first reported by Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.

Players received

The A's get a right-handed starter and a right-handed reliever in the deal.

Jesse Hahn

Hahn made his major league debut last June. Signed originally by the Tampa Bay Rays as a 6th round pick in the 2010 draft, Hahn was traded to the Padres in a seven-player deal that sent Alex Torres to the Padres in return for Brad Boxberger, Logan Forsythe, and three other minor league players.

Hahn made 12 starts in 14 appearances for the Padres, going 7-4 with a 3.07 ERA and 3.40 FIP in 73⅓ innings. He struck out 70 and walked 32 in that period while giving up four home runs. David Cameron of Fangraphs points out that Jesse Hahn had one of the better swing-and-miss rates last year. Right there with Hahn? Jeff Samardzija:

The injury risk that Cameron refers to is that Hahn had a Tommy John Surgery shortly after being drafted by the Rays. His injury actually occurred two days before the draft, and caused his draft stock to tumble from the first round down to the sixth round, according to Bob Putnam of the Tampa Bay Times. He was placed on a pitch count for some time after that.

R.J. Alvarez

Alvarez made his major league debut last September, making 10 relief appearances for the Padres. He pitched eight innings and conceded just one run while striking out nine but walking five. He was traded from the Angels to the Padres last July 19 as part of the Huston Street deal. In 38 Double-A appearances between the two clubs' farm teams, Alvarez tossed 43⅓ innings at age 23, striking out 61 and walking 13 (two intentionally) for a 1.25 ERA. Melissa Lockard of oaklandclubhouse.com has this to say:

Players sent out

The A's move their fifth All-Star out of the seven they sent to the 2014 All-Star Game, and they also sent out a starting pitcher who finished the year in Class-A Advanced Stockton.

Derek Norris

We haven't quite gotten to Derek Norris in Alex Hall's season in review series, but before I even look up Norris' stats, here was the story. He had an amazing first half (which sent him to the All-Star Game) with average plate skills, and then little nagging injuries caused his plate skills to disappear and his offense to plummet. You may recall this from September 14:

In 2014, Norris batted .270/.361/.403 with 10 home runs, drawing 54 walks, and striking out 86 times. Before the All-Star Game, he was .294/.402/.477 with eight home runs, drawing 36 walks, and striking out 41 times in 235 plate appearances. After the All-Star Game, he was .245/.314/.324 with two home runs, 18 walks, and striking out 45 times in 207 plate appearances.

Seth Streich

Streich, turning 25 next year, was Oakland's sixth round draft pick in the 2012 draft. He went 9-6 in 114 innings of High-A ball in Stockton with a 3.16 ERA, which is extremely impressive in the California League. He was helped by striking out 116 batters in those 114 innings, and walked just 22. Streich was never in the Oakland top-10 prospect list by Baseball America, though he was 25th after the 2013 season.

Quick take

In trading Norris, the A's will miss a bat that was excellent against left-handed pitching and showed flashes of brilliance against righties in the first half of 2014 before injuries slowed down his production as well as his defense. This is good news for Josh Phegley at the moment, who would seem to be platooning with Stephen Vogt next year.

The A's receive two Major League ready pitchers in starter Jesse Hahn and reliever R.J. Alvarez. The move makes things difficult, though not presently impossible for Evan Scribner to be the last man in the bullpen. Taylor Thompson, the other right-handed reliever on the A's 40-man roster, has options left.

The starting pitching depth is extremely deep now, and many local reporters are speculating that this means a further move trading away some of those starters is afoot:

Statistics courtesy Baseball Reference and Fangraphs.

R.J. Alvarez is Now an Oakland A

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The San Diego Padres have just traded the Angels' former first selection of the 2012 draft to the Oakland Athletics for catcher Derek Norris.

Expect to see plenty of R.J. Alvarez in the coming years, as he becomes part of the bullpen of the Halos' primary division rival – a team they face 19 games per season.

Alvarez was dealt along with Taylor Lindsay, Elliot Morris and Jose Rondon in last season's fall trade that sent Huston Street to Anaheim. On Thursday evening, he was dealt once again, with promising young starter Jesse Hahn, to the Oakland Athletics for a young All-Star catcher.

R.J. Alvarez maintained a 1.25 ERA and 12.7 SO/9 over 38 appearances in 2014 across two AA stops between the Angels and Padres. In 10 appearances at the MLB level, Alvarez put up a 1.13 ERA with 9 strikeouts over 8 innings in his first cup of coffee with the Friars.

The Oakland A's now control Alvarez for the next six years, through the 2020 season.

Padres, Dodgers officially complete Matt Kemp trade

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After a lengthy hold-up over concerns with his physical, Kemp is finally headed south on I-5.

The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers have officially completed the trade reported last week involving outfielder Matt Kemp, catcher Yasmani Grandal and several prospects, both teams announced on Thursday night.

The teams agreed to a trade on Dec. 11 that sent Kemp from the Dodgers to the Padres in exchange for Grandal and pitching prospects Joe Wieland and Zach Eflin. Concerns over Kemp's physical, which revealed arthritis in both hips, temporarily kept the deal from going through. That also held up the official announcement of the Dodgers' trade with the Philadelphia Phillies for Jimmy Rollins because of Eflin's inclusion in the deal, which is expected to be officially announced soon.

Kemp, 30, hit .287/.346/.506 with 25 home runs for the Dodgers last season, the first one in three years in which he appeared in more than 110 games. The two-time All-Star finished second in the National League MVP voting in 2011 and signed an eight-year, $160 million contract shortly thereafter, but he had trouble staying on the field in the following two seasons. Kemp has averaged 138 games per season since becoming a full-time player in 2008 and owns a .290/.350/.495 line, good for a 130 OPS+, during that time.

Grandal made a career-high 443 plate appearances last season, hitting .225/.327/.401 with 15 home runs. The 26-year-old backstop still has four years of team control remaining. His OPS+ of 120 since breaking into the league in 2011 ranks third -- behind Buster Posey and Yadier Molina -- among all catchers with at least 100 plate appearances during that time.

Dodgers finalize Matt Kemp trade with Padres

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LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers on Thursday announced the completion of its biggest winter meetings trade, making official the trade of Matt Kemp to the Padres for catcher Yasmani Grandal.

The Dodgers sent Kemp, catcher Tim Federowicz and cash (a reported $32 million) to the Padres in exchange for Grandal, pitcher Joe Wieland and pitcher Zach Eflin.

Eflin is expected to be sent along with Dodgers 2013 second-round pick Tom Windle to Philadelphia for shortstop Jimmy Rollins and cash, but that deal hasn't yet been announced.

The deal was reportedly agreed to last Thursday morning, on the final day of the winter meetings in San Diego, but with Eflin involved in both trades and the injury histories of Kemp and Grandal, it understandably took some time. Kemp reportedly took his physical exam on Tuesday.

The delay in the approval of the deal was reportedly the revelation that Kemp has arthritis in both hips. But after both sides talked, the deal went throughunchanged, per multiplereports. The bulk of the delay was reportedly for the Padres to work out insurance on Kemp's contract, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi was asked on Tuesday if he had any concern about the Kemp and Rollins trades getting completed.

"There is no concern on any deals we have in the pipeline that are contingent on physicals or otherwise," Zaidi said. "Sometimes the logistics of that stretch the process out, but there is no concern on our part."

Kemp, Grandal and Federowicz all tweeted their goodbyes and welcomes last week, but Wieland waited until Thursday night to acknowledge the trade on social media.

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