The San Diego Padres love Miguel Andujar, but do they love him enough to throw the kitchen sink?
Don’t bet against the San Diego Padres being a surprise playoff contender in 2019, especially if they land Miguel Anujar.
In recent days, there are reports that the Padres are in love with New York Yankees young slugger Miguel Andujar. This doesn’t come as much of surprise because it makes sense that San Diego would be inclined to acquire young impactful controllable talent. The question is, do they have that much interest that they would give up several top prospects?
The Yankees top rookie had a great season last year, batting . 297 with 27 home runs and 92 RBI. San Diego would get him with 5 years of control, so the club would have to be blown away in a deal. The Padres certainly have that type of talent, but mortgaging a part of that future is risky. Although Andujar would be a good player to build around, I wouldn’t sacrifice top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. If he isn’t included in a trade, GM AJ Preller would have to unload the bottom tier 1 players and several tier 2.
The Padres have the best farm system in the league, so the Yankees can choose from the lot other than Tatis Jr. I think the Yankees want one major league ready player in a deal, so that will most likely be catcher Francisco Mejia. He played 21 games in 2018 in the big leagues, and he hit 14 homers in 112 minor league games. At 23, he is right on the cusp and has already had MLB experience, albeit a short time.
Luis Urias is probably not one of the top guys on the radar for the Yankees, considering they have Gleyber Torres. I would think they want a bundle of young arms in a deal. Of course the Yanks will ask for Mackenzie Gore. If that doesn’t happen, expect next best arm in Chris Paddack, who is 22 and should be ready in 2020. His ceiling is a number 3/4 starter, his only red flag is durability.
Michel Baez is another arm who is close to MLB ready and is 22 years old. His fastball is a 70 grade who throws high 90’s. He is 6′ 8″, but he has been able to stay consistent in his path towards the plate. He is another guy who has mid-rotation stuff with the potential to improve on that in the near future.
To mix it up we’ll throw in lefty Ryan Weathers in there for the last pitcher in a deal. He is farther away in development, but he does have the tools to become a valuable starter in the league. His best pitch in his repertoire is his changeup to go along with a fastball and curveball. He’s only 19, so the Yankees would still have a few years before he is in New York.
The last player in this deal would be first baseman Josh Naylor. He was a Miami Marlins’ 12th pick in the 2015 draft, and was dealt to San Diego in the Andrew Cashner trade. Naylor is an offensive minded prospect with little in the way of defense. He hit 40 XBH while hitting .297 in 501 at bats in Double-A. Since the Yankees would be parting with Andujar who should play first base in the future, it makes sense for them to request Naylor as a guy who could man the position soon.
So, this is the type of deal that the Yankees would need in a trade. The Padres would be trading Francisco Mejia(26th best prospect in MLB), Chris Paddack(35), Michel Baez(57), Ryan Weathers(92), and Josh Naylor. The Padres farm is so good that even this deal wouldn’t totally wreck the system. In any deal, the Yankees would be seeking major league ready talent, and they get three guys here. The other two aren’t that far away. For the Padres, they would be getting a young star who is someone San Diego can build around as they seek relevancy again.