Poria, Arizona. – The Padres and Dodgers family turned in a rare deal on Monday, withMatt PettyHead to San Diego in exchange for minor league player/pitcher River Ryan.
Betty, who was assigned the task by the Dodgers on Wednesday, should play an instrumental role in San Diego. The Padres lack pitch options, particularly in left field, and their bench needs a boost as well. Petty, a left-handed hitter with a talent for reaching base, posted a .270/.363/.402 slash across 120 games last season.
“He’s a professional player,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said of Petty. “He has a high on base, the kind that takes a lot of pitches. He can see it as a potential hitter. He can play a little bit, little first base, so he has some variety in there.
“We’ll see where he fits in. Like anything we’re doing now, we’re still trying to figure out some points on the roster, in terms of player position. It’s part of that mix.”
As things stand, Jurickson Profar plans as the left-hander on opening day for Padres, though Petty will now challenge for that spot. The 28-year-old Petty had a poor performance defensively, but his 2021 OPS record was more than 100 points above Provar’s mark.
Although Profar is a switching officer, a straight platoon seems unlikely, given that Profar has always posted better numbers from the left side. Perhaps if Petty starts games on the left, Provar could act as a defensive substitute.
More importantly, Betty is a huge boost to the depth of my Padres menu. At the very least, there is renewed competition for playing time on the left. If Profar doesn’t improve on his poor 2021 season, there is an option on the roster to replace him.
Otherwise, the Beaty is a valuable seat piece with as much experience as a pinch hitter. He has posted solid right-hand throw numbers in his career (slashes 267/.339/.440). Against a harsh right-hander, it is easy to imagine Petty being called a bat, for example, Ha-Seong Kim or one of the Padres doing a right-handed bat.
It’s all yet to be decided – and based in part on building this Padres roster, opening day comes.
“We’re not really sure where she fits in yet,” Melvin said. “But we love the bat profile.”
The deal was the first between Padres and Dodgers since Matt Kemp went to San Diego for the 2014 Winter Meetings, with Yasmane Grandal returning to Jason Catania of LA Per MLB.com, it’s only the fifth trade the two contenders make in Southern California.
Ryan was Padres’ 11th-round pick last season and beat .308/.349/.436 in the Arizona Complex. To make room for Petty on the 40-man list, Padres Drew moved Pomeranians left to the injured list for 60 days while recovering from flexor tendon surgery.
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