Trade analysis in Major League Baseball is fascinating because in some deals, both sides can feel as though they got exactly what they wanted.
That appears to be the case at the moment for the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres, who made a deal in July that flipped catcher Freddy Fermin to the playoff-bound Padres for right-handed pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek.
On Monday night, Fermin sent the Padres to October with a walk-off single in the 11th inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. But the Royals, who won’t be going to the postseason, had to be watching the game satisfied with their end of the deal, while remaining happy for their former player.
At the start of next season, Bergert will have six remaining years of team control and Kolek will have five. They’ve both looked strong in their brief Kansas City tenures thus far, and will be options to open next season in the rotation while still pitching for league-minimum salaries.
Most teams, especially small-market teams, would gladly exchange two starting pitchers for a catcher who was playing in about half of their games before the deal. And the Royals appear to have found a gem in top prospect Carter Jensen, who has the potential to be the full-time backstop in Kansas City one day.
The Padres, however, aren’t operating like the Royals. It’s not about the long game in San Diego, it’s about trying to win a championship at long last after a tortured history as a franchise. They didn’t have a viable starting catcher, and that’s exactly what Fermin has been for them.
Fermin is slashing .277/.308/.384 in 37 games for San Diego, which isn’t amazing production, but it’s more than adequate from the catching position these days. His defense-first role for the Padres makes more sense than it did for the Royals, a more offensively-challenged team than San Diego.
Though both sides’ feelings are subject to change, it’s hard to believe these teams wouldn’t do this trade over again in a heartbeat if given the choice.
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