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 right now with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune suggesting that the membership is wherever from actively “making an attempt to unload” the right-hander to merely “open to provides” on him. This night, The Athletic’s Dennis Lin characterised the scenario barely in a different way, reporting that the membership is “not less than exploring” Stop’s commerce worth but additionally cautioning that San Diego “prefers” to maintain Stop within the fold and a commerce isn’t thought of seemingly 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 initiatives to characteristic prominently alongside Yu Darvish and Michael King can be a considerable hit to an already skinny rotation combine, after all, 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 studies 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 seemingly look to flip these gamers to land different rotation items.
Given the membership’s rotation wants, it might elevate some eyebrows that the membership might 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 capacity to maintain Stop in San Diego long-term. Whereas Lin notes the membership nonetheless “harbors some hope” that they are able to prolong King earlier than he reaches free company subsequent winter, they imagine they don’t have any such likelihood of having the ability to afford Stop following the 2025 marketing campaign, when MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz initiatives him to make $13.7MM in his ultimate journey by means of arbitration.
If Stop have been to be traded for younger expertise, that $13.7MM could possibly 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 aid could possibly be an enormous boon to the Padres, it’s not an particularly cumbersome determine general. For that motive, Lin means that Stop might 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, at the same time as Stop isn’t almost 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 right now 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 high of their rotation, and after the membership fell brief within the pursuit of southpaw Max Fried right now their curiosity in understanding a deal to accumulate Stop has absolutely solely grown. The Crimson Sox at present appear centered on courting right-hander Corbin Burnes as they seek for top-of-the-rotation assist, however the potential of the membership wanting 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 high prospects of their system, although the likes of Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell are usually thought of to be untouchable in commerce discussions. Catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Wilyer Abreu, or maybe even right-hander Garrett Whitlock can be excellent matches San Diego’s wants, although it’s unclear if the Crimson Sox can be keen to half methods with any of these gamers in a deal for a rental piece like Stop. Whereas Abreu particularly has been floated steadily as a possible commerce candidate this winter, these rumors have sometimes tended to border Abreu because the headliner for a bundle that may land a controllable piece like White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet slightly than for a rental arm like Stop.
