The MLB offseason has already seen a flurry of moves, yet even more may be on the horizon.
With free agency continuing to become a less and less efficient way of building a team, general managers are acting accordingly. Just look at how San Diego GM A.J. Preller is going about turning the Padres into a contender.
Between now and Opening Day, you can bet that at least one or two more marquee players will land in a new place. Two such names are being thrown around right now.
Cole Hamels and Wil Myers
Even after all of the Padres’ moves, San Diego still has a few areas that need addressed if the team is truly going to become a contender in the National League West, namely the infield and back end of the starting rotation.
With the team’s surplus of outfielders, it makes sense that San Diego would make one of their OFs see what’s out there on the market. None would be more appealing than 2013 Rookie of the Year Wil Myers.
Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News reported that the Padres may be working on a trade that would send Myers to the Philadelphia Phillies for Cole Hamels.
Of course, other pieces would be involved, but a Myers-for-Hamels swap works for both teams.
San Diego already has Justin Upton and Matt Kemp to patrol the corner outfield spots, and Myers doesn’t look like a great defensive option in center. If the Padres are going to deal him, then getting back an ace like Hamels at least provides a solid return.
Meanwhile, the Phillies would get a major piece to help their rebuild. Philadelphia needs to shed some payroll and get younger, and you could see Myers becoming a cornerstone of the franchise.
ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, however, questioned whether San Diego could afford to bring on another big contract, while also wondering whether Myers’ getting traded by three different teams already would signal some larger problem:
Kemp will cost $75 million over the next five years, while Upton will make $14.5 million in 2015. A potential extension would be even more pricey. Throw in the $90 million owed to Hamels over the next four years, and that’s a ton of money wrapped up in three players from a franchise not generally considered a big spender.
Shortly after the Myers-for-Hamels rumors began, Dennis Lin of U-T San Diego threw a wet blanket on the rumor fire, reporting that the Padres aren’t considering moving the 24-year-old:
Indications from sources within the organization, however, are that the Padres intend on playing all three of their newest outfielders, including Myers. The early plan is for the 2013 American League Rookie of the Year to start in center field, flanked by fellow power-hitting right-handers Justin Upton and Matt Kemp.
The Padres shouldn’t be in a rush to trade Myers. Although he was a disappointment in 2014, there’s no reason he can’t fulfill his massive potential and become an All-Star outfielder.
With that said, Hamels would provide an immediate impact on San Diego’s rotation. At the very least, he’d help the franchise contend for the wild card.
The only potential hangup is his contract. The Padres must get the Phillies to cover some of Hamels’ financial burden like the Los Angeles Dodgers did with Kemp.
Troy Tulowitzki
You can understand why the Colorado Rockies want to play hardball in trade discussions involving Troy Tulowitzki, but the franchise may have to lower its demands if it truly wants to deal the All-Star shortstop.
CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported that the Rockies and New York Mets are talking a potential trade, but Colorado’s asking price is too high for New York’s liking:
The Mets maintain interest in Rockies star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, but it’s clear there’s a major gap to bridge in negotiations between the teams, with differences in ideas of player compensation and financial considerations, as well.
[…]
One person familiar with the talks suggested Colorado may not agree to a deal unless it feels the return is to too good to turn down. The sides have been discussing packages centered around top Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard, but some have suggested that at least at some point the Rockies were also requesting Zack Wheeler be included in the package, though talks are fluid, so that may not be the case now. Just about every young Mets pitcher and player has been mentioned at some point, including right-hander Dillon Gee and shortstops Ruben Tejada and presumably Wilmer Flores, though those players are drawing limited interest and would be considered as perhaps third and/or fourth pieces in a potential deal.
Heyman added that the New York Yankees are also interested in adding Tulowitzki, but they don’t have anywhere near the trade chips to try to work a deal.
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported a few days ago the Mets have a couple of concerns regarding the trade and that the likelihood of the move happening is extremely slim:
To his credit, Tulowitzki‘s not publicly agitating that Colorado act.
“I’m keeping up but I’m not worrying about it,” he said, per MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. “I’m just doing my rehab and want to get back on the field. That’s my main focus.”
The longer the Rockies keep Tulowitzki, the more it feels like the franchise will stagnate in the NL West. In order to hit the reset button and start over, Colorado needs a fresh start without its biggest star.
The problems with that plan are twofold.
The first is that fans would inevitably be upset. He’s the team’s most popular player, and his departure would signify that Colorado’s likely years away from contention, which is never what a fanbase wants to hear.
As if that’s not bad enough, there’s the second issue, which is that the Rockies would receive about 50 cents on the dollar in a Tulo trade. As Rosenthal points out, few teams will want to part with a handful of young stars in order to acquire an injury-prone 30-year-old who’s still due over $100 million.
There’s no perfect solution for Colorado. Management will have to make the most of a bad situation.
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