The Mets and Padres have revived trade discussions centered around San Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer, and now those discussions also involve right-hander Chris Paddack, report Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Lin and Rosenthal add that OF/1B Dominic Smith has emerged as the possible return piece that would go back to San Diego should the trade materialize.
Hosmer, 32, has spent four seasons with the Padres, and he has four years and $59 million left on his contract. The Padres have been rumored for some time to be interested in shedding those obligations. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes, the addition of Hosmer and the entirety of his remaining contract -- and assuming the Padres don't kick in cash -- would likely make the 2022 Mets the first team in MLB history to run a payroll of $300 million or more. The trade would also be likely to land the Mets in the new top tier of luxury tax penalties, which are part of the new collective-bargaining agreement and seem tailored to rein in the spending of Mets owner Steve Cohen.
Hosmer with the Padres has put up a 102 OPS+, which is modestly below-average production for a first baseman. Hosmer's fit with the Mets would not be a seamless one, as they already have Pete Alonso at first base. At DH, Robinson Canó – a left-handed hitter, like Hosmer – is in line to be the primary. On the other hand, Canó is 39 and missed all of last season after testing positive for a banned substance, and it's theoretically possible that the Mets may have doubts about his ability to produce adequately at this stage of his career. Really, though, the Mets would be taking on Hosmer and his contract mostly as a means to acquire rotation help in Paddack.
As for Paddack, the 26-year-old has impressive stuff and strong results at the command-and-control level. On the downside, injuries have been a concern, and he's been merely average in terms of run prevention. Doubtless, the Mets' emerging interest in Paddack has much to do with ace Jacob deGrom's latest injury concerns (a stress reaction in his scapula), which will cost him a significant chunk of the 2022 season.
On the Padres' side of things, Smith would replace Hosmer's lefty bat in the lineup and also be able to man an outfield corner on occasion. With the bat, Smith struggled in 2021. Going into his age-27 campaign, Smith has an OPS+ of 104 for his career.
