Padres General Manager A.J. Preller continued reshaping his roster with another trade on Tuesday. The Friars sent 2nd baseman Jedd Gyorko to the Cardinals for outfielder Jon Jay and some cash.
Gyorko has been maddeningly inconsistent as a Padre. After raising hopes with 23 home runs as a rookie in 2013 Jedd got a big contract from former GM Josh Byrnes but had a terrible second year, partially because of a foot injury.
He started slowly in year three but came on strong after the All-Star break, driving in 43 runs in 70 games, again making Padres fans wonder what kind of player Gyorko really is. The Padres didn't want to wait to find out. He's due $33 million over the next four seasons. It's likely Cory Spangenberg will be given the first shot at being the every day 2nd baseman.
In return the Padres get an outfielder with a solid left-handed bat and great range in centerfield, a prerequisite for success at Petco Park. Between 2011 and 2014 Jay had the 3rd-best CF zone rating in baseball, trailing just Carlos Gomez and one Mike Trout. Basically he's really good at covering a lot of ground on defense, which saves a lot of runs, which was a big problem for the Friars in 2015.
He's also a career .287 hitter, a mark that was up around .300 before last year when injuries held Jay to just 79 games and hampered his performance. He has one year left on his contract, which gives him a little more than $6 million in 2016. He'll be a free agent next winter. Jay can also play both corner outfield spots and is a good indication that Wil Myers is now San Diego's every day 1st baseman.
Since taking over as Padres GM 16 months ago Preller has done a complete makeover, turning over nearly 75% on the team's 40-man roster ... and don't think for one second he's done.
