JORGE MATEO MOVES TO SAN DIEGO
The San Diego Padres acquired infielder Jorge Mateo from the Oakland Athletics for a player to be named later.
What does it give the San Diego Padres
In Mateo, the Padres land a speedy, versatile player whose prospect status has dimmed recently. Still, he is capable of playing shortstop and has also been used in center field in the past. Look for Mateo to land a spot on San Diego's bench in 2020. His long-term path to a starting job seems blocked even more as a Padre (with both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado capable of manning the shortstop position in the big leagues).
What does it give the Oakland Athletics
After a few years of flirting with winning a permanent spot in Oakland, Mateo never fully realized his potential with the Athletics. So, it is no surprise that the A's decided to move him to another organization for a fresh start at this time. Mateo was not going to unseat Marcus Semien (a very good defensive shortstop with quality offensive production) in Oakland. Therefore, the team did Mateo a favor here by moving him to another franchise.
Fantasy impact
Mateo's speed could translate very well in fantasy baseball but he will only become a viable option if/when he becomes a regular player in MLB. That may never happen, so for now keep Mateo on the fantasy radar but leave him on the waiver wire/free agent pool in most leagues this season.
