Chris Paddack’s path has taken him far from the old Mets-Padres trade chatter, and now it’s headed to the KBO.
Paddack, who once crossed paths with Pete Alonso in the middle of Alonso’s breakout rookie season, is set for a new contract overseas. The connection between the two goes back to 2019, when Paddack was a fellow rookie with the San Diego Padres and declared he was “coming for” Alonso.
Alonso answered with one of the great first-year campaigns in recent memory, finishing with 53 home runs and a Rookie of the Year award. He also beat Paddack in the early going, taking April Rookie of the Month honors after a 9 home run, 1.024 OPS stretch against a pitcher who was 2-1 with a 1.91 ERA.
Since then, Alonso has grown into one of the league’s most productive and divisive stars. Paddack’s career has gone in the opposite direction. After posting a 3.33 ERA as a rookie in 2019, he has been frequently injured and carries a 5.26 ERA.
The former Padres right-hander was also part of a near-deal that would have sent him to the Mets after the 2021 season. New York and San Diego were close to a blockbuster before the 2022 campaign, but the exact terms never came together. Reportedly, Paddack, Eric Hosmer and Emilio Pagan were supposed to go to the Mets with cash, while Dominic Smith would have gone the other way.
Smith finished 2022 batting .194 with no home runs and spent much of the season in the minors. Hosmer, who was hitting .272, was later dealt to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline.
The Padres were eager to move the contract, which carried $21 million in 2022 and another $39 million over the next three seasons. Pagan was also moved, eventually landing with the Minnesota Twins, where he struggled as well.
It’s the kind of trade that could have changed a lot and maybe not changed much at all. Even the chemistry angle would have been a storyline in New York, with Alonso and Paddack sharing a clubhouse after their early rivalry.
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