New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar has a not-so-secret admirer in the San Diego Padres.
Miguel Andujar must be a bit unsettled this offseason, as his name is tied to trade rumor after trade rumor. The latest bit of baseball gossip has the San Diego Padres making eyes at the young New York Yankees’ infielder.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Padres want a third baseman, and Andujar is their kind of player. “Miguel Andujar is on their target list,” Heyman wrote on Fancred. “They love Andujar, (sic) and aren’t a team that worries to much about the walk rate.”
The Yankees are currently favorites to win the Manny Machado sweepstakes, which could determine whether Andujar stays or goes. If the Bombers sign Machado and stick with Didi Gregorius at shortstop (when he returns), there might not be room for Andujar.
Assuming that’s the case and the Yankees entertain offers from the Padres, Brian Cashman would likely ask for top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. If his name sounds familiar, that’s because his father is former MLB player Fernando Tatis, who played his final three years with the New York Mets (2008-2010).
Tatis Jr. is a shortstop by trade, and he swings a potent bat. As a 19-year-old at AA in 2018, he slashed .286/.355/.507 with 16 home runs in just 394 plate appearances.
[membership level="0"] [/membership]According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Padres have told other teams that Tatis is off-limits in trade talks. However, if Cashman throws in Sonny Gray, a guy the Padres have shown interest in, perhaps the deal could get done.
The problem is that Tatis Jr. could be just as redundant as Andujar if the Yankees were to acquire him. If he’s just another trade piece, it makes more sense to keep Andujar at least until the 2019 trade deadline. Since Andujar is already producing at the MLB level, he has more immediate value.
Andujar finished second in the ROY voting in 2018 and set a record for doubles by a Yankees rookie. Plenty of other teams are attracted to him as well. Keep an eye on this one, but Cashman shouldn’t be in a rush to move his current third baseman.
