Mets Could Send Dom Smith To Padres For Chris Paddack, Eric Hosmer, Plus More
In this story:
With Opening Day on the horizon, the Mets will be without Jacob deGrom for a significant period of time and could also be missing their co-ace Max Scherzer, who tweaked his hamstring.
As a result, they're scrambling to find additional pitching help on the trade market.
According to SNY, there is a trade on the table with the San Diego Padres that would send pitcher Chris Paddack, first baseman Eric Hosmer, reliever Emilio Pagan and $30 million in cash to the Mets in exchange for first baseman/left fielder Dom Smith. The Athletic first reported that a potential package was being discussed between these two teams.
The Mets would then look to flip Hosmer, or make this a three-team trade, with the Cubs being a possible club willing to acquire the first baseman, per SNY. But Hosmer would have to waive his no-trade clause for the Mets to flip him.
Hosmer's eight-year, $144 million deal with the Padres has turned out to be one of the worst contracts dished out by a team in recent memory. Hosmer is under control for four more seasons and is owed a total of $60 million.
Paddack on the other hand, is who the Mets are after in this deal in order to bolster their pitching depth. The 26-year-old has upside and is under cheap control for the next three seasons. However, the righty comes along with some injury risk as well. Paddack endured an underwhelming campaign in 2021, and towards the end of the season, the Padres gave him a stem-cell injection after discovering that he had a slightly torn UCL.
As for Smith, SNY reported that he would welcome a trade to the Padres because of his desire to be an every day player. Smith is currently blocked at first base by Pete Alonso, and in left field, where Mark Canha is projected to start.
The 26-year-old is coming off a disappointing 2021 season, where he played through a partially torn labrum, wrist strain and groin strain for the majority of the year, as he told Inside the Mets at the beginning of spring training. Smith is now healthy and could be primed for a bounce-back campaign.
