The San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a trade that will send two established Major League starters from one coast and one league to another.
The Padres have agreed to a deal to acquire Rays outfielder Tommy Pham in exchange for outfielder Hunter Renfroe and second base prospect Xavier Edwards.
San Diego’s latest trade is one of many moves that they have made this offseason in an attempt to be competitive in the 2020 season. Pham will certainly help them, as he has been one of the more productive players at his position in recent years.
The outfielder, who primarily played in left field for Tampa in 2019, put up a strong season with a .273 batting average and a .369 on-base percentage along with 21 home runs. He will help improve a Padres offense that has struggled to get on base.
On the other hand, Tampa acquired a talented outfielder in Hunter Renfroe that has shown big power but limited on-base skills. The 27-year-old has blasted 89 homers in 3 seasons, but only owns a .235 average and a sub-.300 OBP.
Xavier Edwards, the prospect acquired by Tampa in the trade, is considered to be one of the top second base prospects in all of baseball. He could be the difference-maker in this deal.
This is an interesting deal that could end up benefiting both franchises in the long run.
