The San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays took a blowtorch to the freezing cold MLB hot stove.
Former American League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell has been traded from the Rays to the Padres for a four-player package headlined by top pitching prospect Luis Patino, The Athletic's Dennis Lin, Ken Rosenthal and Josh Tolentino first reported Sunday night, citing sources.
Tampa Bay reportedly also will acquire 25-year-old catcher Francisco Mejia, pitching prospect Cole Wilcox and catching prospect Blake Hunt.
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SIGN UP HERE For the Padres, this is another huge move as they try to avenge their National League Division Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Snell and ace Dinelson Lamet will form a potent 1-2 punch atop their rotation. Once Mike Clevinger returns from Tommy John surgery in 2022, the Padres will have three top pitchers who can match up against any other contender.
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In 11 starts during the shortened 60-game 2020 season, Snell posted a 3.24 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 50 innings. In the World Series against the Dodgers, he was stellar, allowing just three earned runs in 10 innings while striking out 18.
San Francisco Giants
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The Giants, who finished a surprising third in the NL West in 2020, just witnessed the gap between them and the two best teams in the division widen.
While the Giants retained Kevin Gausman and signed Anthony Desclafani, their rotation still pales in comparison to those of the Padres and Dodgers.
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The Giants might be competitive in the NL West in 2021, but with the Padres featuring Snell and Lamet, and the Dodgers headlined by Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias, it's hard to see San Francisco finishing ahead of either of those teams.