Because the Padres face payroll constraints amid an offseason the place beginning pitching has been at a premium, the potential of San Diego fielding curiosity on right-hander Dylan Stop emerged earlier at present with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune suggesting that the membership is anyplace from actively “attempting to unload” the right-hander to merely “open to presents” on him. This night, The Athletic’s Dennis Lin characterised the state of affairs barely otherwise, reporting that the membership is “at the very least exploring” Stop’s commerce worth but in addition cautioning that San Diego “prefers” to maintain Stop within the fold and a commerce shouldn’t be thought-about probably at the moment.
The Padres have loads of wants this winter, together with assist in the outfield, beginning rotation, and behind the plate. Dealing Stop from a 2025 rotation the place he tasks to function prominently alongside Yu Darvish and Michael King could be a considerable hit to an already skinny rotation combine, in fact, even with with Matt Waldron, Randy Vasquez, Adrian Morejon, Bryan Hoeing, and Stephen Kolek as potential back-end choices obtainable internally. It’s for that motive Lin stories the membership would search “a number of controllable gamers,” together with “a number of” beginning pitchers. If San Diego have been unable to safe sufficient rotation assist from a Stop commerce, Lin provides, then they’d probably look to flip these gamers to land different rotation items.
Given the membership’s rotation wants, it could elevate some eyebrows that the membership may contemplate buying and selling Stop even when they don’t obtain controllable pitching in return. The logic behind that risk, per Lin, stems partly from the membership’s pessimism concerning their skill to maintain Stop in San Diego long-term. Whereas Lin notes the membership nonetheless “harbors some hope” that they can lengthen King earlier than he reaches free company subsequent winter, they consider they haven’t any such probability of having the ability to afford Stop following the 2025 marketing campaign, when MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz tasks him to make $13.7MM in his remaining journey via arbitration.
If Stop have been to be traded for younger expertise, that $13.7MM might be re-invested into the roster and doubtlessly used to a participant in free company, whether or not that be a mid-level starter like Jose Quintana or Kyle Gibson or assist in the outfield, maybe even within the type of a reunion with Jurickson Profar. A lot as that wage reduction might be an enormous boon to the Padres, it’s not an particularly cumbersome determine total. For that motive, Lin means that Stop may discover a a lot wide selection of suitors on the commerce market this winter than Juan Soto did when San Diego shopped him final yr, whilst Stop isn’t practically as impactful because the league’s newly-minted $765MM man.
Not less than one suitor for Stop’s providers has already been named, as MLB Community’s Jon Morosi reported earlier at present that the Crimson Sox are among the many groups with curiosity in Dylan Stop. Boston has lengthy been recognized to be concentrating on assist on the prime of their rotation, and after the membership fell brief within the pursuit of southpaw Max Fried at present their curiosity in figuring out a deal to accumulate Stop has absolutely solely grown. The Crimson Sox at the moment appear centered on courting right-hander Corbin Burnes as they seek for top-of-the-rotation assist, however the potential of the membership trying so as to add two front-end starters this winter has been bandied about at instances all through the offseason so even touchdown a participant of that caliber wouldn’t essentially preclude a deal from going down.
The Crimson Sox have a tantalizing cachet of prime prospects of their system, although the likes of Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell are typically thought-about to be untouchable in commerce discussions. Catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Wilyer Abreu, or maybe even right-hander Garrett Whitlock could be good matches San Diego’s wants, although it’s unclear if the Crimson Sox could be prepared to half methods with any of these gamers in a deal for a rental piece like Stop. Whereas Abreu particularly has been floated continuously as a possible commerce candidate this winter, these rumors have sometimes tended to border Abreu because the headliner for a package deal that may land a controllable piece like White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet fairly than for a rental arm like Stop.
