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The San Diego Padres are loaded with talent, but a lot of their talented players are on expiring contracts, including their best two pitchers, Dylan Cease and Michael King.
Earlier this week, I proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Cincinnati Reds’ young, controllable pitcher, Andrew Abbott, to the Padres in exchange for a loaded haul of prospects.
Here are the full details of the hypothetical trade:
- Padres receive: LHP Andrew Abbott
- Reds receive: LHP Boston Bateman, OF Tirso Ornelas, RHP Ryan Bergert
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Boston Bateman, 19, is one of the highest-potential pitching prospects in the game. He stands at a staggering 6-foot-8 and has looked pretty solid during his first few starts of professional baseball this season. For the Reds to give up a potential star like Abbott, they would need to land a potential star like Bateman as the headliner.
Tirso Ornelas, 25, is a big league-ready outfielder that the Reds could use in Cincinnati right now. He would compete for at-bats in the Queen City as early as he could get there if this deal came to fruition.
Ryan Bergert, 25, is more of a depth option for the Reds. Cincinnati couldn’t justify trading Abbott without adding another big league-caliber pitcher.
The Padres wouldn’t be happy with losing this package of prospects, but Abbott would be worth it. On Friday night, the lefty looked as dominant as ever as he struck out 11 hitters over six innings to move to 2-0 on the season.
With Cease and King likely headed for free agency in a few months, it’s never too early for the Padres to look for controllable pitchers in the rotation.
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