Rays Trade Wil Myers in 3-Team Blockbuster

By on December 17, 2014

 

When word broke of the Rays and Padres working on a “blockbuster” deal.

Many wondered why the Rays would be giving up such a young star; one who is under team control until 2019. That question will probably go without an answer. We are left to analyze the trade ourselves. When the ink dries, the details are as follows;

raysRays get:
OF Steven Souza, from Nationals
P Travis Ott, from Nationals
C Rene Rivera, from Padres
P Burch Smith, from Padres
1B Jake Bauers, from Padres

Padrpadreses get:
OF Wil Myers, from Rays
C Ryan Hanigan, from Rays
P Jose Castillo, from Rays
P Gerardo Reyes, from Rays

natsNationals get:
P Joe Ross, from Padres
SS Trea Turner, from Padres

 

 

I’m going to focus on the big piece for each team, let’s start with the Rays. On the surface it seems odd that a team would trade a player who had already won ROY, and was under control through the 2019 season. That said, with the recent destruction of the organization, do you really think that the team will field a contender between 2015-2019? If the answer to that question is no; it looks like this was a smart move. It may not be the best baseball move but it certain seems like a good business move. Steven Souza was the #5 prospect in the Nationals organization and is widely remembered as the guy who preserved the Jordan Zimmerman no-hitter last season. His diving catch with two outs in the bottom of the ninth gave Zimmerman the first no-hitter in Nationals history. While he did make his MLB debut in 2014, Souza barely had enough time to add cream and sugar to that cup-of-coffee. He totaled just 26 plate appearances. The 407 plate appearances at Triple-A Syracuse show that Souza may be primed for a breakout in 2015. His .350AVE–18HR–75RBI–26SB, suggest that he could be as good, if not better than the departed Myers.

Wil Myers hit the big-league scene in 2013 after being traded from Kansas City. His ability to make contact took the league by storm. In 88 games he compiled an award winning stat line. His .293AVE–13HR–53RBI were enough to give him 77% of the first place votes en route to the 2013 AL ROY award. Things did not go so well in 2014. Sure the wrist injury derailed his production from June forward. However, his pre-injury numbers were the biggest red flag. Batting just .227 in 53 games, totaling five homeruns and 25 runs-batted-in was not the encore we expected. Myers will have to regain his 2013 form, or at least most of it, if the Padres are going to appreciate making this trade.

The Nationals were able to pluck two top prospects from the Padres. Trea Turner was the #5 prospect in the San Diego organization and he looks like he may be the shortstop of the future in DC. Ian Desmond is entering his contract year and has already turned down an offer to return to DC. He will almost certainly test the free agent market, thus eliminating the chance of a return to DC in 2016. If that is in fact the case, the Nats will need to find some offensive production from other positions. Turner can not be looked upon to carry an offensive load. His .323 average in 69 minor league games shows that he has the ability to hit. However he projects more as a defensive asset up the middle. The Nats should be happy to get a .270AVE–7HR–60RBI from Turner.

 

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