San Diego has added still another name to its list of high-profile acquisitions this winter. The Padres are reportedly receiving RHP Joe Musgrove from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-way trade that also involves the New York Mets.
In exchange for the 28-year-old, Pittsburgh acquires a package of players from both the Padres and Mets. New York receives LHP Joey Lucchesi from San Diego.
The 46th overall pick of the 2011 MLB Draft by Toronto, Musgrove is the third new starting pitcher in San Diego this offseason. The Padres previously acquired RHP Yu Darvish from the Cubs and then shocked the baseball world by landing 2018 AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell from Tampa Bay. Also not to be overlooked is the team’s signing of South Korean phenom Ha-Seong Kim.
Musgrove was traded by the Blue Jays to Houston in 2012 and won the World Series with them in 2017. He was went to Pittsburgh the following winter as part of the blockbuster that sent Gerritt Cole to the Astros. He posted a career-best 3.86 ERA in 2020 despite a 1-5 record. The Padres hope that a better supporting cast than Musgrove had with the Pirates will bring out his best.
San Diego has been more-or-less irrelevant in the National League for the better part of the past decade. This cadre of additions shows that the long-suffering SoCal team means business in the immediate future.
Already featuring a solid core with the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado, Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer, the Padres front office is pulling out all the stops to win big in 2021. Slam Diego might be transforming into a force to be reckoned with, fans in the NL West had best take notice.
