PEORIA, Ariz. — Current and former teammates in recent days texted to ask if it was actually true.
One wrote: "Are they really still trying to trade Hos?"
Told that Eric Hosmer was, indeed, still being shopped, one replied:
"Jesus!"
Maybe these guys were the only ones who haven't been paying attention. Maybe they just didn't want to believe it. And, hey, maybe it won't happen. Several people involved in the Padres' construction process have said that for myriad reasons the safer bet is Hosmer is being on the opening-day roster.
But the Padres most certainly are attempting to create more payroll flexibility by talking with other teams about potential trades involving Hosmer (and, most importantly, at least a portion of his $20 million salary in 2022 and the $39 million due from 2023 to '25).
Hosmer, for his part, shrugs at the mention of the talk and says it's "part of the business." His indifference is likely at least a more sincere sentiment than when he said so last summer.
"I've never been through a trade deadline where my name was constantly being brought up, so that was a new experience for me last year," he said Tuesday. "But I feel like after that, I'm kind of numb to it now. I just realize it's all part of the business. You look at every roster throughout the league, there are one or two guys on each team that are untouchable. Everyone else is available. So I don't have hard feelings over it. I'm not hurt about it. That's just part of what we do."
Hosmer was, according to people close to him, more hurt than he let on when word leaked the Padres were in talks to move him before last year's deadline. Several teammates said he did not allow his feelings to show even inside the clubhouse, though some of them made it known at the time they thought it was a mistake to trade him. Multiple veterans also were dismayed no one from the front office gave Hosmer, a 10-year veteran, a heads-up his name might surface in trade rumors. Those players said they and other players they knew of had been notified in similar situations while with other teams.
"It's different wherever you go," said Hosmer, who spent seven seasons with the Royals before signing with the Padres before the 2018 season. "If my situation was in Kansas City, it would have been handled a little differently. But I'm not in Kansas City. I'm in San Diego. That's how they operate here. I'm not holding a grudge because no one came up to me and told me what's going on. I learned that's part of the business."
As if it weren't already clear enough Hosmer was considered expendable by the Padres' decision-makers, USA Today reported Tuesday the team had entered the "bidding war" for free agent first baseman Freddie Freeman. One person with knowledge of the Padres' machinations indicated that characterization was too strong. But the Padres even inquiring after Freeman at this point indicates a legitimate interest in the 2020 National League MVP.
Hosmer's .738 OPS in four seasons with the Padres is 43 points lower than his OPS with the Royals. Neither has his defense been reminiscent of his time with Kansas City, during which he won four Gold Gloves. His OPS-plus (with 100 denoting an average MLB player) since coming to San Diego is 102, nine points off his mark with the Royals.
Still, he is seen organization-wide as the one to have taught many young Padres how to navigate the ups and downs of the big leagues. He joined a floundering franchise in '18, and fellow Miamian Manny Machado followed a year later. Hosmer is among the small group of players who lobbied/convinced Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller that Fernando Tatis Jr. belonged on the roster at the start of '19.
Hosmer's arrival was hailed as helping hasten the Padres' window of contention. He would like to be here for the good stuff.
"I've seen Tati before he was Tati," Hosmer said. "I've seen guys get introduced to the league, get knocked down and trying to get back on their feet. Going through that stuff with guys, it would mean a lot to hoist a championship up. That's a special feeling. I've gotten to experience that before. That's what makes it that much more special — going through the grind and having the relationships, putting in the work. … When you're going through the fight with these guys, when you're going through the grind with all your teammates, when you're working, you build relationships. You get close with guys. You become more than friends.
"That's where I'm at with these guys. We've been through so much. We've been through struggles as a team; we've been through individual struggles together. We've had this crazy path together. That's the way I look at it. My teammates, if they know I'm doing everything I can to make this team better and help them win, that's what matters to me."
