Home » A Closer Look at the Three-Way Trade Between the Padres, Pirates and Mets

A Closer Look at the Three-Way Trade Between the Padres, Pirates and Mets

Publish Date: January 20, 2021

In a huge development, the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets finalized a three-way trade Tuesday afternoon. The Padres will gain right-handed starter Joe Musgrove in exchange for sending righty reliever David Bednar and prospects Hudson Head, Omar Cruz and Drake Fellows to the Pirates. The Mets will be sending Endy Rodriguez to the Pirates in return for lefty starter Joey Lucchesi from the Padres. With seven players being moved in this deal, each team looks to benefit greatly from the trade.

The Best Gets Better

The Padres are continuing to reinforce one of baseball’s best rotations. Musgrove, 28, looks to be slotting in as a solid back-end starter. He is currently only signed for one year at $4.45 million, but is arbitration eligible in 2022.

Musgrove is coming off an excellent 2020 campaign. Though he made just eight starts, he set career bests in ERA (3.86), ERA+ (116), FIP (3.42), and K/9 (12.5). Musgrove owes much of this success to his newfound trust in his curveball. Throwing it 20% of the time in 2020, it played a key role in increasing his K/9 by over four points. Overall, through five seasons with the Houston Astros and Pirates, Musgrove owns 4.33 ERA across 83 starts and 108 appearances.

Musgrove is joining a rotation headlined by fellow trade acquisitions Yu Darvish (3.47 Career ERA) and Blake Snell (3.24). Their starting five also includes youngsters Dinelson Lamet (3.76) and Chris Paddack (3.74). Mike Clevinger (3.19) also looks to rejoin this deadly rotation once he returns from Tommy John surgery in 2022. With a combined five All-Star appearances, five top-10 Cy Young finishes and one AL Cy Young win (Snell), this may just be the best rotation in all of baseball.

Shoring Up the Rotation

The Mets also gain a valuable back-end starter in Lucchesi. Set to become a free agent in 2025, Lucchesi has the potential to be a cheap and dependable fixture in the pitching staff for years to come.

Joey Lucchesi joins the Mets

Image Courtesy of FanSided

With the fifth spot in their starting rotation still open, the Mets will likely have a training camp battle between Lucchesi, Steven Matz and Seth Lugo over the last spot. In addition to being the youngest of the three, he has less wear on his arm than his oft-injured counterparts. Lucchesi also comes equipped with his own unique pitch: the “churve.” Essentially a hybrid between a change-up and a slider, the combination of the confusing pitching motion and unpredictable movement of the pitch leave both righties and lefties baffled at the plate.

Though he only made two starts and one relief appearance last year, accumulating a dreadful 7.94 ERA, Lucchesi was decent in his first two seasons. With a 4.14 ERA across 56 starts from 2018-19, the Mets hope the 27-year-old lefty can have a bounce-back season in 2021.

Building Towards the Future

Still in the midst of a full rebuild, the Pirates are banking on long-term success with this move.

Bednar, 26, is the lone major leaguer in the Pirates’ haul. Despite posting a 6.75 ERA in just 17 career relief appearances, he may still develop into a decent fixture in the Pirates bullpen.

As for the prospects, Head is a highly athletic, 19-year-old outfielder with elite bat speed. He made headlines in 2019 for earning the highest signing bonus ($3 million) of any third-round pick in history. That alone speaks volumes to his amazing potential. He placed seventh on the Padres prospect rankings.

Cruz, meanwhile, ranked 17th in the Padres farm system. The 21-year-old profiles as a promising back-end starter with a low-90s fastball and solid breaking stuff. Through 22 starts across three minor league levels, Cruz owns a 2.38 ERA.

Fellows, 22, is the wildcard of this trade. He is unranked due to a lack of proper evaluation stemming from the elimination of the 2020 minor league season. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, the right-handed pitcher does show a lot of promise. Like Cruz, Fellows has decent breaking stuff, namely his low-80s slider, and a low-90s fastball that has shown the potential to increase to the mid-90s.

Lastly, the 20-year-old Rodriguez was the Mets’ 14th ranked prospect. What makes him special is his ability to play both catcher and the outfield. He is incredibly athletic and quick for a catcher and has good arm strength, hence why he has seen time as a corner outfielder. That said, the Mets mostly used him as a catcher during his brief stint with the organization. Further increasing Rodriguez’s versatility is the fact that he is a high-contact switch hitter with the potential for increased power should he continue to develop.

 

Featured Image Courtesy of Getty Images

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers like Zach!

‘From our Haus to yours’

Leave A Reply

* required
Read Also
Reds Win Series Against Padres
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Padres 4-3 on Sunday to clinch their ...
MLB Power Rankings June 19
Every week MLB teams will be ranked for the rest of the ...
MLB Power Rankings June 12
Every week MLB teams will be ranked for the rest of the ...
MLB Power Rankings: June 5
Every week MLB teams will be ranked for the rest of the ...
MLB Power Rankings – May 29
Every week MLB teams will be ranked for the rest of the ...
The Game Haus aims to bring unbiased, factually sound opinions to audiences across a range of mediums that are not readily accessible in the day-to-day media outlets. We cover the latest news in Gaming, Call of Duty, CS:GO, League of Legends, Dota 2, Fighting Games, NBA 2K, Halo, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Pokemon, Rocket League, Smite, Starcraft II, Fantasy Sports, MLS, EPL, MLB, NASCAR, NBA, NCAAB, NCAAF, NFL, NHL, and PGA.


Next to our unbiased coverage for esports and sports, have a look at our iGaming content. If you are looking for the most recommended Esports Betting Sites or Best Sports Betting Sites, look no further. We also cover the Best Sweepstakes Casinos in our free 2 play section and have a closer look at the Best DFS Sites out there. If you are looking for some real money options, check how we ranked the Best Online Casinos.


Follow us on Social Media for updates!
Sports: Facebook | Twitter
Esports: Facebook | Twitter

Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.

×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Play now