Blockbuster Padres-White Sox Trade Idea Would Benefit San Diego Long Term
The San Diego Padres are one of the best teams in the league, but they still need to make some improvements to overtake the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League. Earlier this week, I proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. to San Diego in a blockbuster deal.
Here’s the full hypothetical deal: Padres receive: OF Luis Robert Jr. White Sox receive: LHP Kash Mayfield, SS/2B Cobb Hightower, RHP Braden Nett The key to a Padres trade this season would be finding a controllable star to acquire. San Diego is filled with players on expiring contracts, so adding another one in a trade wouldn’t make much sense. That’s why the team-controlled Robert makes sense, especially with the gaping hole left in the outfield by the departure of Jurickson Profar. The trio of prospects going back to Chicago would likely be enough to get the deal done.
Kash Mayfield is one of the higher-potential pitching prospects in baseball. The 20-year-old lefty has multiple plus offerings alongside solid command. Cobb Hightower is another 20-year-old prospect with a lot of potential. He’s yet to debut in pro ball, but his raw tools make him quite an intriguing prospect. Braden Nett has a dominant fastball with a few other quality offerings. The righty has been great during his minor league career. For the Padres, this would be the cost of doing business. Acquiring Robert would give them another star to place in the lineup alongside Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the outfield. Robert hasn’t been great this season, but a change of scenery in a winning situation could work wonders for him.
Padres are off to a hot Start; Can Tatis and Machado lead them past the Dodgers?
The San Diego Padres came out of the gates running this season. As of April 17, they sit atop the NL West with an incredible 15-4 record. The Friars have spent years in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ shadow. However, they are currently breaking free. Thanks to stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, they might surpass Los Angeles. As mentioned, the Padres have not overcome the Dodgers in recent years. Last season, for example, San Diego played terrific baseball, winning 93 games and being a Wild Card team. Unfortunately, Los Angeles won the division with 98 wins and went on to win the World Series. The Dodgers have significant star power. Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts are top-tier talents in Major League Baseball. The Friars have stars too, however, and look hungry to dethrone the champions. 2024 team record information comes from mlb.com. Through 19 games,
Fernando Tatis Jr. has been seeing the ball well. He has a .348 batting average, six home runs and 14 runs batted in. Manny Machado has also done well at the plate. He has a .324 average with two home runs and nine runs batted in. If these two can continue that level of production, the Padres should be in the mix deep into the season. The season is still young. However, the San Diego Padres have reasons to believe this year. As long as Tatis Jr. and Machado continue hitting well, they will be in every game. The question is will they have enough firepower to outlast the Los Angeles Dodgers? Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman are a hard group to contend with. However, the Padres have a shot with their roster and fans should be pleased with their team.
