On Monday, Wil Myers became the 2nd player in San Diego Padres history to hit for the cycle. This continues Myers hot start to the 2017 season, hitting .382 AVG with 3 HR and 7 RBI. Coming off his all-star season in 2016, Myers is finally turning into the baseball player that everyone expected of him when he won Rookie of the Year in 2013.
What were the Tampa Bay Rays thinking when they traded Myers? He was a former Minor League Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and top organizational prospect. He had one bad year in 2014 where in 87 games he hit .222 AVG with 6 HR and 35 RBI. The next season, he was sold low and shipped in a package to the Padres in a three team trade that sent Jake Bauers, Rene Rivera, Burch Smith, Steve Souza and Travis Ott to the Rays. It might have been a much needed change of scene for Myers or poor communication with the front office, but this trade doesn’t look to favor the Rays as of now. Let’s dig deeper into the trade.
Rene Rivera has played for 5 teams in his 9 year MLB career, hitting .214 AVG. He played one season with the Rays where he hit .178 in 110 games.
Burch Smith has pitched in the majors since 2013.
Jake Bauers might be a glimmering of hope in this trade. He is currently in AAA, but last year he hit .274 with 14 and 78 RBI in 135 games. We will have to wait and see if Bauers can transfer his game to the MLB.
Travis Ott posted a 1.06 ERA in low A last year. He will start the season in A ball. A lot still remains unseen with Ott.
Steve Souza has been the only player in this trade to perform at the highest level for the Rays. He has hit .241 AVG in 238 games with the Rays, which has generated a 2.4 WAR.
Wil Myers was an all-star for San Diego last year and finished the year with a 3.2 WAR. As stated before, Myers if off to hot start, and at just 26 years old, he has a long career ahead of him.
When breaking down this trade, it seems as though the Rays are the losers. Myers looks to perform for the Padres for many years to come, while the package of the players that were sent to the Rays have yet to perform. Bauers and Ott will have to exceed expectations in order to see a dash of return in this trade for the Rays.
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