The Opener: Padres, Adell, Tigers

For the final time in 2022, here’s three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around baseball throughout the day today:

1. Looking for a partner in a Grisham deal

A report yesterday suggested the Padres may be open to moving either center fielder Trent Grisham or Ha-Seong Kim. After adding Xander Bogaerts and Matt Carpenter to their already considerable corps of position player talent, and with Fernando Tatis Jr. on the way back from suspension early in the 2023 season, it’s no wonder that the Padres would at least consider dealing a player like Grisham or Kim if they could improve the big league club in other areas by doing so. While Kim would surely draw interest from infield-needy clubs, Grisham likely has more value thanks to an extra year of team control and being a quality center field option in a market devoid of options at the position. Perhaps the most obvious fit for Grisham is the Marlins, who have a deep starting rotation they’re reportedly open to dealing from. A starter such as Pablo Lopez or Trevor Rogers would allow the Padres to push either Seth Lugo or Nick Martinez into the bullpen, improving both sides of the pitching staff in doing so. From Miami’s perspective, Grisham would offer them a true Center Fielder who would free up Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez to join Avisail Garcia, Jorge Soler, and Jon Berti in the mix in the outfield corners and at DH. Grisham would also provide a different look to pitchers as a lefty hitter in a predominantly right-handed lineup, and his bat has upside should he rediscover his 2020-21 form at the plate (111 OPS+ in 191 games). Getting more creative, one potential fit for Grisham would be the Yankees, who are known to be looking for a lefty hitting outfielder. Grisham, as a gold glove Center Fielder, should have no trouble patrolling left in Yankee Stadium, and would combine with Harrison Bader and Aaron Judge to form the likely best defensive outfield in all of baseball. While adding Grisham certainly makes sense for New York, nailing down a trade return isn’t as simple as it would be in a deal with Miami. Perhaps they could package Frankie Montas, who struggled badly after a trade to New York last season, with a member of their excess position player depth such as Gleyber Torres or Oswaldo Cabrera? These surely aren’t the only two teams who would be interested in adding a player with Grisham’s combination of talent and team control, however, leaving the possibility of a deal as something to be monitored as the calendar flips to 2023.

2. What will the Angels do with Adell?

Jo Adell was once among the most promising prospects in the game, but after three consecutive seasons of struggling in his opportunities at the major league level, he appears to be in danger of being pushed off the roster in Anaheim entirely. Taylor Ward and Hunter Renfroe are poised to start in the outfield corners on either side of Mike Trout on Opening Day 2023, and with Shohei Ohtani locking up the DH slot, it seems that Adell will be relegated to competing for fourth outfielder duties with Mickey Moniak this spring. Between this situation and the fact that Adell has already had roughly a full season’s worth of plate appearances with the Angels (557 PA), it would be understandable if the club decided a change of scenery was the best thing for both sides, particularly if the Angels could deal him to fill one of their remaining needs. While there aren’t any glaring holes remaining on the club, they could certainly benefit from adding another starter who could push Jose Suarez into a swing role, a late-inning reliever to join Carlos Estevez at the back of the bullpen, or a more surefire shortstop than their currently available options of Luis Rengifo, Gio Urshela, and David Fletcher. On the other hand, given Adell still has a minor league option remaining, it’s possible the club could be content stashing him in Triple-A as depth to protect against the injury woes that have so frequently plagued the Angels in recent years.

3. What will the Tigers do from here?

The Tigers came into the 2022 season as a trendy wild card pick, but had a deeply disappointing season that featured a brutal 66-96 record and long-term injuries to promising youngsters Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal. This left Detroit in a curious position to begin the offseason, and new president of baseball operations Scott Harris hasn’t made the club’s direction clear going forward his transactions thusfar; short-term deals for Matthew Boyd and Michael Lorenzen, and a trade of reliever Joe Jimenez to the Braves are the biggest moves out of Detroit so far this offseason. Perhaps part of the quietness on the transaction front is due to the fact that, given the under-performance of almost the entire position player corps, there’s little in the way of obvious holes in the roster outside of third base, where Jeimer Candelario was non-tendered earlier this offseason. Bringing in a bat to replace Candelario seems sensible, whether that comes through free agency, where Evan Longoria is the top option remaining, or through trade, where Joey Wendle, Eduardo Escobar, and Ramon Urias are among the names who could be available. Looking beyond the hot corner, the club could add one of the complementary outfielders still remaining on the market such as AJ Pollock or David Peralta; while they might not be surefire upgrades over the current group, they could still pitch in to raise the team’s floor. Additions to the bullpen mix to solidify the group could also make sense, though Alex Lange and Gregory Soto seems capable of handling late-inning duties. Another possible direction for the Tigers would be to sell of short-term assets such as Austin Meadows in order to improve the club’s longer-term outlook while waiting for Skubal and Mize to return to make another push toward contention.