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| From the SF Chronicle |
The San Diego Padres have acquired LHP Tim Hill from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for OF Franchy Cordero and RHP Ronald Bolanos.
Hill is an effective left-hander who has only two years of MLB experience, but he has been a good picther for the lowly Royals. Hill, who was drafted in the 32nd round in 2014 at age 24, made his MLB debut in 2018, appearing in 70 games with 42 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. A submariner, Hill had a very good whiff rate on his fastball last year at 32.6%, just .1% higher than his slider, another successful pitch. Hill is one of many left handed relievers that will get less playing time due to the new three-batter-minimum rule that Major League Baseball has implemented. Hill\’s final 2019 numbers were more impressive than his 2018 stats, but he did have a minor league stint as well, with a 2.12 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 29.2 innings.
Hill, 30, had a 3.63 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 39.2 innings, plus 31 hits allowed for a 7.0 H/9 in 2019. In his two year MLB career, Hill has a 4.11 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 85.1 innings.
The Royals are rebuilding, and while Hill was a valuable reliever, he is not young despite his service time, and he did have some interest in him. Cordero is a younger, power hitting outfielder who just cannot stay healthy. A bone spur in his elbow that required surgery ended Cordero\’s 2018 early, and when he had ulner collateral ligament damage in early April 2019, he did not get Tommy John surgery, before straining his quad in a minor league rehab game, and 2019 was over for Cordero on April 6, nine games in. In parts of three MLB seasons, Cordero has only played in 79 games.
Cordero, 25, has hit 10 home runs with 29 RBIs and seven stolen bases, plus a .240 average and an OPS of .737 in 273 Plate Appearances over his MLB career. Cordero has appeared at all three outfield positions, mainly center field.
Bolanos seems like an odd addition into the trade, but he can be a nice pick-up for the Royals. Before the trade, MLB Pipeline ranked Bolanos as San Diego\’s 15th best prospect in a very deep system. Bolanos debuted in September of last year, making three starts and two more appearances out of the bullpen.
Bolanos, 23, had a 5.95 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 19.2 innings for San Diego last year. In 25 games (23 starts) for AAA El Paso, Bolanos had an ERA of 3.66 with 142 strikeouts in 130.1 innings, plus a 7.5 H/9.
CarterHud 