The San Diego Padres continue to be aggressive in front of the Aug. 31 trade deadline. They have acquired utility man Austin Nola from the Seattle Mariners for outfield prospect Taylor Trammell as part of a seven-player deal, the Padres announced Sunday night. Here's the deal:
Mariners get: OF Taylor Trammell, OF Ty France, C Luis Torrens, RHP Andres Munoz.
Padres get: UT Austin Nola, RHP Austin Adams, RHP Dan Altavilla.
Nola, 30, finally made his MLB debut last season after a lengthy stay in the minors, so he's a bit a late bloomer. He has played first base, second base, third base, left field and right field so far in his big league career. Oh, and he catches. Yes, Nola is the rare utility man who is also a catcher.
So far this season, Nola is hitting .306/.373/.531 (150 OPS+) with five homers and 19 RBI in 29 games. The Mariners held him out of action Sunday in anticipation of dealing him.
After acquiring Jason Castro, it would appear Padres general manager A.J. Preller was looking to upgrade behind the plate over the combo of Austin Hedges and Francisco Mejia (currently on the injured list), who have been ineffective offensively. Bear in mind, obviously, that Nola plays lots of other positions, too, so it wouldn't be a strict catching tandem.
Adams, a 29-year-old right-handed reliever, appeared in 32 games last season, pitching to a 3.94 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 53 strikeouts against 15 walks in 32 innings. He hasn't pitched yet this year after having surgery to repair a torn ACL last October, but it's possible he'll be ready to go for the Padres.
Altavilla, a 27-year-old righty, has a 7.71 ERA in 13 outings this year. He does have 14 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings. though.
The Padres haven't made the playoffs since 2006, but currently sit at 21-15 which is good to hold down the four seed in the National League at present, so the aggression from the front office isn't surprising. They've been connected to many players in lots of rumors.
Trammell, 22, is a left-handed outfielder with good speed. He was actually traded to the Padres from the Reds last season and now he's on the move again. In 126 Double-A games last year, he hit .234/.340/.349 with 12 doubles, four triples, 10 homers, 43 RBI, 61 runs and 20 steals.
France, a 26-year-old corner infielder is hitting .314/.375/.510 in 56 plate appearances this season. Torrens, 24, is a career .176/.256/.223 hitter in 168 plate appearances. Munoz is a 21-year-old right-handed reliever. He appeared in 22 games for the Padres last season, pitching to a 3.91 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 30 strikeouts against 11 walks in 20 innings.
