The Yankees’ biggest AL East roadblock is trading one of its best players.
The Rays agreed to send starting pitcher Blake Snell to the Padres for a package of prospects that includes top-tier pitcher Luis Patino, catcher Francisco Mejia, catcher Blake Hunt and pitcher Cole Wilcox, The Post’s Joel Sherman confirmed. The Atheltic was first to report the trade.
Snell, 28, had spent all five of his big-league seasons with Tampa Bay, helping the Rays win the AL East, defeat the Yankees in the ALDS and reaching the franchise’s second World Series in 2020. The former Cy Young winner went 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts last season and went 2-2 in six postseason starts. Snell is set to make $11 million in 2021, the third year of a five-year, $50 million deal.
The deal comes exactly two months after Snell controversially was pulled from Game 6 of the World Series after dominating the Dodgers through 5 innings. The Rays ultimately lost the game and the series.
Patino, a righty, is the No. 10 ranked prospect at FanGraphs and No. 16 by Baseball America. The 21-year-old appeared in 11 games for the Padres last season, starting one. Patino went 1-0 with a 5.19 ERA for a San Diego team that made the playoffs as the runner-up in the NL West.
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