The San Diego Padres have added so many new faces these last few months, but the most recent addition will enjoy a homecoming.
Joe Musgrove, who graduated from Grossmont High, is not just going to join the Padres pitching staff – he spent a good part of his childhood watching the team, according to MLB.com.
His family enjoyed games at the former Qualcomm Stadium and Petco Park, MLB reported, and he and idolized Jake Peavy, the Padres’ 2007 Cy Young Award winner.
With the Padres’ trade this week with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Musgrove will play for the team he loves.
“To be back in my hometown representing the city I grew up in, where all my dreams started, it’s extremely special,” Musgrove said earlier this week.
The three-way trade also involved the New York Mets. The Padres sent pitcher Joey Lucchesi, from the big club, to the Mets, while the Pirates will receive four minor leaguers from San Diego’s prospect-rich system, according to MLB.com.
The prospects: Hudson Head, an outfielder, and three pitchers, David Bednar, Omar Cruz and Drake Fellows.
With Musgrove’s arrival, the Padres continue to bolster a pitching staff already strengthened by trades for Blake Snell, formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Yu Darvish, a one-time Chicago Cub.
Musgrove began his career with the Houston Astros, with whom he won a World Series in 2017, then moved on to the Pirates the following year.
He has a career record of 29-38 with a 4.33 ERA and 465 strikeouts.
Aside from his bonafides, Padres general manager A.J. Preller noted Musgrove’s local connections.
“He’s a Padre fan, he grew up there, and wanting to win for his hometown club – we viewed that as a positive,” Preller said.
And boy, does he.
“Anywhere you play, you’re trying to win a championship,” Musgrove said, according to MLB.com. “But no championship would mean more than one for my own city.”
– Staff reports