PADS LAND OF MYERS IN 3-TEAM BLOCKBUSTER
In a three-team trade, the San Diego Padres acquired outfielder Wil Myers, catcher Ryan Hanigan and pitchers Jose Castillo and Gerardo Reyes from the Tampa Bay Rays; Tampa Bay acquired outfielder Steven Souza and pitcher Travis Ott from the Washington Nationals, and catcher Rene Rivera, pitcher Burch Smith and first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers from the Padres, and Washington acquired pitcher Joe Ross and a player to be named later from the Padres.
What does it give the San Diego Padres
Whoa! This deal had been rumored for a while, but now it's complete. In Myers, the Padres land a massive talent who has just scratched the surface on his potential. He's expected to take over in right field in a brand new outfield in San Diego (with {P Justin Upton} in left field and {P Matt Kemp} in center field). They all hit right-handed and all three hit with power, but the Padres play half their games in a pitchers' park. So, this is an interesting experiment by San Diego General Manager A.J. Preller. The Pads also landed a pair of very young arms in Castillo and Reyes, while Hanigan was acquired to be moved quickly to Beantown in a proposed deal for third baseman {P Will Middlebrooks}.
What does it give the Tampa Bay Rays
The key to the deal for the Rays is Souza, a talented outfielder expected to replace Myers in right field in Tampa Bay. He is a better athlete (arguably), but might not have Myers' power potential. Rivera should become the team's new starting catcher, replacing Hanigan. He's a similar player, with defense being his strong suit. Ott has a high ceiling but is several years away, while Smith could become a factor for the Rays as early as 2015--either as a starter or reliever. Bauers is a limited talent.
What does it give the
For the Nationals, the player to be named later will be the key here. It's expected to be shortstop prospect {P Trea Turner}, San Diego's first-round pick in 2014--who cannot officially be traded just yet. They also get Ross, a solid pitching prospect who will help replace Ott in the Nationals system. By adding Turner, Washington gets some long-range insurance at the shortstop position in case they are forced to trade {P Ian Desmond} (a potential free agent after 2015).
Fantasy impact
For now, Myers' fantasy value remains the same (though he needs to adjust to the National League and his new ball park). He's simply too good of a prospect to be held back much longer. Souza, however, could be the big winner after this massive trade--since he was stuck behind {P Jayson Werth} in D.C. Souza could bust out in 2015. Hanigan and Rivera have very limited fantasy value, regardless of where they play. Smith has some sleeper appeal for '15 with a team that knows how to develop pitchers (Tampa Bay). Ott, Ross, Castillo and Reyes are all on the radar now as long-range pitching prospects, while Bauers is rather limited in terms of fantasy prospects.
