On Tuesday evening it was noted the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres have entered discussions regarding outfielder Wil Myers, who would be the centerpiece of a possible trade. Since the initial report there have been a number of updates.
At first we questioned why the Rays were even considering trading Myers, since their outfield isn't strong and the 24-year-old won AL Rookie of the Year in 2013. In 175 games with Tampa Bay, Myers is slashing .258/.324/.400/.724 with 19 home runs and 88 RBIs. However, according to ESPN's Buster Olney, the youngster has "been much more inconsistent than Tampa Bay thought he would be."
The Rays have already traded a number of players this offseason and Myers' departure is seemingly imminent. It was reported late last night there's a third team involved in the discussions, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, and there are "strong indications" it's the Seattle Mariners, according to Jason Churchill of Seattle's 1090 The Fan. Churchill noted Myers could be heading to Seattle while Mariners' pitching prospect Taijuan Walker would go to San Diego. But that's not all.
The Rays would apparently be getting a number of prospects in return. They've spoken with San Diego about pitchers Matt Wisler, Burch Smith and R.J. Alvarez as well as catcher Austin Hedges, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. It's obvious if the Mariners are involved then some prospects would be taken off their hands as well, but it's not clear exactly who. Topkin notes it's possible more than 10 players are involved in such a deal.
On Tuesday ESPN's Jerry Crasnick noted the Mariners might be "closing in on a trade for a hitter," and it looks like Myers could be that guy. It makes sense because Seattle missed out on Melky Cabrera, after offering him a three-year contract, when he signed with the Chicago White Sox over the weekend. The Mariners are still in need of a corner outfielder and Myers would fit the description there. He's also an affordable option since he isn't arbitration-eligible until 2017 and doesn't become a free agent until 2020, which probably appeals to Seattle, who have shelled out a number of lucrative contracts over the past couple of seasons.
Although Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports noted such a deal will likely take the Padres out of the running for Braves outfielder Justin Upton, could they actually be acquiring some pieces from the Mariners and/or Rays to send to Atlanta for the 27-year-old outfielder?
UPDATE: Washington Nationals could potentially be the third team involved, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. If it's not a three-team deal, one of the pieces Tampa Bay receives could be sent elsewhere.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick believes it's simply just a deal between the Rays and Padres.
UPDATE (12:00 p.m.): According to ESPN's Jim Bowden, San Diego will send first baseman Jake Bauers, pitchers Joe Ross and Burch Smith, as well as two others to Tampa Bay when deal is done.
