Padres trade Franchy Cordero, Ronald Bolaños to Royals for LHP Tim Hill

Welp, can’t say I saw this coming.

The Padres traded away OF Franchy Cordero to the Kansas City Royals, acquiring LHP Tim Hill in exchange. RHP Ronald Bolaños will also head to the Royals as part of the deal.

Cordero, at 25 years old, often flashed considerable talent, but lacked an ability to stay on the field. Cordero appeared in only nine games for the Padres in 2019, as injuries to his elbow and his quad kept him off the field. Cordero slashed .240/.306/.431 in 79 MLB games since being called up in 2017, with 10 HRs and seven steals. Cordero’s departure likely ensures OF Edward Olivares makes the initial 30-man roster.

Bolaños made his MLB debut in 2019. The 23 year old made five appearances, three being starts, while recording a 5.95 ERA and a 5.25 FIP in 19.2 IP. Bolaños was something of a surprise call-up last year, as he was only pitching in AA-Amarillo with a 4.23 ERA and a 3.91 FIP over 15 starts at the time.

Tim Hill, a side-arming 30 year old lefty specialist who also pitched one year for local San Diego community college Palomar College, posted a 3.63 ERA in 2019 across 39.2 innings for the Royals, while also recording just under a K per inning. The injury to LHP Jose Castillo likely made this trade something of a necessity.