You don't see these kinds of trades anymore.
Eleven-player deals involving three teams are incredibly hard to pull off, so when they happen, they're usually very intriguing. This one is no different.
The Rays, Padres, and Nationals agreed to a deal on Tuesday that would send a slew of young players (and #Nationals Steven Souza to clinch the no-hitter for Jordan Zimmermann [GIF]: http://t.co/OoKlJ7GVlp
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) September 28, 2014Souza was expendable by Washington because they already have Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper manning the corner outfield spots. In return, the Nats get their potential shortstop of the future, Trea Turner, who was drafted in the first round by the Padres last year. He won't officially be a part of the deal yet, but will be a player to be named later, once he's eligible to be traded.
Turner could serve as an in-house replacement for Ian Desmond, who could leave the team via free agency after the 2015 season. It would certainly indicate a contract extension between the two teams is not in the works.
There are certainly lots of other aspects to this deal that are intriguing. The acquisition of Myers and Matt Kemp by the Padres (provided that deal goes through) likely means the end of Seth Smith's tenure in San Diego. He was their best hitter last year when he slashed .266/.367/.440 with 12 homers and a wRC+ of 133 but is likely on his way out.
And the Rays and Padres swapped two catchers in their 30s, with Hanigan's going to the Friars and Rivera's going to the Rays. Rivera was a surprise success story for San Diego in '14 when he put up a wRC+ of 114 in Petco Park, with 11 homers and an fWAR of 3.0. Hanigan put up an fWAR of 1.2 for Tampa, mainly because of his defense. The move opens up the catching spot for top prospect Austin Hedges for San Diego.
Anytime you have a three-team, 11-player trade like this, there are ripple effects to be felt everywhere. This one is no different.
The next few years will determine who got the better end of the deal out of this swap meet.