Padres' Updated Starting Rotation After Reported Blake Snell Trade

The San Diego Padres are gearing up for another playoff run.

On Monday, Dennis Lin, Josh Tolentino and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Padres agreed to acquire starting pitcher Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Luis Patino, Francisco Mejia, Blake Hunt and Cole Wilcox, pending medical reviews.

That means Snell will join an already-formidable rotation for the next two years, as ESPN's Jeff Passan pointed out:

Padres 2021 Rotation

• Blake Snell
• Dinelson Lamet
• Zach Davies
• Chris Paddack
• MacKenzie Gore/Joey Lucchesi/Adrian Morejon/Ryan Weathers

Padres 2022 Rotation

• Blake Snell
• Dinelson Lamet
• Mike Clevinger
• Chris Paddack
• MacKenzie Gore/Joey Lucchesi/Adrian Morejon/Ryan Weathers

It should be noted Mike Clevinger will miss the 2021 season because of Tommy John surgery but is scheduled to return for the 2022 campaign and add another formidable arm to the rotation.

The Padres made the playoffs in the shortened 2020 season, which was their first postseason appearance since the 2006 campaign. They also have won just one playoff series since they went to the World Series in 1998.

They have a win-now roster in place with Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and a starting rotation with a high ceiling after the addition of Snell to a group that already had Dinelson Lamet and Zach Davies.

Snell won the 2018 American League Cy Young Award when he was on the Rays and finished the 2020 campaign with a 3.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 63 strikeouts in 50 innings. He also pitched well in the playoffs with a 3.03 ERA and helped lead the Rays to the World Series.

While his Fall Classic will be best remembered for Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash's decision to pull him early in the team's Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Snell is a postseason-tested veteran who can anchor San Diego's rotation into October.

Having him available with some of the younger players and forming a one-two punch with Clevinger in 2022 should help the Padres compete with the Dodgers and others in the National League West.