The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reported Thursday that the Padres have had trade talks with the Boston Red Sox for All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts. Betts has only one year left on his contract before he hits free agency.
The Padres would most likely be giving up a few prospects not named MacKenzie Gore, Luis Patino or CJ Abrams in a deal. Here are some of the pros and cons of a possible Mookie Betts trade.
Pros:
Another superstar addition: If the trade were to be completed, the Padres would add yet another superstar talent to go along with Machado and an up-and-coming superstar in Fernando Tatis Jr. A possible lineup that consists of Tatis, Pham, Betts, Machado and Hosmer would be something that opposing pitchers would dread. For a team that hasn’t made a single playoffs since 2006, and hasn’t finished top two in the division since 2010, adding more All-Star talent would be something to help them finally make the playoffs in 2020 and would help draw even more fans into the ballpark.
Losing Wil Myers’ contract: Well, probably not all of his contract. Myers is supposed to make $22.5-million each year for the next three years. To make a trade happen San Diego would still probably have to pay a lot of that contract, but still, any sort of cap relief from a guy who does not have as a part of the future in San Diego would be beneficial. They have been trying to get rid of Myers all winter, and it would be a perfect opportunity to do so.
Cons:
Trading for a one-year rental: The big argument against trying to acquire Betts would be that he would only be in brown and gold for the 2020 season, and it would cost major parts of the farm system. Now, signing Betts in free agency would be a possibility, but then that would require San Diego to hand out another gigantic 10 year contract, which most likely won’t happen.
Pitching is more of a priority: While Betts would be a great luxury to have, rather than trading the No. 1 farm system for one-year hitters, the Padres should be using it on improving the pitching staff. Going out and getting a quality top-of-the-rotation starter is definitely a higher priority than getting Mookie Betts for one season.