A potential trade between the New York Mets and San Diego Padres involving Eric Hosmer is off.
The two National League clubs were discussing a multi-player deal Saturday. The trade would have sent Hosmer, Chris Paddack, Emilio Pagan and $25 million to the Mets. In return, the Padres would have received first baseman Dominic Smith.
The Mets were interested in the trade for a few reasons.
One, they reportedly like Paddack and feel the pitcher has some untapped potential. They also could use some pitching help with Jacob deGrom dealing with an injury. Two, the Padres would have been paying $25 million of Hosmer’s salary. That means Hosmer would have been owed $34 million over the rest of his contract (he is signed through 2025), which is a reasonable amount.
Hosmer seems to recognize he could be traded, so he might be able to accept a return to the Padres for now.
However, the Mets may be in a tough situation with Smith, who reportedly wanted the trade to happen.
Smith is still under team control through 2024 before becoming a free agent. He can play both first base and the outfield and may have seen a path to more consistent playing time in San Diego. But for now, he’s not going anywhere either.
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