Newly anointed San Diego Padres General Manager Josh Byrnes has not been shy about pulling the trigger, trading for John Baker, Huston Street, and Cory Burns so far this winter.
On Saturday, however, Byrnes made his first blockbuster deal as Padres GM, sending 24 year-old ace Mat Latos to the Cincinnati Reds for RHP Edinson Volquez, 1B Yonder Alonso, C Yasmani Grandal, and RHP Brad Boxberger. For names only, this deal is a doozy.
Latos will not become arbitration-eligible until 2013, so he’ll be under Reds control for four more years. The Reds are getting a bona fide number one starter here, with potential to develop into one of the better pitcher’s in the game.
In Latos’ first full season, 2010, he put up a 2.92 ERA in 184.7 innings (189 strikeouts, 50 walks). Latos finished eighth in Cy Young voting and put up anywhere from three to four WAR, depending on where you look.
Last season, Latos went through a very mild case of sophomore-itis, as his ERA and walk rate climbed slight...
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