Padres acquire catcher Luis Torrens via Rule 5 Draft trade with Reds

As expected, Padres general manager AJ Preller was very active in today's Rule 5 Draft. However, nobody was expecting San Diego to wind up with all of the top three players chosen. Along with taking shortstop Allen Cordoba with the third pick of the draft and dealing with the Twins for top pick Miguel Diaz, the Padres also made a trade with the Reds for catcher Luis Torrens, who Cincinnati took from the Yankees with the second pick.

Still just 20 years old, Torrens has yet to play above Single-A, although much of that can be attributed to him missing the entire 2015 season recovering from surgery on a torn right labrum. It seems to have healed nicely, as he threw out 42% of baserunners attempting to steal on him in 2016, just a notch better than his career mark of 41%. His calling card is his defense, while his offensive results thus far would be described as adequate at best. Mind you, that's adequate at best in Single-A. He has, however, shown the ability to take a walk and keep his strikeouts down, besting league averages in both regards.

Catcher is the toughest position at which to carry a Rule 5 draftee, but the Padres could be uniquely suited to make room for one. Incumbent backup catcher Christian Bethancourt is in the process of transitioning into a pitcher/ position player role, and if that plays out smoothly, San Diego will have the luxury of carrying three catchers while not being handcuffed to committing three active roster spots to just catchers. Of course this is a best case scenario and depends on a series of factors.

It's still unknown who the Padres are sending to the Reds in exchange for Torrens.

First mentioned by @jjcoop36, but @Reds are trading Luis Torrens to @Padres as the Rule 5 wheeling/dealing continues.

— Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) December 8, 2016