The Boston Red Sox have acquired left-handed starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz from the San Diego Padres, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on Thursday. 

According to Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald, right-handed starter Anderson Espinoza is going back to the Padres in the deal.
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Pomeranz, 27, is enjoying the best season of his career. In 102 innings over 17 starts, he has gone 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA and a 115 to 41 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Advanced stats such as FIP (3.18) and xFIP (3.66) also view Pomeranz favorably. 

This season, Pomeranz has already been worth 2.5 Wins Above Replacement (fWAR), which ranks him ninth among National League starting pitchers. He was just named to his first All-Star Game. 

Over his career, Pomeranz has struggled to get lots of playing time. Even still, however, he carries a strong 3.66 ERA in parts of six seasons with the Rockies, Athletics and Padres. With just three years and thirteen days of service time coming into the season, he will also remain a cheap option for Boston. 

The Padres acquired Pomeranz from the Athletics during the offseason, and they avoided arbitration with a one-year, $1.35 million deal. He is not a free agent until after the 2018 season. 

In a market where starting pitching comes few and far between, Pomeranz is a big get for the Red Sox. Their starting pitching has been among the worst in the American League, ranking 9th in Wins Above Replacement and posting the seventh-highest ERA.

Boston has shown the ability to contend thus far, as they are currently tied for a Wild Card spot in the AL. At 49-38, they are just two games out of the division-leading Orioles. 

Even though Pomeranz fills a large need in Boston, he does come at an expensive price. Boston dealt 18-year-old Anderson Espinoza to get him. 

Espinoza is currently pitching at Class A Greenville, where he is 5-8 with a 4.38 ERA and a 72 to 27 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 76 innings pitched. While the results might not look pretty, he is definitely a good return for San Diego, ranking fourth on the Red Sox's top prospect list (via MLB.com) and 39th overall prior to the season. 

With the trade of Pomeranz, the Padres may be more inclined to fully sell off the rest of their roster. This could include dealing first baseman Wil Myers, catcher Derek Norris or outfielders Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton Jr. 

​--Devan Fink

The San Diego Padres are going to sell at the trade deadline.

At 38-50, the Padres are already 17.5 games out of the division lead in the National League West and are 9.5 games out of a second Wild Card spot. They will not be contending when the non-waiver trade deadline comes on Aug. 1. 

San Diego has some interesting pieces to deal, including left-hander Drew Pomeranz, first baseman Wil Myers, and even outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. 

Teams are becoming increasingly more interested in trading for Upton, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Prior to the season, trade partners were only interested in Upton, who is owed about $40 million on his current contract, if the Padres were willing to pay his entire salary. 

Now, as Rosenthal reports, Upton's suitors are more likely to view him in a conventional sense on a "sliding scale," per se. This means, the more money the Padres decide to pay Upton in a possible trade, the better the talent they get in return. 

Upton, who turns 32 in August, is having his best offensive season since 2008.

Upton is hitting for a .265/.311/.458 slash line with 16 home runs and 44 RBI in 349 plate appearances. He could be on pace to set a career high in the home run department. According to FanGraphs, Upton has been worth six offensive runs above average, a half of a run defensively, and over three runs on the bases. This equates to a 1.8 fWAR, already his highest total since 2012. 

Over his last 21 games, Upton has been playing exceptionally well, hitting .341/.370/.648 with eight home runs and 16 RBI. His value has never been higher since signing his current contract with Atlanta in the 2012-2013 offseason. 

The Dodgers, White Sox, and perhaps even Royals could show interest in Upton as the trade deadline approaches. 

--Devan Fink

The Miami Marlins have acquired right-handed pitcher Fernando Rodney from the San Diego Padres on Thursday, as Keith Law of ESPN.com first reported.

In return for Rodney, the Padres received Chris Paddack, a right-handed pitcher at Class-A Greensboro. The teams have since announced the deal.

The Marlins have been a surprise contender so far this season and are currently 41-37, putting them in place to capture a Wild Card spot if the season ended today. One of their weaknesses, however, has been in the bullpen, and Rodney will help alleviate some of those issues.

Miami’s bullpen includes the likes of A.J. Ramos, David Phelps, and Kyle Barraclough, all of whom have been good this year. Despite their performances, Miami’s bullpen still ranks 10th-worst in the Majors in fWAR, due to the fact that they have a high xFIP.

Rodney, 39, is signed to a one-year, $2 million deal with a team option for 2017. This season, he has been phenomenal in the closer’s role in San Diego.

In 28 ⅔ innings pitched, Rodney has a miniscule 0.31 ERA (1 ER) and an impressive 33 to 12 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has converted all 17 of his save opportunities.

Rodney’s advanced pitching metrics suggest that he is due for some regression (though it’s hard to sustain a 0.31 ERA) but has still been good nonetheless. Rodney has a 2.32 FIP and a 3.25 xFIP. He also has been worth 0.8 fWAR, putting him 17th in the Majors.

On the Padres’ side of the deal, the addition of Chris Paddack is an interesting one.

The 20-year-old Paddack was an eighth round pick of the Marlins in 2015. This season, he’s been basically unhittable, posting a 0.95 ERA and a 48 to 2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 28 ⅓ innings pitched at Class-A. He has not allowed a hit in his last three starts, pitching 15 innings (five in each) and posting a 28 to 1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Paddack should help the Padres in their rebuilding efforts, especially if he continues to pitch even close to this as he progresses through the minor leagues.

--Devan Fink

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to acquire right-handed pitcher James Shields from the San Diego Padres. 

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports first reported the acquisition. In return, the Padres will receive shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and right-hander Erik Johnson, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

The 34-year-old Shields is 2-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 67 1/3 innings pitched this season. Over his 11 starts, Shields has struck out 57 hitters, has walked 27, and has allowed nine home runs. 

In addition, Shields has a 4.42 FIP and a 4.14 xFIP, according to FanGraphs.com, with the latter suggesting that he has been a better pitcher than his ERA advertises. Shields has been worth 0.4 fWAR.

The Padres signed Shields to a four-year, $73 million deal last offseason, in hopes that they would begin to contend.

Shields, who is owed about another $12 million this season, can opt-out at the end of the year. He still has $44 million guaranteed through 2018, with a $16 million option for 2019.

The Padres will pay more than $30 million of Shields' salary in the trade, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. If Shields opts out of his contract after the season, the Padres' commitment to the White Sox will decrease appropriately. 

The White Sox, who are 29-26 through their first 55 games this season, have been in the market for a mid-rotation starter during the month of May and into early June. 

At the top of their rotation, the White Sox have the likes of Chris Sale (2.29 ERA) and Jose Quintana (2.13 ERA). Carlos Rodon (4.41 ERA), Mat Latos (4.02 ERA), and Miguel Gonzalez (4.09 ERA) follow them. 

As a whole, the White Sox' rotation has been very good this season, having been worth 5.7 fWAR, good for seventh in the Major Leagues. Despite this, Shields could still be a worthwhile addition to add some much-needed depth in the middle. 

In Tatis Jr. and Johnson, the Padres will help in their retooling efforts.

Johnson, 26, has a career 4.50 ERA in 18 Major League starts over four seasons. Tatis Jr., 17 years old and the son of former Major Leaguer Fernando Tatis, signed with the White Sox during the last international signing period. 

​--Devan Fink

The New York Mets have acquired first baseman James Loney from the San Diego Padres, according to a team announcement on Saturday. 

The Padres received cash considerations in the deal. 

The 32-year-old Loney has been in Triple-A this season after signing a minor league deal with San Diego during the offseason. Loney had an opt-out clause in his contract, and had he not been traded, he would have likely landed with the Mets anyway. 

Ever since starting first baseman Lucas Duda went on the disabled list on May 21 with a lower back stress fracture, the Mets have been on the lookout for a viable replacement.

In his absence, the team turned to Eric Campbell at first base, who is hitting .182/.303/.255 on the year in 66 plate appearances.

Loney has been hitting well with Triple-A El Paso, posting a .342/.373/.424 triple-slash line with two home runs and 28 RBIs over 169 plate appearances. 

Loney was last in the Major Leagues in 2015 with the Rays, but was released the end of the season after hitting just .280/.322/.357 with four homers and 32 RBIs in 388 plate appearances. He was worth -1.3 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (fWAR). 

With the Mets, Loney will likely start at first until Duda returns to action.

--Devan Fink