The Padres dealt infielder Jedd Gyorko to the Cardinals on Tuesday, giving the former West Virginia star a chance to relaunch a career that soured since signing a six-year, $35 million contract in 2014.
Gyorko, 27, was traded for center fielder Jon Jay, with St. Louis also receiving $7.5 million in cash,the San Diego Tribune reported.
San Diego’s top prospect in 2013 when he finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting by leading the club in homers (23) and RBIs (63) and pacing all rookies in OBP (.301) and slugging (.444), Gyorko has dipped dramatically.
In 2014 he hit .210 with 10 home runs while missing 44 games with plantar fasciitis, and his 2015 started so poorly the Padres demoted Gyorko to Triple-A in June. A strong finish with the big-league club showed Gyorko might be regaining his pop despite subpar numbers (.247, 16 homers, 57 RBIs).
Gyorko, owed $32 million on a contract that runs through 2019, would be a pricey backup but gives the Cardinals a utility bat behind Matt Carpenter at third base and Kolten Wong at second.
At West Virginia, Gyorko won the 2010 Brooks Wallace Award given to the NCAA’s top shortstop before becoming a second-round pick of the Padres.