Camila Sosa
After last night’s circulation of rumors about the possible transaction, finally, the Minnesota Twins and the San Diego Padres reached agreement on transfer of starter Chris Paddack and reliever Emilio Pagán from the Twins in exchange for the arrival of reliever Taylor Rogers and prospect Brent Rooker to the San Diego franchise.
Minnesota will also receive an extra player that has not yet been defined and will send a total of $6,6 million to the Padres to cover Rogers’ salary this season.
The money the Padres will receive will almost entirely cover the 31-year-old veteran closer’s $7,3 million salary, leaving only $700,000 on the table to pay from their own budget. Paddack was one of the biggest candidates to be traded this early in the season and his departure from the team that saw him make his MLB debut was accelerated once San Diego acquired starter Sean Manaea from the Oakland Athletics.
After having a great debut in 2019 with a 9-7 record, 3.33 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in 140.2 innings, the 26-year-old starter hasn’t been able to come close to the same level in the last two seasons. After accumulating an 11-12 record with a 4.95 ERA, WHIP of 1.24, 92 runs and 29 homers allowed in 167.1 innings since the 2020 season, Paddack’s performance has not convinced the Padres to continue to rely on his growth.
On the other hand, the Twins see a potential quality pitcher for their rotation thanks to the great control Chris has continued to record despite his shortcomings (157 strikeouts in 2020 and 2021 with only 34 bases on balls given up). If they work on expanding their pitching arsenal and controlling their pitching to leave the ballpark less, he would be a great addition to Minnesota’s rotation, which has been among the weakest in the majors in recent years.
As for Emilio Pagán, he has also failed to repeat the level he showed with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 (2.31 ERA, 20 saves, 96 strikeouts and WHIP of 0.82 in 70 innings), having two poor campaigns with the Padres where he accumulated a 4.75 ERA, WHIP of 1.13, 45 runs allowed and 92 strikeouts in 85.1 innings pitched.
Taylor Rogers has been one of the most solid pieces in the Twins bullpen since his debut in 2016, and in 2021 he got his first All-Star Game selection after posting a 3.35 ERA, nine saves, 59 strikeouts and WHIP of 1.14 in 40.1 innings pitched. It is important to note that Rogers will become a free agent after the end of the season, which is why the Twins decided to waive him. Upon his arrival with the Padres, he will compete in manager Bob Melvin’s scheme to hold the closer’s title through 2022.
Brent Rooker had 58 games last year with Minnesota and posted a .201/.291/.397 line with nine homers in 58 games for the 27-year-old outfielder.
