ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 27: Blake Snell #4 of the Tampa Bay Rays walks back to the dugout during Game 6 of the 2020 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The last time the Padres were on a baseball field, they lost to the Dodgers in the playoffs. The last time Blake Snell was on a baseball field, he was beating the Dodgers in the playoffs but got pulled early and Tampa Bay ended up losing the game.
It's looking like the next time both the Padres and Blake Snell will be on a baseball field they'll be in the same uniforms trying to beat the Dodgers.
According to multiple published reports, the Padres are finalizing a trade to bring Snell to San Diego. Snell, the 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner, is entering his age-28 season and has three years with a very affordable $39 million left on his contract.
But the price will not be cheap.
San Diego is reportedly sending back a group of three or four prospects, including promising young right-handed pitcher Luis Patino and catcher Francisco Mejia. Patino is just 21 years old and one of the top pitching prospects in MLB.
If all the physicals come back clean (and nobody gets cold feet) then the Padres will add Snell, one of the most dominant left-handed starters in the game, to a team that finished with the 3rd-best record in the National League in a breakout 2020 season. Snell fills a giant hole in the starting rotation that was left when Mike Clevinger underwent elbow reconstruction surgery.
If this move gets done the Padres will be considered in the baseball world one of the few legitimate threats to the Dodgers National League dominance in 2021 and beyond.
