The Cincinnati Reds acquired pitcher Mat Latos from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Edison Volquez and a trio of prospects - 1B Yonder Alonso, C Yasmani Grandal, and relief pitcher Brad Boxberger, announced the Reds. The deal is a steep price for the Reds to pay, but greatly upgrades their pitching staff.
Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeauges.com likes the trade for the Reds, while Mike Axisa of FanGraphs.com thinks the Padres did a nice job getting long-term solutions back at first base and catcher.
Alonso is the Reds top hitting prospect, but was blocked in Cincinnati by Joey Votto. His role in San Diego remains to be seen, as the Padres traded for 1B prospect Anthony Rizzo last off-season, and this deal could mean Rizzo spends more time in Triple-A this season than originally expected.
Grandal is a fellow first-round pick (along with Alonso), taken in 2010, and split last season between High-A and Double-A, having success at both levels. He could start back at Double-A this season, or could begin in Triple-A, and either way could see some time in the majors towards the end of the season.
Boxberger was a supplemental first-round pick in 2009. Taken 43rd overall, he's the lowest drafted of the three prospects traded in this deal. Boxberger has pitched primarily in relief and saw time in Triple-A last season. He should compete for a bullpen spot with the Padres this spring.
The real question in this deal is what the Padres are going to do with Alonso. Rizzo was the centerpiece of last year's big trade and was clearly the Padres first baseman of the future. Given his struggles in the majors last year, that future could be a year later than expected, but the possibility of Alsonso and Rizzo playing together is slim. The Reds have already explored the idea of moving Alonso to the outfield, and that switch would be even more difficult at the spacious Petco Park. It remains to be seen if the Padres will follow this deal up with another deal, moving one of its first baseman for additional pieces.