The St. Louis Cardinals traded center fielder Jon Jay to the San Diego Padres for second baseman Jedd Gyorko and cash on Tuesday.
The Cardinals expect to use Gyorko, 26, as a super-utility player, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told ESPN's Jim Bowden.
Gyorko is owed $32 million on his contract with the Padres, which runs through 2019. The Padres are sending significant cash to Cards in the deal, a source tells Bowden.
Gyorko addressed the trade in a series of tweets Tuesday.
Want to thank and will always be grateful to the @Padres for giving me my chance in baseball! Will miss the relationships I've created there
— Jedd Gyorko (@JGyorko05) December 8, 2015With that being said, words can't describe how much I'm looking forward to playing in front of Cardinal Nation!! @Cardinals
— Jedd Gyorko (@JGyorko05) December 8, 2015Gyorko batted .247 with 16 home runs and 57 RBIs last season. In three seasons with the Padres he hit 49 home runs, including a career-best 23 during his rookie season in 2013.
Jay, 30, is a lifetime .287 hitter in six seasons with the Cardinals.
He had surgery on his left wrist before the 2015 season. He struggled with the injury all season, battling tendinitis and bone bruises, and played only 79 games, hitting a career-low .210 with one home run and 10 RBIs.
He's owed $6.85 million in 2016 and will then be a free agent.