Jeff Passan announced today that the San Diego Padres have traded OF Franchy Cordero and minor league RHP Ronald Bolanos to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for LHP Tim Hill.
Joining the Royals in blue, Franchy Cordero is a lefty-hitting outfielder who has a career wRC+ of 98, but that is deceptive considering the skill he’s shown. In 2018, his only season with over 100 PAs, Cordero had a wRC+ of 104 with a slash line of .237/.307/.439. His average exit velocity of 92.6 MPH would’ve ranked 11th in the MLB, had he been qualified. He’s also extremely fast, in the 89th percentile for sprint speed, according to Statcast. His power is hidden by his low launch angle, currently at a career mark of 7.2 degrees. He also has plate approach issues, with a career BB/K of just 0.23. Still, he is only 25, so hopefully he can improve as he grows. If he does, he can be a terror.
Also going to the Royals is Ronald Bolanos, a 23-year-old right-handed starter. Aside from 19.2 innings in the majors in 2019, Bolanos has logged just 76.2 innings at double-A. But in those innings, he has looked very good. He had a 3.91 FIP while striking out 27.0% of those who stepped in the box against him. His 9.2% walk rate suggests some control issues, but his raw stuff is good enough to be effective at the major league level, at least as a reliever.
Going to the Padres is the lefty reliever Tim Hill. Hill, who has a career FIP of 3.67, has been used as a LOOGY before. But with the new three-batter minimum, he will have to branch out from his role. Hill does have rather drastic lefty/righty splits, but he isn’t awful against righties like some other LOOGYs. Against lefties he has a 2.83 FIP and a 4.30 FIP against righties. The main difference between lefties and righties hitting against Hill is all in the home runs. There is only a three point difference in K-BB% between the two, but when it comes to HR/FB, the difference is stark. Lefties have a paltry HR/FB of 5.3%, while righties have a mark of 20.6%. That difference is what keeps Hill from being elite. Lowering that mark to around the league average of 15% would be huge for Hill, but if it stays where it is right now, he will need careful management.
Featured Photo: John Sleezer, KC Star
