Padres outfielder Hunter Renfroe gaining interest

Outfielder Hunter Renfroe is now a hot commodity after the San Diego Padres signed Eric Hosmer.

The San Diego Padres made the biggest signing of the offseason when they inked Eric Hosmer to an 8-year, $144 million deal. There have been mixed opinions about the signing since the Padres are in the middle of a rebuild. With that said, slugger Wil Myers was happy to move positions for a Hosmer signing. So he will move to the outfield, where he wasn’t great. Now, the club is getting trade interest on outfielder Hunter Renfroe.

So now with Eric Hosmer in the fold, the outfield is a little of a head-scratcher. The slugging Renfroe has a ton of club control and big power. There is no question of why teams are calling about the right-handed hitter. At 26 years old, Renfroe will be a late boomer at the major league level. In 2016 at Triple-A, he bashed 30 home runs and 105 RBI. This is a player that will have to cut down on his strikeouts if he wants to become a better hitter. With that said, his 2017 in the MLB didn’t disappoint with 26 homers in 479 plate appearances.

In any deal, the Padres would love to get a top prospect and a quality/lottery prospect. It will take a lot for the club to deal Renfroe who is major league-ready talent. Furthermore, San Diego has a ton of top prospects at the lower levels, so having a player like Renfroe who is already part of the core is important. The Atlanta Braves need an outfielder, and they could dangle some intriguing prospects in any deal.

So, with a team coming out of the rebuild in Atlanta, the club could add Renfroe but it could cost a lot. They have a plethora of pitching prospects the Padres could be interested in such as Max Fried and Kolby Allard. The Braves won’t be keeping all of those guys, so a deal for Renfroe could include one or two of those players. The Padres should be all ears as they aren’t back to contention yet, but they may bet an offer the club can’t refuse.

Next: Padres sign Eric Hosmer

Also, San Diego doesn’t need to trade him now if they don’t want to. With that said, the Padres have options heading into the season. They can see what happens with Renfroe heading into the trade deadline and make a deal. Still, general manager A.J. Preller and Co. may want to stay in the news.