Padres Land Two Aces and Potential Hitting Superstar
December 27th and 28th, 2020 will go down as one of the biggest days in San Diego Padres history! On the 27th, the Tampa Bay Rays traded Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres. Going into Monday the 28th, the Padres still were not done. Early Monday, they signed KBO hitting superstar, Kim Ha-Seong. Later that day, the Padres made another trade but this time with the Chicago Cubs, acquiring Yu Darvish. Two historic days for the San Diego Padres might make them better than their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and can make them legit World Series contenders.
After surprisingly getting pulled in game 6 of the World Series after only just 73 pitches, the Cy Young award winner, Blake Snell, was traded to the Friars for a top pitching prospect, Luis Patino, catchers Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt, as well as pitching prospect Cole Wilcox. From 2018-2020, Blake Snell posted an ERA of a 2.85, with a K/9 of 11.49 atop 431 total strikeouts. His FIP during this time was 3.27, along with a BB (base on balls) percentage of 9.1 while letting up 40 home runs. Snell was a Cy Young award winner in 2018 and was also an All-Star in 2018, so to say the Padres have added a nice, new ace would be an understatement.
One of the more unexpected deals happened earlier Monday when Kim Ha-Seong also signed with the San Diego Padres; Ha-Seong can play shortstop and third base. With Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado playing those positions, he will most likely play second base; this will move Jake Cronenworth to the outfield. Breaking out in 2015, Kim Ha- Seong hit 133 home runs with 575 RBIs. He also had an OPS of .866, SLG of .493, and 940 total hits. He is also a decent base runner with 134 steals. He had a wRC of 84, wRC+ of 114, and a wOBA of .315. The Padres picked up a decent bat with a lot of potential, but will Ha-Seong live up to his potential in the MLB?
With the last move of the Padres' historic two day period, they made a trade to acquire right handed pitcher, Yu Darvish, and catcher, Victor Caratini, from the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Zach Davies, prospects Reginald Preciado, Owen Caissie, Yeison Santana, and Ismael Mena. Yu Darvish took the MLB by surprise in 2012 with almost 1,400 strikeouts, 71 wins career wins, and a 3.47 career ERA, taking two no hitters into the 9th inning, and being a fan favorite. Yu Darvish has been one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball to say the least. The Padres have added yet another ace to their team and another piece to their 2021 World Series contending roster.
With 3 key acquisitions, the Padres will be both a fun and young team to watch in 2021. Playoff success is indeed in the future for the Padres as they have built a World Series contending team from my perspective. Will the San Diego Padres win the National League West? Time will tell, but do not be surprised if they do!