A pair of National League contenders continued to add to their pitching staffs Tuesday.
The San Diego Padres completed a trade with the Miami Marlins, acquiring lefty Tanner Scott and right-hander Bryan Hoeing in exchange for southpaw Robby Snelling, right-hander Adam Mazur, outfielder Graham Pauley, and infielder Jay Beshears.
Hoeing comes with four more years of control for San Diego, but Scott will hit free agency following this season. Hoeing is mostly a two-seam/splitter/slider arm, up to 96 mph with some ground ball ability. He’s started and served out of the bullpen for Miami for the last three years.
Scott is as tough on lefties as any reliever in baseball in 2024, allowing just three hits in 39 at-bats against them, but he’s far from a specialist, holding righties to a .144 average and .198 slug.
Scott’s control, however, gets him in trouble. It’s nearly a 15% walk rate this season. But he keeps the ball in the ballpark and rarely gets hit hard.
Snelling is the biggest name coming back to Miami. The 20-year-old was the No. 39 overall pick by the Padres in 2022 and has missed bats at every step in the minors. He’s gradually made strides in strike throwing and will consistently sit 92-95 mph with the fastball.
His best pitch is a plus, slurvy curveball, and there’s a changeup showing signs in 2024, too. He’s still working on the control and remains a few years from the big leagues — essentially is a project — there’s at least mid-rotation upside here in the mold of a Blake Snell if everything works out in the end.
Mazur made his debut this season, making eight uneven starts, despite a strong debut in June versus the Angels. It’s a four-pitch mix with his best offering a firm slider with a chance to miss bats. He also has a hard changeup and low-80s curveball.
Pauley, 23, is a fringe glove at the infield corners but understands the strike zone well and has some power upside thanks to efficient contact and pitch selection. He’s struggled to hit for average in the upper minors, suggesting role limits to part-time play.
Beshears is a 22-year-old left-side infielder with little shot to play short but the arm to stay at third base long-term. Whether he has the power to play there, however, is another story. Well, it’s another answer: No.
Beshears profiles to get on base and serve as an up-and-down depth option if he can maintain solid-average contact rates as he moves to the upper minors.
The Padres clearly are going for it and while this deal favors the Marlins long-term, underestimating the solid upside of Hoeing would be a mistake. San Diego received two arms to help now and one is a cheap option for future years with a bit of ceiling. It simply comes at quite the cost.
The Fish do what they do and are taking a shot they can help Snelling develop into his full potential, but also get some bulk depth in their system.
TRADE GRADES (20-80 Scale)
San Diego: 45
Miami: 55
The New York Mets had added right-hander Paul Blackburn to hep cover their loss of Kodai Senga and Christian Scott. In return, the Oakland Athletics received right-hander Kade Morris.
Morris has touched 97 mph but pitches with average command in the 91-94 mph range with two fastballs, led by a true two-seamer. He throws varied versions of two breaking balls, one a 74-78 mph curveball and the other a promising low-80s slider.
It’s a mid-rotation upside for the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder and he’s a few years from cracking the big leagues.
Blackburn, 30, is a pitch-to-contact righty without strong ground ball tendencies, and his home run issues have hurt him his entire career. But it is a kitchen-sink approach if there ever was one.
He’s a back-end starter who can cover innings when healthy, but staying off the IL hasn’t been his bag, missing 10-plus starts in each of the last three seasons, including 2024.
He sits 91-93 mph with two fastballs, adds a firm cutter, two distinct breaking balls, and a changeup. There isn’t a plus pitch in the bunch, but all take turns giving him chances to get outs.
Blackburn has one more season until free agency, to the Mets are buying some peace of mind, albeit one without much upside.
TRADE GRADES (20-80 Scale)
New York: 45
Miami: 55
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