Reviewing the Blake Snell trade

Let's look back at what the Padres gave up for Blake Snell to see if it is a deal the team should regret making.

Every so often, I like to go back to trades the Padres have made and review them. Of course, we talk about the trade when it happens but after that it tends to leave our memory and we just focus on the performance of whomever is on the Padres.

So, on the heels of yet another wobbly Blake Snell start where he seemed to have all the stuff needed for a good outing but couldn’t get out of his own way, let’s look back at the deal that brought the former AL Cy Young winner to San Diego.

Padres got:
Blake Snell

Rays got:
Luis Patiño
Francisco Mejía
Cole Wilcox
Blake Hunt

Let’s start with the prospects. Cole Wilcox never even threw a pitch in the Padres organization, as far as I can tell. He was traded after being drafted, after two years of college, and is putting up good numbers for Tampa Bay’s single-A affiliate. He’s a reason to look back at this trade again in 3-4 years, but not someone the Padres need to be concerned with losing.

Blake Hunt is a catcher in double-A right now who can’t seem to hit a lick.

Mejía split time at catcher and DH for the Rays last season and posted his best year ever, but with an OPS+ of 108 and an fWAR of 1.4, he was just a little above average. Not really a superstar hitter, which is what the Padres were hoping to get when they originally traded Brad Hand to get him. This year his fWAR is -0.1 and his OPS+ is 83. He wouldn’t be solving much for the Padres offense if he were still here.

Patiño was the big get for Tampa. Their hope was that the young pitcher could some day turn into someone as effective as Blake Snell had been for them, and he would be cheaper for a time, as well. So, before I compared Blake Snell to a couple of other guys, let’s compare him to Patiño since the trade happened.

Snell: 31 starts, 7-9, 4.39 ERA, 147.2 IP, 89 ERA+, 3.84 FIP, 1.327 WHIP
Patiño: 20 appearances (16 starts), 5-4, 4.38 ERA, 78.0 IP, 91 ERA+, 4.50 FIP, 1.269 WHIP

On its face, this feels like a win for the Padres. Patiño has missed more time than Snell, including this season, and hasn’t been any more effective. The Padres got more innings and starts from Snell, which was vitally important last season when they didn’t have nearly enough pitching.

Now, it was a salary dump for the Rays, and the Padres have paid a lot more for this performance from Snell than they would’ve for Patiño. At this moment, this trade is probably a push for both sides.