The San Diego Padres acquired outfielder Jon Jay from the St. Louis Cardinals Tuesday in exchange for infielder Jedd Gyorko.
The Padres will also be sending $7.5 million to cover part of Gyorko’s contract to complete the deal, according to Padres.com
Jay fills what general manager A.J. Preller said was the biggest need in the offseason, a left-handed hitting outfielder.
Jay, 30, missed a good chunk of last season with a left wrist injury, but owns a career .287/.354/.384 batting line and has struck out 100 times or more only once in his six-year career, all with the Cardinals.
He’s also racked up some pretty impressive defense stats during his time with St. Louis.
Jon Jay owns a #Cardinals franchise record after he went 245 consecutive games in the outfield without an error from 2011-13. #Padres
— Friar Figures (@FriarFigures) December 8, 2015
Since the 2010 season, Jon Jay has the second-highest fielding percentage of any National League outfielder (.995). #Padres — Friar Figures (@FriarFigures) December 8, 2015
As it stands now, the Padres biggest need in the outfield is left field with the potential departure of Justin Upton in free agency, although Jay has spent most of his career in center field.
Gyorko was drafted by the Padres in 2010, and had a breakout rookie season in which he belted 23 home runs. Since then he has struggled to find his groove and has a .236 career batting average, while also making a stint in the minors last season.
After his breakout year the team signed him to a 5-year, $35 million extension with an option for a sixth year. He had played mostly second base and some third base during his time with the Padres, but also experimented with shortstop late last season.
According to the depth chart on the team’s website, Alexi Amarista is the only shortstop on the roster. The team could look to fill the gap until recently-acquired shortstop Javier Guerra is ready for the majors.






