Padres Acquire Blake Snell and Yu Darvish

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Sunday Night, the Tampa Bay Rays traded Blake Snell, their ace to the San Diego Padres. Snell, 28 is a former Cy Young Award Winner and has the potential to be a top Starting Pitcher in baseball. Snell has three years left on his contract and will be a key part of the Padres success going forward over the next three seasons. The Padres traded their #3 prospect according to MLB.com, Starting Pitcher Luis Patino. Patino is a top prospect in the Padres system, which is one of the best in baseball. Patino is an extremely good Right Handing Pitching Prospect, now in the Rays system who is ready to produce in the major leagues next year in 2021. Former Indians Catching Prospect Francisco Mejia also was traded to the Padres, along with Padres #7 Prospect Outfielder Cole Wilcox and #14 Prospect Catcher Blake Hunt.

Less then 24 Hours after Snell's trade, the Padres made another splash on trade market and acquired for the Cubs' ace Yu Darvish, along with backup catcher Victor Caratini. Darvish, 34 finished second in the NL Cy Young Race in 2020 to the Reds' Trevor Bauer, who was targeted by the Padres on the Free Agent Market. Darvish is a borderline top ten Starting Pitcher in baseball, who I my frequently updated list falls just below the tenth position on my list. In this trade, the Padres traded former Brewers Strarting Pitcher Zach Davies who had a very strong year in 2020, along with four prospects. Padres #13 Prospect Outfielder Owen Caissie, #15 Prospect Ismael Mena, #11 Prospect Reginald Preciado, and #16 Prospect Yeison Santana were the prospects traded to the Cubs.

What This Means For The Padres

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The San Diego Padres are an upcoming team in baseball that has a lot of promise. The Padres were the second best team in the National League in 2020 and stunned everyone in the game. The Padres beat the Cardinals in the NLWC, but were then swept by the rival Dodgers in the NLDS, who went on to win the World Series in 2020. The Padres have a great roster with star players like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. The Padres pitching was a little shaky in 2020 which improved when they traded for Indians' Star Pitcher Mike Clevinger. Then, Clevinger underwent Tommy John Surgery and will be out for the entirety of the 2021 Season which severly weakened San Diego's Rotation.

The Padres have traded for Rays' Star Starting Pitcher Blake Snell, who will be a perfect fit in San Diego. The Padres have a deep farm system with many prospects that are not ready for the majors and others who are unproven. The Padres traded for Snell and gave up a few key prospects to get the deal done. The Darvish trade was even better for the Padres as they did not give up a top ten prospect in the trade. Darvish is a proven winner that will succeed in San Diego. The Padres will contend in the NL West in 2021 and could rival the Dodgers' powerhouse. The Padres still have some needs to fill, notable in their bullpen, but are one of the best teams in baseball and will prove that once again in 2021.

What This Means For The Rays

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The Tampa Bay Rays are a top team in baseball and has made the playoffs for two straight seasons. In 2019, the Rays finished with the second Wild Card and beat the Athletics in the Wild Card, and then fell to the Astros in the ALDS. The Rays in 2020 were even better and finished with the best record in the American League. The Rays beat the Blue Jays in the ALWS, Yankees in the ALDS, and the Astros in the ALCS to advance to the World Series. The Rays failed to beat the Dodgers in the fall classic. The Rays are one of the best teams in baseball which is why this move on the surface doesn't make much sense. Many are wondering why the Rays would trade Snell when they will contend in 2021 and this move will severly weaken their team.

The Rays are still a very good team without Snell, in part due to the moves Tampa makes and their front office. The Rays are the king of analytics and uses the strategy that was made famous by the Oakland Athletics and in the film "Moneyball." The Rays get the most out of all of their players and love to trade for cheap players and trade some of their players when their value is high like Tommy Pham and Emilio Pagan, last offseason. The Rays will be just fine without Snell and will find a way to win games. The Rays might not win the AL East in 2021 with the Yankees and Blue Jays in their division, but will continue to be a powerhouse in baseball.

What This Means For The Cubs

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The Chicago Cubs for the last few years have been a powerhouse in baseball and won the World Series in 2016. The Cubs made the playoffs for four straight seasons from 2015 to 2018, and once again made the playoffs this past season in 2020 by winning the NL Central division title. The Cubs failed to make it past the NLWC in 2020 as they were swept by the Marlins. The Cubs also are one year away from their main core being dismantled, as Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez are all free agents after the 2021 Season. The Cubs are going to begin their rebuild this offseason as they have already traded their ace, Yu Darvish and let Kyle Schwarber leave by non-tendering his contract.

The Cubs right now are mediocre but still can compete in 2021 in the weakest division in baseball, the NL Central where every team is also mediocre, except for the Pirates who are arguably the world team in baseball. The Cubs still have their three best hitters on their team: Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez on their team, and might be able to contend this year. The Cubs are a very interesting team because they are niether a contender in the National League, or a very bad team. They are in the middle and are simply mediocre.

What This Means For The Rest Of Baseball

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This trade will have a huge effect on the rest of baseball, including many teams and players all around the game.

First, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are the best team in baseball and this trade will not change this. The Dodgers are still the favorite to win the NL West in 2021 and years beyond. However, the Padres are coming for the Dodgers and are a real contender in the NL West, National League, and among every team in baseball. The NL West will be very interesting in 2021 and for years to come between the Dodgers and Padres.

Next, the AL East (Yankees and Blue Jays). Both New York and Toronto are very good in different ways. The Yankees are a powerhouse as they have been for years and since the beginning of baseball. The Blue Jays are an upcoming team, similar to the Padres that has many key stars and will improve in 2021. This trade ultimately will help both New York and Toronto, as Tampa will get worse in 2021. However, the Rays will still be a contender in 2021 and the AL East will remain one of the most competitive division in baseball. The division is wide open and is anyone's game.

Third, the NL Central. We already knew that the NL Central was wide open and a huge question mark. Every team in the division with the except of the Pirates is mediocre at best. No team is better then the others and they are all in a very similar place. This division is very hard to predict and will be basically impossible.

Finally, the effect this trade will have on the Starting Pitching Market. This trade will have a huge effect on the market for rotation arms and might finally heat up the market. The Padres were one of the top teams in the market for Trevor Bauer are now out of it. The Mets and Angels remain the top two destinations for Bauer, though Bauer could sign elsewhere like in Toronto or San Francisco. The Starting Pitcher likely will heat up as we are approacing January which is generally when free agents sign.

Blake Snell's Trade From The Rays to the Padres stunned baseball and has had a large effect on the game. This was a blockbuster trade and it will be very interesting to see what happens next. For more, check out other articles on my website and make sure to check out other pages on my website and my Instagram account,@marksportsmlb