The San Diego Padres continue a busy off-season by trading for Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove.
Musgrove, a 28-year-old man who posted an ERA of 3.86 for the Low Pirates in 2020, is on his way to San Diego in a three-team trade that will include a package of prospects, including fielder Hudson Head for the Pirates, reports Jeff Passan, ESPN. . Meanwhile, it the Mets will buy left-wing starter Joey Lucchesi from San Diego, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee.
The San Diego Padres agree on a deal with the acquisition of right-hander Joe Musgrove of the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources told ESPN.
– Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) 18 January 2021
The Padres have just acquired Blake Snell and Yu Darvish out of season to complement their starting rotation.
Musgrove is a more supportive cast for their star-level talent, but he represents the depth the Padres need to compete with the popular Los Angeles Dodgers. His results tended to be rather rather excellent, but he achieved a best pass rate of 33.1 percent in 2020, possibly indicating the breakout potential.
As the Padres still have weapons stockpiles, the agreement does raise questions about Dinelson Lamet’s health. He was the rising champion of the Padres in 2020, but missed the playoffs with an injury.
For the Pirates, consider this move a new branch in the Gerrit Cole trading boom. Musgrove spent three seasons in Pittsburgh after entering into the deal in which Cole made his transformative move to the Houston Astros.
Head, the leading prospect of returning to the Pirates, is a highly regarded 19-year-old center-back prospect who has earned MLB Pipeline seventh place in a loaded San Diego system. The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reports left-handed pitcher Omar Cruz is also on his way to the Pirates. They apparently also get the prospect Endy Rodriguez, the prospect no. 14 Mets, because Lucchesi ends up in New York as a rotation option.
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