A baseball trade is a statement of organizational philosophy as much as it is a physical transaction. It’s a reflection of a team’s priority (win now? win later? slash payroll?), of its style, of how it values and assesses various types of players. And it’s hard to think of a recent trade that has better demonstrated its team’s respective attitudes than the Padres’ move to acquire Blake Snell from the Rays.
The deal broke through a previously quiet MLB offseason on Sunday night—the former Cy Young Award winner, who has three seasons left until free agency, will head to San Diego in exchange for a quartet of prospects headlined by 21-year-old pitcher Luis Patiño.