Rays complete five-player trade with Padres

December 7th, 2019

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired outfielder Hunter Renfroe, minor league infielder Xavier Edwards and a player to be named from the San Diego Padres in exchange for outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder/right-handed pitcher Jake Cronenworth. Following the trade, the Rays 40-man roster stands at 38 players.

Renfroe, 27, hit 33 home runs last season, which tied for seventh among National League outfielders and were the most by a Padre since Adrián González (40) in 2009. This is the second time the Rays have ever made an offseason trade for a player coming off a 30-HR season, joining the acquisition of Vinny Castilla in December 1999. He tied for fifth in the majors with 27 home runs prior to the All-Star break, but endured elbow and ankle injuries in the second half to finish with a .216/.289/.489 (95-for-440) overall line in 140 games (111 starts). He hit 11 home runs in 113 at-bats against left-handed pitching, and his 10.27 AB/HR ratio against southpaws ranked second in the NL (min. 100 AB) behind teammate Manny Machado (9.77). Following the season, he underwent minor surgery to remove a bone spur from the top of his right foot.

Renfroe finished last season with 13 outfield assists, which tied Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper for most in the NL and were one shy of Leury García (Chicago White Sox) for most in the majors. According to FanGraphs, his 22 Defensive Runs Saved tied Cody Bellinger (Los Angeles Dodgers) for second among major league outfielders, behind Washington’s Victor Robles (24). He was a finalist for the Rawlings NL Gold Glove Award for right field, which was won by Arizona’s David Peralta.

Renfroe, who hit 26 home runs in both 2017 and 2018, is one of six players in Padres history with three seasons of at least 25 home runs. Since the start of the 2017 season, Renfroe’s 85 home runs rank 14th in the NL and seventh among NL outfielders. Renfroe was selected by the Padres in the first round (13th overall) of the 2013 June Draft out of Mississippi State University. Over parts of four seasons in the majors, he is batting .235/.294/.494 (311-for-1,323) with 70 doubles, 89 home runs and 204 RBI. He was the Padres 2019 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which is the annual recognition of a player from each club who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

Edwards, 20, split last season between Class-A Fort Wayne and Class-A Lake Elsinore, batting .322/.375/.396 (162-for-503) with 18 doubles, eight triples, one home run, 43 RBI and 34 stolen bases. He was named to the Midwest League midseason and postseason All-Star teams, as well as Baseball America’s Low Class-A All-Star Team. Following the season, he was ranked by Baseball America as the Best Defensive Second Baseman in the Midwest League. The switch-hitter was selected by the Padres in the first round (38th overall) of the 2018 June Draft out of North Broward Prep High School in Coconut Creek, Fla., foregoing his college commitment to Vanderbilt University to sign with the Padres. He is currently ranked as the No. 72 overall prospect in the minors and No. 5 prospect in the Padres system by MLB.com.

Pham, 31, hit .273/.369/.450 (155-for-567) with 33 doubles, 21 home runs, 68 RBI and 25 stolen bases last season, leading the Rays in at-bats, hits, doubles, stolen bases and on-base pct. in his first full season with the club. He ranked among American League leaders in walks (81, seventh) and stolen bases (fifth). He reached at least 20 homers and 20 steals for the second time in his career (2017 with the St. Louis Cardinals), joining B.J. Upton (2007, 2011, 2012) as the only players in Rays history to reach those marks in the same season. Pham was one of nine players in the majors to reach the 20-20 mark in 2019.

Pham made his Rays debut on August 1, 2018, after he was acquired by the Rays at the trade deadline from the Cardinals. As a member of the Rays, he hit .287/.385/.485 (204-for-710) with 40 doubles, eight triples, 28 home runs, 90 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 184 games (183 starts). From the date of his Rays debut through the end of the 2019 season, his .385 on-base pct. ranked seventh in the AL (min. 500 plate appearances). Spanning the 2018-19 seasons, he reached base safely in a club-record 48 consecutive games, passing the previous mark held by Johnny Damon (39) in 2011. Pham was selected by the Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2006 June Draft, and he has spent parts of the last six seasons in the majors (2014-19).

Cronenworth, 25, was named Most Valuable Player for Triple-A Durham last season, batting .334/.429/.520 (115-for-344) with 26 doubles, 10 home runs and 45 RBI. He led the International League in batting avg. and on-base pct. and ranked 3rd with a .949 on-base plus slugging pct. He was also used as a two-way player for the first time since playing collegiate ball at the University of Michigan. He was used on the mound seven times, including six as an opener, and yielded only two runs, both unearned. He was the organization’s Minor League Player of the Month for April, batting .370 (30-for-81) with one home run and 11 RBI, and was named to the International League midseason and postseason All-Star teams. Following the season, he was ranked by Baseball America as the Best Batting Prospect, Best Infield Arm, Best Defensive Shortstop and Most Exciting Player in the International League in its Best Tools survey. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 June Draft and is a career .283 (539-for-1,906) hitter with 22 home runs and 219 RBI over five minor league seasons.