Quick hits: Nationals, Merrill, A's, Rays

Than that Padres And Nationals negotiated the blockbuster Juan Soto By trading before the 2022 trade deadline, the Nats were able to acquire such high-caliber young talent as CJ Abrams, James WoodAnd MacKenzie Gore as part of the six-player trade package. One player Washington didn't land was Jackson Merrillalthough Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that the Nationals have asked about Merrill as part of trade talks.

Although Merrill was the 27th overall pick of the 2021 draft, his potential success really took off when he started posting big numbers for the Padres' rookie league and A-ball affiliates during the 2022 season. In fact, at the time of the Soto trade, Merrill was limited to just 25 games in 2022 due to injuries, so the Nationals didn't process much scouting information when reviewing Merrill's potential availability. Although the Friars gave up a lot to bring Soto to San Diego, they appear to have succeeded in keeping Merrill, as his great rookie season helped lead the Padres to the NLDS this season. Merrill hit .292/.326/.500 with 24 home runs over 593 plate appearances and (even more notably) played strong defense as San Diego's everyday center fielder despite never having played center before in his professional career.

Some other baseball-related articles…

• Sutter Health Park in Sacramento will remain a natural grass stadium if that athletics Play will begin next season, a league spokesperson told the media (including Evan Drellich of The Athletic). Since the Giants' Triple-A affiliate will continue to share the ballpark with the A's, the original idea was to install an artificial surface for 2025 and beyond, since a grass field takes its fair share of wear and tear over two full schedules' worth of Play. However, players still preferred even a well-worn turf surface to grass, as playing on an outdoor artificial turf surface in California would routinely raise on-field temperatures to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, even during some night games. “Given the players' clear preference for natural turf and after weighing with the MLBPA the potential risks and benefits of retaining natural turf versus replacing the playing surface with artificial turf, all parties agree to move forward with a natural turf field for Opening Day 2025“, said the spokesman.
• In other stadium news: RaysThe immediate landing site is not yet clear as the club continues to assess how extensive Tropicana Field was damaged by Hurricane Milton. Amid speculation that the Rays could open the 2025 season in at least any number of different cities, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred made it clear in an interview on the Varsity podcast that the league prefers to host the Rays in Tampa/St. Pete area. “It's always easiest to stay in the market in which the clubs are anchored, if we can manage that,Manfred said regarding Tropicana Field: “We are confident the repairs can be made so they can play again.” However, Manfred is aware that “complication” about how the city might reject a major repair bill for a stadium that will soon be abandoned altogether as the Rays' new ballpark is scheduled to be ready for Opening Day in 2028. (Hat tip to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.)