San Diego Padres

Before the dust settled on the 2020 MLB trade deadline, the San Diego Padres were a legitimate postseason contender.

Now, after a flurry of moves culminating on Monday, the Pads have a loftier goal: challenging the Los Angeles Dodgers for supremacy in the National League West—and the Senior Circuit as a whole.

First, to recap. In separate deals with Cleveland, the Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners, the Padres added: right-hander Mike Clevinger, outfielder Greg Allen, catcher Austin Nola, right-hander Austin Adams, right-hander Dan Altavilla, right-hander Taylor Williams, first baseman/designated hitter Mitch Moreland, catcher Jason Castro, right-hander Trevor Rosenthal and a player to be named.

The Padres surrendered some key pieces, including high-upside outfield prospect Taylor Trammell, right-hander Cal Quantrill, outfielder Edward Olivares and catcher Austin Hedges, among others.

On balance, though, they got measurably better. Enough to take aim at the mighty Dodgers? Maybe.

Entering play Monday, San Diego sat at 21-15, five games behind L.A. in the NL West but in position for the No. 4 seed in the new, expanded playoff format.

Of the Padres' 23 September games, 15 will be against the Angels, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and the Mariners, all teams with .500 or worse records. They will also play a three-game set against the Dodgers on Sept. 14-16.

It'll be an opportunity for San Diego to measure itself against what is, until further notice, the best team in baseball.

The Dodgers have MLB's best record at 26-10. They have baseball's best run differential at plus-90. Their pitching staff paces both leagues with a 2.76 ERA, and their lineup ranks fourth with an .805 OPS.

By statistics and the eyeball test, they are a deep, dangerous and complete team. So complete, in fact, that they made no major moves at the trade deadline despite rumors linking them to Texas Rangers right-hander Lance Lynn.

With the Dodgers standing pat, the Padres had a chance to close the gap—and they took it.

The most significant addition for San Diego was Clevinger, who dealt with controversy and a temporary demotion in Cleveland after violating the team's COVID-19 safety protocols and angering teammates. 

Now, the 29-year-old gets a fresh start with the Pads. Clevinger flashed ace-level stuff and results in 2019, posting a 2.71 ERA with 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 126 frames. Over 22.2 innings with Cleveland this season, he posted a 3.18 ERA with 21 strikeouts.

He'll join a staff headlined by Dinelson Lamet (2.35 ERA, 12.0 K/9), Zach Davies (2.61 ERA, 8.1 K/9) and Chris Paddack (4.43 ERA, 8.9 K/9). Plus, the Padres managed to keep their top two pitching prospects, right-hander Luis Patino and left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Patino is already in the big leagues, and Gore could soon follow.

The Padres also shored up a bullpen that lost closer Kirby Yates to elbow surgery and entered Monday ranked 23rd with a 5.20 ERA. Rosenthal, in particular, provides San Diego with a proven late-inning arm who posted a 3.29 ERA with seven saves and 21 strikeouts in 13.2 innings for Kansas City.

Offensively, San Diego reshuffled its catching corps with the subtraction of Hedges and the additions of Castro and Nola, but the biggest bat it acquired was Moreland.

In 22 games with the Red Sox, Moreland hit .328 with a 1.177 OPS and eight home runs. He'll provide the Padres with an experienced left-handed power threat who can spell first baseman Eric Hosmer and get reps at designated hitter.

He joins an offense that already ranks No. 1 in OPS (.836) and runs scored (205) thanks to the dynamic duo of shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (13 HR, 1.052 OPS) and third baseman Manny Machado (11 HR, 1.005 OPS), as well as a deep supporting cast.

These Padres can hit. They added impact arms to the rotation and bullpen. With the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, the current leaders in the NL Central and East, and other NL contenders not doing nearly as much at the deadline, San Diego now looks like the greatest threat to the Dodgers.

Catching Los Angeles in the division in such a short time will be a tall order. But the two teams could easily collide in the postseason.

The Dodgers have the edge in postseason experience as many of the Padres' young stars such as Tatis have never been on that stage. And L.A., despite its deadline inactivity and the Padres' myriad moves, probably still has a slight edge in talent.

But the Padres and general manager A.J. Preller worked hard to narrow the gap and set up a possible Southern California showdown come playoff time. Pop your popcorn.

"We knew A.J. would be aggressive," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters. "We look forward to playing them in September and, who knows, maybe October."

San Diego was a postseason contender before it made a single trade. Now, the Dodgers are hearing footsteps.

   

All statistics current as of Monday and courtesy of Baseball Reference.

The Cleveland Indians are in the middle of the playoff race in the American League Central, but they still elected to trade one of their best starting pitchers.  

Cleveland traded Mike Clevinger to the San Diego Padres on Monday ahead of the 4 p.m. ET deadline, per longtime MLB writer Robert Murray. 

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic confirmed the news, reporting Cleveland traded Clevinger, outfielder Greg Allen and a player to be named later in exchange for outfielder Josh Naylor, pitcher Cal Quantrill, shortstop Gabriel Arias, pitcher Joey Cantillo, catcher Austin Hedges and shortstop Owen Miller.

"Super excited," Clevinger told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "Most exciting team in baseball. It's definitely kind of the place to be.''

Nightengale had reported Sunday the Indians and Chicago White Sox were "actively involved in discussions on a deal." Other teams were interested in Clevinger, per Nightengale, but the White Sox stood out since they play in the same division as Cleveland.

The report highlighted Cleveland's need for more offense in the outfield, which Rosenthal also noted when confirming the talks between the team and Chicago.

Still, moving Clevinger in the middle of a playoff race is notable considering he has been a consistent presence in the team's rotation of late. He posted a 3.11 ERA in 2017, a 3.02 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 2018 and a 2.71 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 169 strikeouts in 126 innings last year.

In four starts this year, the right-hander has a 3.18 ERA.

This is not purely a rental for San Diego as Clevinger is under contract through the 2022 season. That surely allowed the Indians to ask for more in return, both in this offer and any others they entertained.

Clevinger was also available after he was reinstated following a stint on the restricted list when he and teammate Zach Plesac violated health and safety protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 29-year-old will now look to lead San Diego (21-15) to the postseason. The Florida native will join Chris Paddack, Dinelson Lamet and Zach Davies in the Padres rotation as they attempt to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

They have a golden opportunity to do just that with a young and talented team, especially given the expanded postseason, so it comes as no surprise they were aggressive at the deadline with this move.

The Padres have been the busiest team in baseball ahead of the deadline, already adding slugger Mitch Moreland, closer Trevor Rosenthal and catchers Jason Castro and Austin Nola in multiple deals across several days.

After going 13 years without a playoff berth, San Diego is ready to make this season count.

Cleveland is giving up a key player in the rotation but adds an impressive haul in return that includes immediate contributors in Quantrill and Naylor.

Naylor has hit .278 in limited playing time for San Diego this season. He has plenty of upside and can be an immediate boost in the Indians outfield that has provided limited production in 2020. Quantrill should help strengthen the bullpen after producing a 2.60 ERA in 17.1 innings this year.

Hedges could also provide some depth at catcher, although he is mostly known for his defensive contributions.

Additionally, the Indians poach from one of the top farm systems in baseball by adding three top prospects ranked in San Diego's top 11 by MLB.com. Arias (No. 7), Cantillo (No. 9) and Miller (No. 11) could all become key parts of Cleveland's future while extending the team's window for contention.

The San Diego Padres have acquired first baseman Mitch Moreland in a trade with the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox will receive outfielder Jeisson Rosario and infielder Hudson Potts in return for the deal.

The #Padres have acquired Mitch Moreland from the Red Sox in exchange for Jeisson Rosario and Hudson Potts. Details: https://t.co/tsYyd76s9o pic.twitter.com/JMHXETMxJO

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 30, 2020

Moreland has been one of the top hitters in baseball to start the 2020 season, hitting .328 with eight home runs and 21 RBI in 22 appearances. His 1.177 OPS would rank second in the majors behind only Juan Soto if he had enough at-bats to qualify.

The 34-year-old is a .253 career hitter and never finished a season with better than a .278 batting average, while his career high in home runs in just 23, but the Padres hope his current form will continue for the shortened 60-game season.

San Diego has been aggressive ahead of Monday's deadline with Saturday's acquisition of closer Trevor Rosenthal.

The squad entered Sunday with a 20-15 record, third-best in the National League, hoping to secure a playoff appearance for the first time since 2006.

It made a match for Boston, which at 11-22 has the second-worst record in the majors.

The Red Sox added two of the Padres' top 20 prospects in Potts (No. 16) and Rosario (No. 19), per MLB.com.

Potts, 21, spent most of last season in Double-A, hitting .227 with 16 home runs in the Texas League. He played mostly third base but also spent time at second during the year.

Rosario, 20, hit .242 with a .372 on-base percentage and 11 stolen bases in Single-A during the 2019 season, spending most of his time in center field.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is making noise on the diamond with an MVP-caliber season at 21 years old.

He's also making noise in the trading card world.

A 2016 Bowman Chrome Prospects signed rookie card of the San Diego Padres star just went for $101,000 at an auction Sunday.

Per Goldin Auctions, the card had a starting bid of $15,000 and received 14 bids before the lot closed. 

Here's the official lot description: 

"Encapsulated and graded GEM MINT 9.5 by BGS, with signature graded "10" by Beckett. Rookie Card. This Bowman Chrome collectible showcases the San Diego Padres' young shortstop who has scripted a bold blue signature on the obverse. The card's BGS condition report: Centering: 9.5, Corners: 9, Edges: 10, Surface: 9.5. A logo on the card's front declares, "Certified Autograph Issue," attesting to the authenticity of the signature and serving as Topps' COA."

The card was given a 9.5/10 gem mint grade and is one of just five in the series. This card was labeled 3/5.

Tatis is in the midst of a sensational 2020 season, batting .313/.389/.696 with 12 home runs and 29 RBI. He also made national headlines by breaking one of baseball's unwritten rules in hitting a grand slam off Texas Rangers pitcher Juan Nicasio in a 3-0 count Monday night.

The San Diego Padres just can't stop hitting grand slams. 

The Texas Rangers can't help but give them up.

For the fourth consecutive game, the Padres smacked a grand slam against Texas, setting an MLB record in the process:

SLAM DIEGO! pic.twitter.com/NR83J5Uv2B

— MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2020

Eric Hosmer got to hit the homer on Thursday following a walk-off slam from Manny Machado on Wednesday. Wil Myers knocked one on Tuesday while Fernando Tatis Jr. got the party started with a grand slam on Monday. 

If the Rangers didn't like how the Padres were playing earlier this week, they'll surely be furious after Thursday. Fortunately for Texas, this is the last time it will see San Diego this season. 

Chris Woodward is in the wrong, Fernando Tatis Jr. is in the right and, in general, Major League Baseball would be better off if its unwritten rules also became unspoken.

Now then, let's back up.

An incident unfolded during the eighth inning of the San Diego Padres' 14-4 win over the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Monday. With the Padres leading 10-3, Tatis strode to the plate with the bases loaded and, on a 3-0 pitch, promptly unloaded them for his MLB-leading 11th home run of 2020:

Fernando Tatis Jr.

El Niño.

The face of baseball. pic.twitter.com/Y5VF5EIBKt

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 18, 2020

At first glance, nothing wrong happened here.

Juan Nicasio made a decent pitch, dotting a 92 mph fastball on the outside corner. Yet Tatis, who had already hit a three-run homer earlier in the game, simply put a good swing on it.

The thrill of Tatis' slam didn't last long, however. After Ian Gibaut relieved Nicasio, his first pitch was a fastball behind Manny Machado's back that Woodward later indicated was a warning shot. In his eyes, Tatis had broken baseball's unwritten rules.

Here's what the Rangers' second-year manager said after the game, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com:

"There's a lot of unwritten rules that are constantly being challenged in today's game. I didn't like it, personally. You're up by seven [runs] in the eighth inning; it's typically not a good time to swing 3-0. It's kind of the way we were all raised in the game. But, like I said, the norms are being challenged on a daily basis, so -- just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's not right."

In fairness to Woodward, he wasn't simply making things up. As covered by Steve Gardner of USA Today in 2019, not swinging on 3-0 with a big lead is indeed one of baseball's unwritten rules.

Albeit in less pointed terms, Tatis also got an earful from his own manager. Jayce Tingler explained that Tatis had been given a take sign precisely because he was in a 3-0 count with a sizable lead:

Jayce Tingler was asked about the expectations on a 3-0 count and what he thought Fernando Tatis should have done in that situation: pic.twitter.com/i3aDbopdU3

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) August 18, 2020

For his part, the 21-year-old shortstop took it all in stride, saying: "I was locked in on the game, just trying to produce for my team. That was on me. I didn't look to my third base coach. I was just trying to take a good pitch and put my barrel on it."

This controversy—if you can call it that—could have ended right then and there. But whenever there's a story involving a young star being chided for breaking baseball's unwritten rules, the Twittersphere is bound to sound off. In the past, that's meant a veritable cluster-you-know-what of loud noises and increasingly scorching takes.

What actually happened this time, though, was...unity?

Yes indeed, and Tatis was the beneficiary. Even setting aside the well wishes and go-get-'ems from fans, he also got plenty of support from peers like Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson:

https://twitter.com/TimAnderson7/status/1295736401720414209

Cincinnati Reds ace Trevor Bauer:

Hey @tatis_jr listen up:

1) Keep swinging 3-0 if you want to, no matter what the game situation is
2) Keep hitting homers, no matter what the situation is
3) Keep bringing energy and flash to baseball and making it fun
4) The only thing you did wrong was apologize. Stop that.

— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) August 18, 2020

And Boston Red Sox ace Eduardo Rodriguez:

3-0 counts rule 😒😒 you just have to pitch better if you don’t want that to happen I never see that rule and I take my self as an example because I’m the king🤴🏽🤴🏽of 3-0 counts 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️ https://t.co/TkMDDOCIkX

— Eduardo Rodriguez (@eduardorod5) August 18, 2020

If anyone was going to have a dissenting opinion, surely it would be star players from older eras. After all, they're the ones who weaved the fabric of history that Tatis may or may not have trampled on.

Well, tell it to Hall of Famer Johnny Bench:

So you take a pitch...now you're 3-1. Then the pitcher comes back with a great setup pitch...3-2. Now you're ready to groundout into a double play. Everyone should hit 3-0. Grand Slams are a huge stat. @tatis_jr https://t.co/4D3ilsD9Sh

— Johnny Bench (@JohnnyBench_5) August 18, 2020

Or fellow Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson:

Fernando Tatis keep playing hard and playing great, it’s a pleasure to watch you play, love your success and the Padres rise to be a winner. Keep leading the way. It ain’t easy to hit Hrs. Keep bringing energy you have to the game, we need players like you. An All Star

— Reggie Jackson (@mroctober) August 18, 2020

It's little wonder, then, that Tingler had second thoughts. As reported by B/R's Scott Miller, San Diego's first-year skipper admitted Tuesday that he "probably learned a lesson last night" and indicated that he doesn't plan on putting any future restrictions on Tatis.

Not everyone sided with Tatis, mind you. MLB Network analyst and former big leaguer Bill Ripken didn't go as far as to shake his fist at Tatis, but he did wring his hands about how baseball has "shifted away from some of those old-school kind of thoughts."

Otherwise, there basically is no anti-Tatis contingent in this particular strain of discourse. If Woodward's reaction was him drawing a line in the sand, the dust has cleared and revealed his side to be empty and Tatis' side to be standing-room only.

To one extent, this is a shocking development. But to another, it was bound to happen.

Not all of baseball's unwritten rules are useless. For instance, there are some that cover common-sense procedural matters, such as not making the first or third out of an inning at third base.

Yet these aren't exactly what the phrase "unwritten rules" immediately bring to mind. The term is more so associated with behavioral standards, specifically regarding how to display proper respect. Showboating (i.e., bat flips and admiring home runs) is a no-no, as is running up the score.

But until MLB makes such rules official by literally writing them into law, they exist only by way of tradition. That in itself makes them ripe for criticism or outright rejection, as to say that something is right strictly because it's tradition is a logical fallacy.

Beyond that, baseball has already determined that it's time for the sport's most diehard traditions to, well, die.

Bat flips, for example, have gone from being rare and frowned upon to frequent and celebrated by MLB itself. The league has also embraced other forms of emotional expression and general individuality, most notably by permitting players to go by their nicknames in annual "Players' Weekend" events.

As for what's behind baseball's shifting culture, recent years have seen the league's star power pass from 30-somethings to 20-somethings. It was inevitable that these new stars would dispose of the old ways in favor of new ways. As it happened, Bryce Harper insisted on making baseball fun again, and MLB later followed through with its own "Let the Kids Play" marketing campaign.

There's also the unsubtle reality that baseball isn't as, ahem, monochromatic anymore. Though the league isn't as well-populated with Black players as it used to be, Latinos account for more than a quarter of all players. It only makes sense that the league should have more of a Latin flavor, especially given that said flavor is very much in line with that of the youth movement.

"This is how we play," Manny Machado, who is Tatis' teammate, told B/R in 2017. "We like to have fun. Why are you walking around with a [serious] face? We play the game the right way. We play the game hard. We play it with emotion."

Against a backdrop like this, the unwritten rules pertaining to decorum are badly outdated. They look even worse when applied to a player like Tatis, who's perhaps the ultimate example of what a modern baseball player should be.

He's an extraordinarily talented shortstop who's put up a 1.000 OPS, 33 home runs, 21 stolen bases and 5.7 WAR in his first 107 career games. And he's still only scratching the surface of his potential, as any guy who boasts 100th percentile exit velocity and 98th percentile speed is surely going places.

Tatis is also conspicuously not boring to watch. He has as much swagger as anyone else in the game and, crucially, he never takes any plays off. Even if they're happening with a 3-0 count and a seven-run lead.

Major League Baseball should want more players like Tatis, not fewer. Which brings us to yet another non-surprising aspect of the fallout from Monday night: The league suspended Woodward for one game and Gibaut for three games.

It's a safe guess that all this drama won't be the final nail in the coffin of baseball's unwritten rules. As things in coffins are wont to do, they'll probably rise and come out to bother people from time to time.

We may nonetheless have finally reached the point where there's no going back to the way things used to be in baseball. And if so, it's about time.

                      

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and Baseball Savant.

San Diego Padres co-owner Ron Fowler opened up about the tense negotiations between the MLB owners and players association as they tried to reach an agreement on a plan for the 2020 season. 

Appearing on 97.3 The Fan's Ben & Woods in San Diego, Fowler said the "perception" was that both sides were "urinating on one another."

The MLB owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association went through months of haggling with the hope of arriving at a common ground to salvage something resembling a normal season during a pandemic. 

After the two sides combined to exchange eight different offers, commissioner Rob Manfred implemented a 60-game season that will begin Thursday. 

Manfred told ESPN's Mike Greenberg on Wednesday that the union's "decision to end good faith negotiations" made him less confident there would be a 2020 season. 

MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement that same day that players are "disgusted" on Manfred going back on his original statement that there would definitely be a season and said any implications that the union was delaying progress on establishing health and safety protocols "completely false."

Fowler noted the two sides never "found common ground, literally, on anything" during their talks. 

"Nobody took anybody on face value when things were said, and it deteriorated into something that was not good for baseball," the 77-year-old added. 

Even though there appears to be a lot of work ahead to repair relations between the owners and players, the 2020 MLB season is set to begin Thursday with a doubleheader featuring the New York Yankees vs. Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Infielder Brian Dozier is back on the free-agent market after the San Diego Padres granted the 33-year old his release Saturday.

The #Padres have granted INF Brian Dozier his release.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 11, 2020

Dozier signed a minor league contract with the Padres in February that gave him an invite to spring training with the big league club. A member of the 2019 World Series champion Washington Nationals, Dozier slashed .238/.340/.430 with 20 home runs.

The Padres currently have a number of options in the infield with the likes of Eric Hosmer, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. already locked into first base, third base and shortstop, respectively.

Dozier was not on the club's 60-man roster, but CJ Abrams, Jurickson Profar, Ty France, Greg Garcia and Jake Cronenworth were, creating a bit of a logjam. Making matters tougher for Dozier in camp was the Padres' recent acquisition of infielder Jorge Mateo from the Oakland Athletics for cash or a player to be named later.

Mateo, 25, is one of the speedier prospects in baseball and offers the club a younger option up the middle as well as an ability to pinch run, should he break camp with San Diego. The Padres announced Wednesday Mateo had tested positive for the coronavirus and was self-isolating.

In the meantime, Dozier isn't totally out of luck when it comes to a job.

As MLB players continue to opt out for various reasons, along with the typical training camp injuries, opportunities may arise for the seven-year veteran.

A former All-Star and Gold Glove winner, Dozier began his career with the Minnesota Twins before the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired him at the trade deadline in 2018 for Logan Forsythe, Devin Smeltzer and Luke Raley.

The Nationals signed him the following offseason for one-year, $9 million en route to the franchise's first championship, but he re-entered free agency shortly after.

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller confirmed outfielder Tommy Pham has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Though Pham remains asymptomatic, Preller stressed tests are still ongoing, per The Athletic's Dennis Lin.

Earlier on Friday, MLB announced it had tested 3,185 samples for the virus with only 38 testing positive. Players accounted for 31 of the confirmed cases with staff members making up the other seven. 

Notably, not all clubs had finished testing by the time the league announced the latest results and more positives may be coming. 

It is unclear if Pham is included among the 38 current cases. 

https://twitter.com/zbinney_NFLinj/status/1279172134405918720

After coming up through the St. Louis Cardinals organization and becoming a fan favorite, Pham was sent to the Tampa Bay Rays with during the 2018 season $500,000 of international pool space for Justin Williams, Genesis Cabrera and Roel Ramirez.

While he sent a franchise record of 40 straight games reaching base with Tampa Bay in 2019, the Rays traded him San Diego last winter with Jake Cronenworth for Hunter Renfroe, Xavier Edwards and a player to be named later. 

Pham slashed .273/.369/.450 last year with 68 runs batted in, 25 stolen bases and 21 home runs. 

The Padres' depth chart currently lists him as the starting left fielder. The club is also currently carrying outfielders Franchy Cordero, Trent Grisham, Robert Hassell III, Hudson Head, Wil Myers, Josh Naylor, Edward Olivares and the franchise's top position player prospect Taylor Trammell. 

According to MLB's COVID-19 protocols, Pham will need to immediately enter self-isolation. 

The San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics have come together for the first post-hiatus trade in Major League Baseball.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel, the A's will send shortstop Jorge Mateo to the Padres for a player to be named later.

This would give the A’s 30-man roster a little more balance. It was getting pretty heavy with infielder/utility guy types, this will allow for another pitcher on the roster. Padres seem to be new fave trading partner for A’s. https://t.co/nDLPOeo0C1

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) June 30, 2020

Signed by the New York Yankees out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, Mateo was traded to Oakland in 2017 with Dustin Fowler and James Kaprielian as part of a deal to acquire pitcher Sonny Gray.

Mateo is still just 25 years old and was ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the A's organization, per MLB Pipeline:

"The enigmatic speedster did put a rough 2018 season behind him by putting up very good numbers in 2019, but even then showed his streakiness by fading badly down the stretch as other teammates got called up to the big leagues.

"When Mateo is at his best, he has wow tools, starting with his top-of-the-scale speed. That makes him very dangerous on the basepaths, though he hasn't been looking to steal as much with the A's as he did earlier in his career. He is capable of making hard contact with surprising pop at the plate, though he's struggled with plate discipline for much of his career. Most of that can be attributed to his game clock. When he goes too fast, his strikeouts spike. When he slows down too much and gets low energy, he's too passive."

Also worth noting that players to be named later can be so for up to 6 months.

Rival clubs haven’t seen minor league trade targets in months & may not see any until fall instructs or some version of the Arizona Fall League.

PTBNL is a way to wait until those events happen🤞🏼 https://t.co/2RodtPKAgH

— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) June 30, 2020

Using a scale of 20-80, MLB Pipeline scored Mateo's running ability at 80, though it assigned him a score of 50 overall—his hitting and power were his lowest marks at just 45.

Mateo slashed .289/.330/.504 with Triple-A Las Vegas in 2019, collecting 24 stolen bases and 78 RBI. He's twice appeared in MLB's Futures Game, first with the Yankees in 2016 and again with Oakland last year.

He is out of options, so he'll have a strong chance to wind up on the Padres roster.