Camila Sosa
The San Diego Padres are still in the hunt for an outfielder and pitcher Chris Paddack appears to be the main bargaining chip the team will recur to in order to get one.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, San Diego could move on from Chris Paddack and fellow starter Ryan Weathers, both of whom were prospects in the organization at the time and have failed to perform as expected.
The Padres’ most sought-after name is 27-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds, about whom they have been talking to the organization about for some time without reaching an agreement.
Meanwhile, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic noted that the Pirates’ asking price for Reynolds is too high for San Diego, as Pittsburgh is not convinced that Chris Paddack and Ryan Weathers are sufficient bargaining chips for the keeper.
Several reports have stated that Pittsburgh has inquired about shortstop C.J. Abrams, MLB’s ninth-ranked prospect, and outfielder Robert Hassell III, the 37th-ranked prospect. The organization is in the midst of a restructuring process, and continuing to add good prospects could be the main objective of its management.
Chris Paddack, 26, in 23 games, 22 of them as a starter, posted a 5.07 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 108.1 innings last season, while Weathers, 22, after 30 appearances, 18 of them as a starter, posted EFE of 5.32 with a WHIP of 1.38 in 94.2 episodes in 2021.
Bryan Reynolds and the Gardens of San Diego
The Padres appear to have it in their sights to acquire Bryan Reynolds to improve the outfield, probably the most underdog area of their team.
To start the season San Diego would have Trent Grisham, Will Myers and Jurickson Profar as starters. The former is the team’s undisputed center fielder, Myers is coming off a good season after several forgettable ones, and Profar is hitting just .244 with 11 home runs in two seasons with the organization.
For his part, Reynolds has three seasons of experience in the league and he could only show it off in the short 2020 campaign. As a rookie in 2019, he finished fourth in the Nationals Rookie of the Year voting after leaving a .314 average, with 37 doubles, 16 home runs and 68 tows. while last season he received his first call to an All-Star Game after finishing as the Major League leader in triples with eight, hitting 24 home runs, driving in 90 runs and again batting over .300 (.302).
