It would be an interesting pivot from being all-in otherwise, but the San Diego Padres are apparently open to trading Eric Hosmer.
Amid a run of win-now moves, it’s easy to forget the first sign the San Diego Padres were ready to compete. The eight-year, $144 million deal they gave to first baseman Eric Hosmer after the 2017 season was that move. Now amid multiple reports indicating as much, the Padres seem to be open to trading Hosmer as he has surfaced in recent trade talks.
As ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic indicated, Hosmer had a 10-team no-trade list for this year. According to Rosenthal, the teams Hosmer can block a deal to are the Orioles, Indians, Tigers, A’s, Brewers, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Giants, Mariners and Pirates.
Hosmer had a full-no trade for the first three years of his contract, then after 2022, he’ll gain veto power via 10-and-5 rights. As a refresher, “10-and-5” refers to having 10 years of major league service time and five years with the same team. So if the Padres are going to trade Hosmer, they’re in a window right now where he can’t block a move to 20 teams.
The Padres haven’t gotten what they hoped for from Eric Hosmer
Hosmer not performing like one of the best first basemen might have been easy to see coming very early on. But save for the shortened 2020 season (134 OPS+, 127 wRC+) he indeed has performed at basically replacement level as measured by WAR. Advanced defensive numbers aren’t a be-all, end-all, but Hosmer is no longer a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman.
Hosmer has four years left on his contract after this one, albeit with a drop from $20 to $13 million in base salary each year from 2023-2025. He can also opt-out after the 2022 season, but that’s not happening. The Padres, as Rosenthal added, would have to attach significant prospect value to trade him. That would open up some possible suitors if an acquiring team could get prospects too.
In terms of teams who could entertain a deal for Hosmer, here’s a list of 10 (some with an eye on added prospect return and/or 2022).
- San Francisco Giants
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Kansas City Royals
- Washington Nationals
- Minnesota Twins
- Seattle Mariners
- Boston Red Sox
- Detroit Tigers
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Cleveland Indians/Guardians
The Padres may not be done as a trade deadline buyer after acquiring Adam Frazier. If they can somehow offload Hosmer without eating a lot of money, that would open up some interesting possibilities in the coming days.