At Least The Weather Is Nice - San Diego Padres, 2016 and Beyond

[Skitch929]

San Diego Padres 2017 Offseason Preview
November 7, 2017

With their most successful season in twenty years now behind them, the Padres go into the offseason searching for a way to build upon the progress made in 2017 and acquire the missing pieces needed to topple the mighty Mets empire in 2018. The team is not scheduled to lose any key players to free agency, although finances may force their way into the decision-making process more than GM Luke Armstrong has been used to in his two seasons in San Diego. Many players are due for a significant pay increase via arbitration, and outfielder Michael Brantley has an $11M contract option that Armstrong must decide on ASAP. There is pressure to keep the players that carried the Padres to a division title in 2017 and reward them with higher salaries, but doing so would keep the team out of the running for any high profile free agents and trade targets. The question for Armstrong will be is he satisfied with the roster that got San Diego far but not far enough, or is he willing to let a few players go to improve the squad in other areas and build a roster that can go all the way?

Michael Brantley's pending $11M option is the first big decision of San Diego's offseason

FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Budget: $150,000,000 (21st)
Payroll: $104,862,500 (17th)
$ for FA: $16,935,500
$ for Ext: $9,155,500
Market Size: Average
Fan Loyalty: Very Good
Fan Interest: 85
Ticket Price: $18.50

RETIREMENTS
None

CONTRACT OPTION DECISIONS
3B Martin Prado - player voided $6M option
LF Michael Brantley - $11M team option or $0 buyout

ARBITRATION ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
SP Sonny Gray (12-13, 3.45 ERA, 33 GS) - $9.35M arbitration estimate
SP Drew Pomeranz (9-7, 4.13 ERA, 21 GS @ AAA) - $800k arbitration estimate
SP Michael Wacha (14-9, 3.35 ERA, 33 GS) - $7.35M arbitration estimate
RP Liam Hendriks (8-1, 2.45 ERA, 71 G) - $2.4M arbitration estimate
RP Mike Morin (3-0, 1.73 ERA, 78 G) - $2.1M arbitration estimate
RP Jake Odorizzi (3-10, 27 SV, 4.53 ERA, 54 G) - $1.1M arbitration estimate
RP Wily Peralta (10-5, 3.23 ERA, 23 G @ AAA) - $850k arbitration estimate
RP Kevin Quackenbush (3-1, 3.19 ERA, 46 G) - $3.8M arbitration estimate
RP Felipe Rivero (3-2, 3.60 ERA, 88 G) - $1.3M arbitration estimate
CL Carter Capps (4-5, 47 SV, 2.19 ERA) - $4.62M arbitration estimate
2B Jean Segura (.329, 4 HR, 42 RBI @ AAA) - $892k arbitration estimate
2B Cody Spangenberg (.287, 9 HR, 52 RBI) - $4M arbitration estimate
3B Wilmer Flores (.301, 11 HR, 75 RBI) - $2.8M arbitration estimate
SS Eugenio Suarez (.271, 31 HR, 95 RBI) - $4.41M arbitration estimate
LF J.B. Shuck (.328, 0 HR, 18 RBI @ AAA) - $950k arbitration estimate
RF Randal Grichuk (.249, 27 HR, 89 RBI) - $3.57M arbitration estimate
RF Brandon Guyer (.267, 8 HR, 47 RBI) - $3M arbitration estimate

PENDING FREE AGENTS
SP Alex Cobb (5-9, 5.28 ERA, 36 G, 22 GS)
RP Luke Gregerson (2-1, 5.31 ERA, 56 G)
C Wilson Ramos (.180, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 46 G)
3B Martin Prado (.296, 4 HR, 49 RBI, 140 G)
CF Angel Pagan (.314, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 19 G)

PERSONNEL
Bench coach Joe Pettini retired the day the season ended and the organization has begun the search for his replacement. Manager Ron Washington did a great job in his first season as head skipper and has solid job security moving forward, and the rest of the staff that was assembled before the 2017 season will return for another year as well.


Elsewhere around the league...

Notable Retirees
3B Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (.291, 714 HR, 2137 RBI, 2908 G)

Notable Voided Contracts
SP Wei-Yin Chen (13-10, 4.65 ERA w/ TB) (player voided)
SP Yovani Gallardo (12-9, 4.79 ERA w/ BAL)
SP Hyun-jin Ryu (14-7, 3.45 ERA w/ LAD) (player voided)
RP Craig Kimbrel (4-4, 35 SV, 2.64 ERA w/ BOS)
RP Huston Street (6-5, 2 SV, 3.69 ERA w/ LAA)
RP Masahiro Tanaka (7-10, 3 SV, 5.14 ERA w/ NYY) (player opted out)
C Yadier Molina (.231, 8 HR, 36 RBI w/ STL)
2B Ian Kinsler (.235, 10 HR, 39 RBI w/ DET)
SS Jose Reyes (.280, 6 HR, 50 RBI w/ COL)

Notable Transactions
None

League Personnel Moves
-Chicago Cubs (87-76) did not renew manager Matt Merullo.
-Los Angeles Dodgers (82-80) fired manager Dave Roberts and immediately replaced him with bench coach Bob Geren.
-Milwaukee Brewers (88-75) did not renew manager Pat Murphy.
-Minnesota Twins (95-67) manager Paul Molitor retired.
-Pittsburgh Pirates (84-78) did not renew manager Dave Jauss.
-St. Louis Cardinals (79-83) fired manager Mike Matheny.
-Washington Nationals (86-76) did not renew manager Steve Liddle.

[Skitch929]

2017 Offseason Update #1
November 21, 2017

It was a relatively quiet beginning to the Padres' offseason. The team made headlines early on when it was announced that Michael Brantley would be returning after San Diego picked up his $11M option. Brantley hit .261 with 5 HR and 26 RBI in his 54 games with the Padres after coming over from Cleveland in July and will man left field while the team considers negotiations for an extension. Later, San Diego missed out on their top choice for the vacant bench coach position when Gary Green accepted the manager position in Milwaukee. Green was drafted in the first round by the Padres during his playing days and the organization thought it would be a fitting homecoming, but the former shortstop took the opportunity to be the head skipper for defending NL Central champs. Otherwise, no Padre made news for winning any awards and GM Luke Armstrong did not make any news for shipping any players out of town. For now the team appears to be standing pat, but as arbitration approaches and money starts to become an issue you never know what might happen.

Carter Capps led all of baseball in saves but did not finish in the top three in Reliever of the Year voting

MLB Awards
(times won in parenthesis)
AL Gold Glove
P Martin Perez, TEX (1)
C Blake Swihart, BOS (1)
1B Miguel Cabrera, DET (1)
2B Dustin Pedroia, BOS (5)
3B Josh Donaldson, TOR (1)
SS Raul A. Mondesi, KC (1)
LF Alex Gordon, KC (6)
CF Jackie Bradley Jr, BOS (1)
RF Mookie Betts, BOS (1)

NL Gold Glove
P Daniel Winkler, ATL (1)
C Tony Wolters, COL (1)
1B Anthony Rizzo, CHC (1)
2B DJ LeMahieu, COL (3)
3B Nolan Arenado, COL (5)
SS Ozhaino Albies, ATL (1)
LF Christian Yelich, MIA (2)
CF Billy Hamilton, CIN (2)
RF Raimel Tapia, COL (1)

AL Silver Slugger
C Salvador Perez, KC (1)
1B Greg Bird, NYY (1)
2B Rougned Odor, TEX (1)
3B Manny Machado, BAL (1)
SS Carlos Correa, HOU (2)
LF Akiyoshi Komiyama, NYY (1)
CF Mike Trout, LAA (6)
RF Miguel Sano, MIN (1)
DH Kennys Vargas, MIN (1)

NL Silver Slugger
P Noah Syndergaard, NYM (1)
C Yasmani Grandal, LAD (2)
1B Lucas Duda, NYM (1)
2B Neil Walker, NYM (3)
3B Nolan Arenado, COL (2)
SS Corey Seager, LAD (2)
LF Michael Conforto, NYM (2)
CF Andrew McCutchen, PIT (5)
RF Bryce Harper, WAS (3)

Manager of the Year
AL: Jeff Bannister, TEX (1)
NL: Terry Collins, NYM (2)

Reliever of the Year
AL: Zach Britton, BAL (2) = 8-3, 35 SV, 1.41 ERA, 12.3 K/9 (2nd: Aroldis Chapman, LAA; 3rd: Charlie Furbush, CLE)
NL: Hunter Strickland, SF (1) = 10-4, 34 SV, 2.01 ERA, 9.3 K/9 (2nd: Carl Edwards Jr, CHC; 3rd: AJ Ramos, COL)

Rookie of the Year
AL: Ryan O'Hearn, KC = .270, 29 HR, 83 RBI (2nd: Akiyoshi Komiyama, NYY; 3rd: Nick Gordon, MIN)
NL: Jesse Winkler, CIN = .273, 24 HR, 86 RBI (2nd: Eric Jagielo, CIN; 3rd: David Dahl, COL)

Cy Young Award
AL: Aroldis Chapman, LAA (1) = 6-3, 37 SV, 1.59 ERA, 14.1 K/9 (2nd: Zach Britton, BAL; 3rd: Cole Hamels, TEX)
NL: Max Scherzer, WAS (3) = 13-10, 2.59 ERA, 247 K (2nd: Gerrit Cole, PIT; 3rd: Jose Fernandez, MIA)

MVP Award
AL: Mike Trout, LAA (2) = .309, 47 HR, 107 RBI, 17 SB (2nd: Rougned Odor, TEX; 3rd: Miguel Sano, MIN)
NL: Bryce Harper, WAS (2) = .330, 46 HR, 106 RBI, 3 SB (2nd: Nolan Arenado, COL; 3rd: Neil Walker, NYM)


Notable Transactions
11/10 - Toronto Blue Jays signed 3B Josh Donaldson to a 1yr/18M extension. Josh has hit 106 home runs and has won an MVP in his three years with the Jays.
11/10 - Baltimore Orioles signed CL Zach Britton to a 1yr/13.7M extension. Britton has won back-to-back Reliever of the Year awards and took home the Cy Young award two years ago.
11/10 - Cincinnati Reds signed CF Billy Hamilton to a 6yr/$77M extension. The speedy outfielder has stolen at least 53 bases in his four full big league seasons.
11/10 - Washington Nationals signed RF Bryce Harper to a 1yr/$18.2M extension. Harper has won two of the last three NL MVP awards.
11/10 - New York Mets signed SP Noah Syndergaard to a 7yr/$77M extension. The righty has won 37 games the past two years and has been a major piece of the new Mets dynasty.
11/10 - Chicago Cubs signed 3B Kris Bryant to a 7yr/$125.2M extension. The 25-year-old has averaged 30 HR in his first three big league seasons.
11/18 - Cleveland Indians traded 2B Jason Kipnis (.238, 6 HR, 38 RBI) and $3.8M cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates for SP Jameson Taillon (5-4, 3.34 ERA, 21 G, 10 GS).

League Personnel Moves
11/17 - Milwaukee Brewers hired manager Gary Green to a 2-year contract. Green last managed in 2010 at the Single-A level.
11/17 - Washington Nationals hired manager Frank Kremblas to a 1-year contract. Kremblas has 15 years of minor league managing experience, most recently at Single-A in 2013.
11/17 - Minnesota Twins hired manager Steve Liddle to a 4-year contract. Liddle managed the Washington Nationals to 86 wins and a wildcard appearance last season.
11/17 - St. Louis Cardinals hired manager Rich Rowland to a 1-year contract. Rowland played from 1990-1995 and has never managed before at any level.
11/20 - Chicago Cubs hired manager Mike Matheny to a 4-year contract. Matheny had a .565 winning percentage and went to the playoffs in five of six seasons with the Cardinals.

[Skitch929]

2017 Offseason Update #2
November 30, 2017

It was only a matter of time. With arbitration and free agency inching closer, Padres GM Luke Armstrong just couldn't sit still any longer. The man who has earned a reputation for making several roster-altering trades in a short span of time was at it again in mid-November, pulling off four deals in a matter of days that altered the team's plans for the rest of the offseason and likely bolstered their chances of returning to the playoffs next year.

NOVEMBER 22
Padres get:
SS Alex Bregman (.266, 7 HR, 35 RBI, 77 G)
3B Matt E. Duffy (.231, 11 HR, 38 RBI)

Astros get:
2B Carlos Sanchez (.301, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 40 G)
1B Dominic Smith (.350, 26 HR, 122 RBI @ A / AA)
CF Rafael Bautista (35 SB @ AA / AAA)
RP Alex Daniele (0.5 stars)

Analysis: Alex Bregman is a 23-year-old shortstop who was ranked the #34 prospect in baseball before the start of the 2016 season but was being blocked at the big league level by the presence of the Astros' other shortstop, 2016 AL MVP Carlos Correa. When Correa missed five weeks this year with a strained forearm, Bregman filled in admirably and got the attention of the Padres, who will presumably pencil him in as next year's opening day starter. Duffy was the runner-up for the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year award but fell off considerably in his sophomore season, sporting an OBP of just .291 and spending a portion of the year at Triple-A following a demotion. The big prize Houston acquires in return for these two infielders is Dominic Smith, who was just named San Diego's Minor League Player of the Year and has loads of talent but also seemed to have a difficult path to the majors due to the presence of Jose Abreu. The young and speedy Rafael Bautista, who has bounced back and forth between the majors and Triple-A during his time in San Diego, and solid utility infielder Carlos Sanchez also head to Houston and figure to make the team's opening day roster next year.

NOVEMBER 22
Padres get:
SP Chris Sale (16-11, 3.02 ERA, 211 K)
2B Eddy Alvarez (.266, 6 HR, 37 RBI @ AAA)
$5M Cash

White Sox get:
2B Cory Spangenberg (.287, 9 HR, 52 RBI)
SP Luis Diaz (12-9, 4.12 ERA, 163 K @ AAA)
RP Neil Ramirez (2-1, 4.10 ERA, 49 G w/ CHC)
C T.J. Collett (4.0 stars)

Analysis: Much like last offseason, San Diego went to the perpetually rebuilding White Sox to strike up a deal for one of their biggest names. This time it's pitcher Chris Sale, who is coming off a season in which he led the American League in ERA and is one of the better lefty starters in the game. Sale puts an exclamation mark on what is now perhaps the only rotation in baseball that can compete with the mighty Mets and is easily the best in the division, even with the presence of Clayton Kershaw up north in Los Angeles. Acquiring Sale cost a pretty penny, both in what the Padres gave up and his financial impact ($12.5M salary next year), so he'll need to deliver on his potential right away. Cory Spangenberg heads to Chicago after a very promising 2017 season in San Diego and gives the Sox a full-time starter in an infield that has been riddled with platoon players and underachievers the past few seasons. Parting with Spangenberg was reportedly not an easy decision for the San Diego front office, as the 26-year-old is ranked the 7th best starting 2B in the league, but the acquisition of shortstop Alex Bregman earlier in the day made the infield too crowded and left Cory as the odd man out. Joining him is Luis Diaz, the Padres' highest rated pitching prospect after Lucas Giolito, as well as proven reliever Neil Ramirez and 2016 first-round draft choice TJ Collett.

NOVEMBER 23
Padres get:
RP Brad Roney (3-3, 2.81 ERA, 86 G)

Red Sox get:
RP Liam Hendriks (8-1, 2.45 ERA, 71 G)
LF Cory Campbell (1.5 stars)
RP Janigson Villalobos (1.0 stars)

Analysis: Hendriks has been a quality piece of the solid San Diego bullpen since coming to the team halfway through 2016, but the organization did not want to pony up the estimated $2.4M he was set to make in arbitration. Despite winning 20 games and sporting a quality 2.92 ERA over the last three seasons combined, Hendriks has been shipped to Boston along with a pair of prospects in exchange for 25-year-old Brad Roney who is coming off a solid rookie year. The Sox jettisoned former closer Craig Kimbrel and were looking for some help in the later innings, so they liked Hendriks' ability to serve as a set-up man over Roney's middle-of-the-game potential. Meanwhile San Diego gets to save a good chunk of change in salary as Roney is set to make the league minimum for the next two seasons.

NOVEMBER 24
Padres get:
LF Dwight Smith Jr (.314, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 58 G @ AAA)
$4M Cash

Blue Jays get:
RP Kevin Quackenbush (3-1, 3.19 ERA, 46 G)
SP Drew Pomeranz (9-7, 4.13 ERA @ AAA)
RP Nick Monroe (1.0 stars)

Analysis: Another casualty of impending arbitration, longtime Padre Kevin Quackenbush has been shipped north of the border so the team can avoid his estimated $3.8M salary next year. Quack served as San Diego's closer in 2016 and managed to save 39 games despite the team's lousy record, and then was a professional and did not make waves when he was removed the position last year with the emergence of Carter Capps. He should do well for a Toronto team that has made the playoffs three years in a row. In return San Diego picks up some extra spending money and Dwight Smith Jr, a 25-year-old outfielder who has never broken out of Triple-A but has good potential at the plate and in the field and has a shot to make the big league roster as a reserve outfielder next year.

Adding Chris Sale from the White Sox gives the Padres arguably the best rotation in baseball

Team Notes
-Preparations for the upcoming arbitration hearings didn't stop with these trades. San Diego was busy negotiating longer extensions with a pair of players all week long and eventually ended up coming to an agreement with each of them the night before the hearings were scheduled to take place. First, shortstop Eugenio Suarez inked a 3yr/$14.5M extension that will earn him a bit more money next season than he might have earned in arbitration but will keep his overall cost low through 2020. Shortly after, starting pitcher Michael Wacha agreed to a 2yr/16.8M extension that will earn him the highest salary of his career but will keep him relatively cheap in comparison to his rotation mates Tyson Ross, Sonny Gray, and now Chris Sale.
-When arbitration finally did hit, the Padres won their cases with RF Randal Grichuk, SP Jake Odorizzi, SP Wily Peralta, MR Felipe Rivero, and LF J.B. Shuck. They lost their cases with CL Carter Capps ($5.5M), 2B Wilmer Flores ($3.4M), SP Sonny Gray ($10.6M), and RP Mike Morin ($2.5M). 2B Jean Segura and RF Brandon Guyer were not offered anything and became free agents.
-SP Alex Cobb, RP Luke Gregerson, CF Angel Pagan, 3B Martin Prado, and C Wilson Ramos were not offered contract extensions and all became free agents as well.


International Free Agents
Aside from a handful of light-hitting middle infielders who may never reach the big league level, the only notable international free agent this offseason is starting pitcher Kyozo Nakagawa out of Japan. The 25-year-old left hander has excellent stamina and currently projects as a #3 or #4 starter in the majors, but with the right development could end up as a solid #2 guy somewhere. He is expected to command around $8.7M/yr on the open market.

League Personnel Moves
11/23 - Pittsburgh Pirates hired manager Dave Martinez to a 4-year contract. Martinez was the bench coach for the Chicago Cubs for the last two seasons and takes his first head skipper position.

Baseball News Network's Top Free Agents
1) RF J.D. Martinez, 30. Rumored demands: $25.3M/yr, 8 yrs. Interested teams: NYM, SF, LAD
2) 1B Lucas Duda, 31. Rumored demands: $25.3M/yr, 6 yrs. Interested teams: PHI, BOS, NYM, PIT
3) 1B Yonder Alonso, 30. Rumored demands: $19.8M/yr, 5 yrs.
4) C Jonathan Lucroy, 31. Rumored demands: $19.5M/yr, 5 yrs.
5) 1B Dae-ho Lee, 35. Rumored demands: $18.6M/yr, 4 yrs.
6) SP Nathan Eovaldi, 27. Rumored demands: $18.4M/yr, 8 yrs. Interested teams: STL
7) LF Matt Holliday, 37. Rumored demands: $17.7M/yr, 4 yrs.
8) CL Craig Kimbrel, 29. Rumored demands: $17.5M/yr, 5 yrs.
9) CL Mark Melancon, 32. Rumored demands: $16.6M/yr, 6 yrs.
10) SP Yu Darvish, 31. Rumored demands: $16.4M/yr, 7 yrs. Interested teams: WAS, SF, MIL, NYY
11) CL Tony Watson, 32. Rumored demands: $15.4M/yr, 6 yrs.
12) SP Wei-Yin Chen, 32. Rumored demands: $13.5M/yr, 6 yrs. Interested teams: MIN, CLE, BAL
13) SP Hisashi Iwakuma, 36. Rumored demands: $13.5M/yr, 5 yrs. Interested teams: TB, BOS, CHC, WAS
14) SP Anibal Sanchez, 33. Rumored demands: $13M/yr, 5 yrs. Interested teams: TEX, STL, CLE, MIL
15) SP Matt Moore, 28. Rumored demands: $12.7M/yr, 5 yrs. Interested teams: PHI, NYM, CHC, WAS
16) DH David Ortiz, 42. Rumored demands: $12.3M/yr, 4 yrs.
17) CL Steve Cishek, 31. Rumored demands: $10.5M/yr, 5 yrs.
18) 3B Todd Frazier, 31. Rumored demands: $10.5M/yr, 6 yrs. Interested teams: STL, NYM, LAA, PIT
19) SP Francisco Liriano, 34. Rumored demands: $10.5M/yr, 4 yrs. Interested teams: MIN, SF, LAA, PIT
20) 1B Mark Teixeira, 37. Rumored demands: $10.5M/yr, 1 yr.
21) 2B Ian Kinsler, 35. Rumored demands: $10.4M/yr, 5 yrs.
22) CL Mark Lowe, 34. Rumored demands: $10.3M/yr, 5 yrs.
23) 1B John Jaso, 34. Rumored demands: $10.2M/yr, 2 yrs.
24) SP Josh Johnson, 33. Rumored demands: $10.2M/yr, 5 yrs. Interested teams: COL
25) RP Wade Davis, 32. Rumored demands: $9.4M/yr, 6 yrs.

[Skitch929]

2017 Offseason Update #3
December 20, 2017

The beginning of free agency was nowhere near as exciting for San Diego as the whirlwind of trades that went down before it. The team does not appear to be in on any of the big names floating around on the free agent market, instead opting to pick up bit players to fill reserve and minor league roles. "We aren't going to spend money just for the sake of spending money," GM Luke Armstrong told the local media when asked about his free agent plans. "Right now we don't feel like there is anyone out there who is the one missing piece. We're pretty happy with our roster the way it is and we're only going to add players when it makes sense, not to make headlines." The Padres signed four players to major league deals, all one year in length and all for under $1M. Starting pitchers Sean Nolin and Rookie Davis (best name ever) were brought in to add depth and insurance in the undesirable event of injuries to the big league staff, and each will begin next season in the minors. Catcher Shawn Zarraga (.293 AVG @ AAA) was signed to compete for the backup job at the big league level, and 25-year-old outfielder Aneury Tavarez (14 HR @ AA / AAA) will compete for a reserve spot in the outfield with the likes of Boog Powell, Travis Jankowski, JB Shuck, and Dwight Smith Jr. San Diego also inked a handful of players to minor league deals, most notably a 25-year-old pitcher named Kyle Crick who has plus-plus stuff and plus-movement to go along with an arsenal of four very good pitches. So why the minor league deal? Crick has some of the worst control that scouts around the league have ever seen. Last year he walked 80 batters while striking out 93 in 91 innings between Double-A and Triple-A and frequently draws comparisons to Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh from the film Bull Durham.

Is minor league signee Kyle Crick the real-life Nuke LaLoosh?

Team Notes
-After losing out on their top choice for the vacant bench coach position, San Diego finally found their man and hired 51-year-old Chris Donnels to do the job. Donnels played professionally from 1991-2002 for five different MLB teams and has never managed before at any level, but the organization loved his interview and believes he will have a very good relationship with many of the team's players.


Notable Trades
12/3 - Toronto Blue Jays sent 3B Travis Shaw (.301, 21 HR, 74 RBI) to the New York Mets for RP Sean Gilmartin (6-3, 2.71 ERA, 86 G) and prospect SP Hayden Stone (1.5 stars). Shaw figures to take over the Mets 3B job from the rapidly declining David Wright.
12/8 - Seattle Mariners traded 1B Kendrys Morales (.268, 5 HR, 27 RBI) and a 3rd round draft pick to the New York Mets for RF Alex Dickerson (.278, 15 HR, 52 RBI). The Mets are working quickly to rebuild their roster, as Morales will take over for departed free agent Lucas Duda.
12/20 - New York Yankees sent C Gary Sanchez (.233, 26 HR, 70 RBI) to the Texas Rangers in exchange for RP Nick Tepesch (4-2, 5.97 ERA @ AAA) and prospect SP Jordan Sheffield (2.0 stars). Sanchez became expendable for the Yanks after the signing of Jonathan Lucroy (see below).

Notable Signings
12/13 - New York Yankees signed RP Masahiro Tanaka (7-10, 5.14 ERA) to a 3yr/$5.8M contract. Tanaka went 32-26 as a starter for the Yanks the past three seasons but appears to be transitioning to a reliever.
12/15 - New York Yankees signed 3B Todd Frazier (.240, 17 HR, 76 RBI) to a 3yr/$28.2M contract. The 31-year-old will take over for the retired Alex Rodriguez and departed Adrian Beltre at third.
12/16 - New York Yankees signed C Jonathan Lucroy (.285, 13 HR, 63 RBI) to a 2yr/$34.4M deal. The former All-Star will start behind the plate and is another prize for the suddenly buy-happy Yankees.
12/16 - Los Angeles Angels signed SP Hisashi Iwakuma (10-16, 5.34 ERA) to a 3yr/$37.2M contract. The 36-year-old went 71-51 in six seasons with Seattle after coming over from Japan in 2012.
12/20 - San Francisco Giants signed LF Andre Ethier (.236, 4 HR, 19 RBI) to a 1yr/$4.4M deal. Ethier had been reduced to a part-time player for the Dodgers but now gets a chance to start for the rival Giants.
12/20 - Texas Rangers signed RF J.D. Martinez (.249, 24 HR, 78 RBI) to a 5yr/$109M contract. The outfielder has hit 97 HR the last three seasons combined and joins a Texas squad that already led all of baseball in dingers last year.

Baseball News Network's Top Free Agents
1) 1B Lucas Duda, 31. Rumored demands: $24.5M/yr, 6 yrs. Interested teams: CHC, KC, LAD, WAS
2) 1B Dae-ho Lee, 35. Rumored demands: $19.5M/yr, 4 yrs. Interested teams: WAS, MIL
3) SP Yu Darvish, 31. Rumored demands: $17.4M/yr, 7 yrs. Interested teams: HOU, NYY, LAD, PIT
4) SP Nathan Eovaldi, 27. Rumored demands: $17.3M/yr, 8 yrs. Interested teams: TEX, TOR, PIT, SF
5) LF Matt Holliday, 37. Rumored demands: $16.7M/yr, 4 yrs.
6) CL Craig Kimbrel, 29. Rumored demands: $16.4M/yr, 5 yrs.
7) CL Mark Melancon, 32. Rumored demands: $15.5M/yr, 6 yrs.
8) 1B Yonder Alonso, 30. Rumored demands: $14.8M/yr, 4 yrs.
9) CL Tony Watson, 32. Rumored demands: $14.4M/yr, 6 yrs.
10) SP Matt Moore, 28. Rumored demands: $13.5M/yr, 6 yrs. Interested teams: NYY, SEA, NYM, TEX
11) SP Anibal Sanchez, 33. Rumored demands: $12.5M/yr, 5 yrs. Interested teams: PIT, MIL, CHW, NYM
12) DH David Ortiz, 42. Rumored demands: $12.3M/yr, 4 yrs. Interested teams: TB
13) CL Steve Cishek, 31. Rumored demands: $10.5M/yr, 5 yrs.
14) SP Francisco Liriano, 34. Rumored demands: $10.5M/yr, 4 yrs. Interested teams: LAA, CLE, BOS, MIL
15) CL Mark Lowe, 34. Rumored demands: $10.3M/yr, 5 yrs.
16) SP Josh Johnson, 33. Rumored demands: $10.2M/yr, 5 yrs. Interested teams: CHC, ARI, TEX, BOS
17) 1B Mark Teixeira, 37. Rumored demands: $10M/yr, 1 yr.
18) RP Wade Davis, 32. Rumored demands: $9.4M/yr, 6 yrs. Interested teams: OAK
19) CL Greg Holland, 32. Rumored demands: $9.2M/yr, 4 yrs.
20) RF Carlos Gonzalez, 32. Rumored demands: $9M/yr, 5 yrs. Interested teams: WAS, BOS, NYY, LAD
21) 3B Martin Prado, 34. Rumored demands: $8.5M/yr, 4 yrs. Interested teams: STL, CHC, BAL
22) RP Francisco Rodriguez, 35. Rumored demands: $8.3M/yr, 4 yrs.
23) RP Antonio Bastardo, 32. Rumored demands: $8M/yr, 6 yrs.
24) RP Koji Uehara, 42. Rumored demands: $7.8M/yr, 3 yrs.
25) RP Charlie Furbush, 31. Rumored demands: $7.5M/yr, 3 yrs.

[Skitch929]

Offseason Update #4
February 2, 2018

The Padres remained quiet on the free agency front by not signing any more players but they tinkered with the big league roster during the Winter Meetings via other means. First, the team hooked up with the Seattle Mariners for the second straight offseason to acquire some MLB-ready youngsters in exchange for a greater quantity of prospects.

DECEMBER 23
Padres get:
SS Ketel Marte (.263, 8 HR, 46 RBI)
LF Guillermo Heredia (.222, 5 HR, 18 RBI)
RF Dario Pizzano (.240, 3 HR, 52 RBI @ AA)

Mariners get:
1B Seijii Arai (3.5 stars)
RP Hansel Robles (3.0 stars)
C Austin Allen (2.0 stars)
3B Matthew Annunziata (1.5 stars)
SP Austin Smith (1.5 stars)

Marte was the full-time starting shortstop for Seattle the last two seasons but underwhelmed in each, failing to register an OBP higher than .310 and stealing just 33 combined bases despite possessing great speed. His expected role with San Diego isn't initially clear, as the club already has the newly acquired Alex Bregman penciled in at short and last year's team batting champ Wilmer Flores at 2B, but the speculation is that Marte will push Flores for playing time due to the incumbent's poor defense and lack of speed. Heredia and Pizzano are both average outfielders who have never seen regular playing time at the MLB level but add even more depth and potential reserve options to a position that saw a lot of guys go on the disabled list last year. Seattle felt it was time to move on and sell as high as possible on this trio of players, and the haul they got in return was none too shabby. Seijii Arai gave California League pitchers fits last season en route to 30 HR and a second-place finish in the league's MVP voting, while Allen, Annunziata, and Smith were all named to their respective league's All-Star teams. Robles owns a quality 3.34 ERA in 72.2 big-league innings spread out over the past three seasons and gives the Mariners their only MLB-ready player in this deal, as the righty is expected to earn set-up duties next year.

With further depth and a greater breadth of options added in both the infield and outfield, the Padres then turned their attention to the Rule 5 draft. To make room for all of the players they wished to protect on their 40-man roster, the club designated catcher Ramon Cabrera, outfielder JB Shuck, and recently signed pitcher Sean Nolin for assignment and ended up selecting catcher Dom Nunez in the first round. Nunez is a 23-year-old project player who has never made it above Single-A, but San Diego saw a lot of potential in him and felt he could provide excellent value down the line (if he can make it through this season on the big league roster). He'll compete for the backup catcher job in Spring Training and likely has a leg up on the competition given his roster stipulations. One round later the Washington Nationals scooped up Sean Nolin, ending the lefty's tenure with the Padres before it even began.

Ketel Marte's superior fielding skills should earn him some playing time in a crowded infield

Hall of Fame Inductees
3B Chipper Jones (.303, 468 HR, 1623 RBI, 2726 H) (1st year of eligibility)
1B Jim Thome (.276, 612 HR, 1699 RBI, 2328 H) (1st year of eligibility)

Notable Trades
12/23 - Kansas City Royals sent SS Marcus Semien (.293, 14 HR, 65 RBI), a 1st round draft pick, and $2M cash to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for SP Tyler P. Wilson (7-7, 4.08 ERA).
12/24 - In what essentially boiled down to a three-team trade, the Boston Red Sox acquired RP Ryne Harper (2-2, 4.40 ERA, 58 G) from Seattle and SP Mike Leake (10-10, 4.48 ERA) and a 2nd round pick from St. Louis; St. Louis acquired already-mentioned former Padre 3B Matthew Annunziata (1.5 stars) from Seattle and light-hitting but defensive wiz C Christian Vazquez (3.0 stars) from Boston; and Seattle acquired 2B Deven Marrero (3.0 stars) from Boston.
1/5 - Detroit Tigers traded away SS Dixon Machado (.346, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 70 G) to the Washington Nationals in exchange for RP Trevor Gott (9-6, 2.92 ERA, 71 G) and RP Jefry Rodriguez (2-11, 6.32 ERA, 19 GS @ AA). Gott is expected to be the Tigers' new closer.

Notable Signings
12/21 - Los Angeles Angels signed DH David Ortiz (.217, 26 HR, 76 RBI) to a 1yr/$10M contract. Big Papi and new teammate Albert Pujols are MLB's top two active HR leaders (566 and 616, respectively).
12/21 - San Francisco Giants signed SP Wei-Yin Chen (13-10, 4.65 ERA) to a 2yr/$24.8M deal. Chen threw the league's last no-hitter in September 2016.
12/30 - Seattle Mariners signed SP Kyozo Nakagawa to a 3yr/$22M contact. The 25-year-old lefty is the top international player in this year's free agent class.
12/31 - Baltimore Orioles signed 3B Adrian Beltre (.357, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 41 G) to a 1yr/$5.1M deal. The 38-year-old Beltre is 33 hits away from becoming the 28th player in history to reach 3,000 in a career.
1/4 - Washington Nationals signed 1B Dae-ho Lee (.289, 30 HR, 76 RBI) to a 2yr/$29.8M contract. Lee already joins his 3rd team in just his 3rd MLB season.
1/6 - Minnesota Twins signed SP Francisco Liriano (8-14, 4.06 ERA) to a 2yr/$28M contract. Liriano broke into the league with the Twins and played for them from 2005-2011.
1/8 - Milwaukee Brewers signed 1B Lucas Duda (.252, 40 HR, 102 RBI) to a 2yr/$51.8M deal. Duda will now hit cleanup for the team he helped eliminate in the NLDS.
1/16 - San Francisco Giants signed 3B Martin Prado (.296, 4 HR, 49 RBI) to a 2yr/$19.2M contract. Prado opted out of his contract with the Padres earlier this offseason.
1/16 - Toronto Blue Jays signed SP Yu Darvish (13-11, 4.88 ERA) to a 5yr/$120.6M contract. The 31-year-old Japanese pitcher gives the Jays arguably the best rotation in the AL East.
1/24 - Toronto Blue Jays signed RF Jose Bautista (.218, 9 HR, 33 RBI) to a 1yr/$870k deal. Bautista will return for his 10th season in Toronto after playing for the Giants last year.
1/28 - Baltimore Orioles signed SP Anibal Sanchez (7-7, 3.25 ERA) to a 3yr/$54M contract. The next game Sanchez wins will be the 100th of his career.

Notable Extensions
12/22 - St Louis Cardinals signed SP Adam Wainwright (11-9, 3.36 ERA) to a 2yr/$38M contract extension. The 36-year-old Wainwright has played his entire career with the Cards and has won 145 games since he debuted in 2005.
1/9 - New York Mets signed SP Matt Harvey (10-12, 3.54 ERA) to a 5yr/$123.4 M contract extension. Harvey owns a career 2.84 ERA in his five major league seasons and had a dazzling 1.45 ERA this past postseason to lead the Mets to their second straight championship.

[Skitch929]

Spring Training 2018
March 4, 2018


Former #2 overall pick Alex Bregman will get his first full-time gig in a hungry San Diego lineup

With pitchers and catchers reporting in the last few weeks and the remainder of players now showing up to camp, it's finally time to put the business of the offseason to bed and get back to the games on the field. San Diego didn't go through quite as big of an overhaul as they did last year, which makes sense given that the team won 97 games and their first division title in over a decade, but there are still some new faces in town and a handful of key players to watch as Spring Training gets underway. Here are some of the names that the organization and fans alike will have an eye on during these preseason games:

SS Alex Bregman
The 23-year-old infielder has been a highly touted prospect the last few seasons and finally broke into the bigs last year while filling in for the injured Carlos Correa in Houston. He put up respectable numbers in his rookie stint (.266, 7 HR, 35 RBI, 77 G), but now the training wheels are off and he will be asked to do a lot of heavy lifting on offense. Already penciled in as the club's cleanup hitter, can the youngster live up to his high expectations in his first full-time opportunity or will there still be some growing pains?

SP Lucas Giolito
Featured in this same space last year, Giolito's rookie campaign did not deliver on the promise that accompanied him to San Diego. Rated as the top prospect in the game prior to the season, the 23-year-old righty went just 8-8 with a 4.35 ERA and was even sent back down to the minors for the month of August to regain his form. He's back as the club's fifth starter this year and won't be counted on to carry the load with four proven starters ahead of him, but Giolito will need to show improvement in his sophomore season to prove that his previous hype was not unjustified.

SP Sonny Gray
Which Sonny will show up this year? Gray was absolutely dominant in the first half of 2017 but completely fell apart in the second half, so much so that manager Ron Washington skipped over him for Game 1 of the NLDS. He still got a big raise this offseason via arbitration, and now the front office will be watching to make sure he can keep his head on straight and earn that shiny new paycheck.

RF Randal Grichuk
Even though he tied for the team lead in homers last year with 27, Grichuk might still be on thin ice early this season. His 165 strikeouts (second most in franchise history) and lowly .285 OBP make him the most likely candidate to be replaced by one of the many outfielders San Diego acquired this offseason, especially since Manny Margot and Michael Brantley have tons of job security at the other two spots. Coming off a torn labrum suffered in the NLCS, Grichuk will have to prove he is healthy and at peak performance this Spring Training if he wants to play every day.

C Chance Sisco
Similar to Bregman above, Sisco enters 2018 with his first full-time starting opportunity after coming to the majors late last year. His 6 HR and .388 OBP after coming over from Baltimore in the Andrew Cashner trade were good signs that he is ready for the show, but perhaps his bigger assignment will be handling the highly touted pitching staff at just 23 years old. A month's worth of preseason games should help increase the bond between the battery mates, and the organization is hoping Sisco will bring some consistency to a position that has seen unspectacular platoon splits throughout the Luke Armstrong era.


Team Notes
-San Diego made one more roster move before the offseason came to a close, inking reliever Steve Cishek to a 1yr/$10.5M contract in February. Cishek was reportedly seeking a long term deal in free agency but couldn't pass up the high salary offered by the Padres, who made him their sixth-highest paid player for 2018. The 31-year-old earned 37 saves with a 2.85 ERA as the Mariners' closer last year but also lost a staggering 15 games out of the 'pen, and will now serve as the setup man to incumbent closer Carter Capps.

Notable Trades
3/2 - New York Mets sent LF Yoenis Cespedes (.292, 10 HR, 31 RBI, 53 G) and $10M cash to the Washington Nationals for 1B Byung-ho Park (.230, 16 HR, 58 RBI). Cespedes has only started 75 games the past two seasons combined due to injuries and is set to make $23.7M in his upcoming contract year.

Notable Signings
2/3 - Texas Rangers signed SP Matt Moore (12-11, 3.48 ERA) to a 4yr/$82.4M contract. Moore joins Cole Hamels and Martin Perez to give Texas three lefties at the top of their rotation.
2/13 - Chicago Cubs signed SP Nathan Eovaldi (13-6, 4.69 ERA) to a 7yr/$175.8M contract. The 28-year-old with a 52-55 career record will make more money than ace Jake Arrieta starting in 2019.
2/14 - New York Yankees signed CL Craig Kimbrel (4-4, 35 SV, 2.64 ERA) to a 3yr/$31.2M deal. Kimbrel is fourth among active players with 297 career saves but will compete for 9th inning duties with Dellin Betances.
2/16 - Los Angeles Dodgers signed SP Josh Johnson (7-11, 3.87 ERA) to a 4yr/$62.4M contract. The fragile hurler will have to compete for a rotation spot despite the big contract and may have to reinvent himself as a reliever.

[mpejkrm]

Looks like you had a productive offseason. Good luck in the new year.

[Skitch929]

Spring Training Wrap-Up
April 7, 2018

Team Notes
-San Diego's offense struggled mightily in their spring games, with almost every player who received significant at-bats failing to record a batting average above .250. Randal Grichuk, already on a short leash in right field, hit just .141/.164/.359 and is expected to be benched for the beginning of the season.
-Lucas Giolito looked sharp in his spring appearances, going 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA while striking out 15 and walking just 1 in 16 innings. He will open the season as the club's fifth starter.
-Kyle Crick watch! The 25-year-old minor leaguer with an outstanding arm and unbelievably bad control delivered a pretty unsurprising stat line this spring, striking out 9 and walking 9 over 7.2 innings while earning a 4.70 ERA. He showed his potential on both sides of the spectrum, walking 4 batters and allowing 4 runs in 0.2 innings in one game and then striking out 5 and walking 0 over 2.2 innings in his next appearance.

Notable Injuries
3/25 - Washington Nationals outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was diagnosed with an oblique strain and will be out until mid-May.

Notable Transactions
3/16 - Baltimore Orioles signed RF Carlos Gonzalez (.230, 30 HR, 89 RBI) to a 3yr/$49.8M contract. CarGo played for the Orioles the past season and a half after being traded away from Colorado.
3/29 - Cleveland Indians traded CF Bradley Zimmer (.219, 11 HR, 40 RBI, 18 SB) to the New York Yankees for RP Andrew Miller (4-4, 6.08 ERA, 91 G), prospect CF Leonardo Molina (4.0 stars), and $6.7M cash. Zimmer was the #72 prospect in baseball before last season.
4/8 - St. Louis Cardinals signed RP Huston Street (6-5, 2 SV, 3.68 ERA, 73 G) to a 1yr/$8.9M deal. He is expected to set up for closer Trevor Rosenthal.
4/8 - New York Mets signed RP Mark Melancon (3-8, 40 SV, 3.98 ERA, 77 G) to a 1yr/$19.2M contract. Melancon wants to close but is not expected to unseat Jeurys Familia.
4/8 - Los Angeles Angels signed RP Greg Holland (5-7, 32 SV, 2.40 ERA, 60 G) to a 1yr/$17.2M contract. Holland will set up for defending AL Cy Young winner Aroldis Chapman.

[Skitch929]

2018 Season Preview
April 8, 2018

The Padres enter 2018 in an unusual position. After ten straight years of missing the playoffs, eight of which were sub-.500 seasons, San Diego will now take the field with targets on their backs and expectations mounted upon their shoulders -- pressure that has not been felt around these parts in quite a while. With more media attention and higher attendance numbers, the Padres will have to jump out to a good start and quickly prove that last year was not a fluke to avoid falling back into obscurity. That is of course easier said than done, with the deep-pocketed Los Angeles Dodgers looking to reclaim the division they won four consecutive times before 2017 and the Rockies and Giants in the mix as well. Then of course there's the back-to-back world champion New York Mets lurking on the other coast, still mighty as ever and looking to further cement themselves as a legitimate dynasty. The road back to the playoffs won't be easy--expert predictions have San Diego only claiming a wildcard spot--but the Padres are poised to make another serious run and will look to finish the job that they started last season. These are the 25 men they believe can get them to the promised land:


Jose Abreu, Michael Brantley, and Alex Bregman are expected to be San Diego's big run producers this year

Starting Lineup
CF Manny Margot (.309, 14 HR, 44 RBI, 17 SB, 77 G)
RF Aneury Tavarez (.244, 14 HR, 55 RBI, 9 SB, 85 G @ AA)
1B Jose Abreu (.251, 27 HR, 82 RBI, 1 SB)
LF Michael Brantley (.270, 11 HR, 67 RBI, 9 SB w/ CLE & SD)
SS Alex Bregman (.266, 7 HR, 35 RBI, 3 SB, 77 G w/ HOU)
C Chance Sisco (.282, 7 HR, 41 RBI, 2 SB, 93 G w/ BAL & SD)
3B Eugenio Suarez (.271, 35 HR, 95 RBI, 6 SB w/ CIN & SD)
2B Wilmer Flores (.301, 11 HR, 75 RBI, 0 SB)

Bench
C Dom Nunez (.308, 10 HR, 72 RBI, 4 SB @ A+)
3B Jose Rondon (.225, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB, 76 G)
SS Ketel Marte (.263, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 15 SB w/ SEA)
LF Boog Powell (.289, 4 HR, 41 RBI, 3 SB)
RF Randal Grichuk (.249, 27 HR, 89 RBI, 4 SB)

Armstrong's comments: "We feel like we really solidified our offense last year at the deadline, and the numbers from the second half back that up. Now having a full year from those guys like Brantley and Suarez, and a full healthy year from Margot and the new kid Bregman, the lineup should continue to trend upward this season. And the players we'll be able to rotate into games off the bench can do plenty of damage on their own, so we can give guys days off and not worry about a dip in production."


Newcomer Chris Sale, sophomore Lucas Giolito, and closer Carter Capps are key pieces of the Padres' rotation

Starting Rotation
RHP Sonny Gray (12-13, 3.45 ERA, 224 K, 219.1 IP)
LHP Chris Sale (16-11, 3.02 ERA, 211 K, 202.1 IP w/ CHW)
RHP Tyson Ross (15-6, 3.08 ERA, 164 K, 193 IP)
RHP Michael Wacha (14-9, 3.35 ERA, 213 K, 217.2 IP)
RHP Lucas Giolito (8-8, 4.35 ERA, 118 K, 144.2 IP)

Bullpen
RHP Carter Capps (4-5, 47 SV, 2.19 ERA, 92 K, 70 G)
RHP Steve Cishek (2-15, 37 SV, 2.85 ERA, 82 K, 66 G w/ SEA)
RHP Mike Morin (3-0, 1.73 ERA, 93 K, 78 G)
RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-10, 27 SV, 4.53 ERA, 82 K, 58 G w/ TB & SD)
RHP Genison Reyes (6-2, 3.32 ERA, 57 K, 51 G w/ CLE & SD)
RHP Brad Roney (3-3, 2 SV, 2.81 ERA, 90 K, 86 G w/ ATL)
RHP Tony Zych (7-3, 3.06 ERA, 75 K, 72 G)

Armstrong's comments: "Do you see a weak spot anywhere on this staff? Because I sure don't. We've got four front line starters and one of the best young prospects at the back end. We've got a bullpen full of guys who can shut down any lineup in the middle innings. We've got a closer who led the league in saves. I'm so ready to see these guys in action."


Personnel
General Manager: Luke Armstrong, 40 (Good)
Assistant GM: Larry Beinfest, 60 (Average)
Manager: Ron Washington, 65 (Excellent)
Bench Coach: Chris Donnels, 51 (Unproven)
Pitching Coach: Doug Henry, 54 (Decent)
Hitting Coach: Leo Gomez, 52 (Excellent)
Scouting Director: Norio Yamaguchi, 61 (Outstanding)
Team Trainer: Stan Conte, 58 (Outstanding)

Top Prospects
CF Victor Robles, AAA (5.0 stars) (1st overall in MLB)
1B Alejandro Toral, A (5.0 stars)
RP Rookie Davis, AAA (3.5 stars)
SS Ryan Mountcastle, AAA (3.5 stars)
CF Ryan Boldt, AAA (3.0 stars)
SS Ruddy Giron, AAA (3.0 stars)

Financial Summary
Budget: $150,000,000 (t-22nd)
Payroll: $120,696,500 (17th)
$ for FA: $22,721,358
$ for Ext: $21,190,500
Market Size: Average
Fan Loyalty: Very Good
Fan Interest: 85
Ticket Price: $18.50

[Skitch929]

Slow Off the Mark
May 1, 2018

An even 10-10 record and a one game deficit in the NL West after one measly month is not a bad start by any means, but it is perhaps more unspectacular than many around the San Diego organization had hoped for. The team was swept by the Colorado Rockies in the opening series of 2018, never a good way to begin the year, but quickly righted the ship by winning their next five in a row over Milwaukee and San Francisco. The numbers that stick out the most so far are the glaring differences between the starting pitchers and the relief pitchers: the starters have been the best in the NL with a combined 3.41 ERA, while the bullpen is second-to-last with a bloated 5.49 ERA. Five of the seven relievers currently sport ERA's higher than 5.68 (Mike Morin and long-man Jake Odorizzi are the only good ones so far) and even All-Star closer Carter Capps has gotten off to a rocky start, as evidenced by his 1 IP, 5 ER performance on April 29 against Cincinnati. "We know those guys are giving it everything they've got out there," said starter Tyson Ross (2-0, 1.50 ERA) when asked about the bullpen's struggles thus far. "We know they're better than what the numbers show and they know that too. I'm not losing confidence in their ability to keep us in games." Being able to stay at .500 while most players seem to be underperforming is still a good sign for the Padres, as the assumption around town is that they'll get back to their winning ways once everyone gets back to their expected levels. "We're not looking for any one guy to put the whole team on his back," GM Luke Armstrong said in a recent radio interview. "We just want everyone to show up and do their jobs. We know we can win that way because we did last year. I'm confident we're about to get back on track."

New Padre Chris Sale is 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA and 34 K over his first four starts

Team Notes
-Anybody trying to figure out which version of Sonny Gray would show up in 2018 did not get much of an answer in April. In four of his five starts Gray was either red hot or ice cold: he debuted with a 4 IP, 5 ER performance on Opening Day, followed that up with 8 shutout innings his next time out, then allowed 7 ER over just 1 IP against the Dodgers, and came right back with 8 more shutout innings in Arizona. In other words, the jury is still out.
-Last year's team batting champ Wilmer Flores started Opening Day at second base, but since then he has not made an appearance in the starting lineup. Manager Ron Washington has decided to move forward with Ketel Marte at 2B, believing the younger infielder's defense and speed give the team a better chance to win games. Marte's April performance made the decision look like the correct one, as his OBP currently sits at .377 and his fielding percentage at 1.000.
-First baseman Jose Abreu has carried the offense so far, leading the team in HR and RBI and ranking 2nd in AVG. His success has been nice to watch, as some around the league were whispering that he was no longer a scary presence in the lineup and pointing to the fact that his AVG/HR/RBI totals have gone down every single year he's played as evidence. It's only been 20 games so far so "on pace" numbers should definitely be taken with a grain of salt, but Abreu is on pace to set a career high in homers and record his highest RBI total in three seasons.
-Right fielder Aneury Tavarez emerged from a very crowded field of candidates to take the starting job from Randal Grichuk in Spring Training, and the 26-year-old rookie didn't look too overwhelmed in his first month in the majors. Tavarez slashed .270/.360/.378 batting out of the two-hole and had five multi-hit games so he looks to have a decent hold on the job for now. Grichuk meanwhile continued to struggle and hit just .154 in 16 PA and is currently awaiting a diagnosis for an injury he suffered on April 30.

Team Transactions
4/10 - Claimed 2B Luis Sardinas off waivers from Seattle.

Team Leaders
AVG - Eugenio Suarez, .328
HR - Jose Abreu, 5
RBI - Jose Abreu, 12
SB - Michael Brantley, 2
ERA - Chris Sale, 1.44
Wins - Sonny Gray, 3
K's - Chris Sale, 34
SVs - Carter Capps, 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 71 (12th)
Batting AVG - .259 (7th)
On-Base PCT - .330 (7th)
Home Runs - 14 (t-9th)
Stolen Bases - 8 (3rd)
Runs Against - 83 (t-6th)
Starters ERA - 3.41 (1st)
Bullpen ERA - 5.49 (13th)
Defensive Eff. - .668 (10th)


League Notes
4/14 - Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer suffered a sprained thumb and will miss six weeks.
4/15 - Texas Rangers signed CL Shawn Tolleson to a 3yr/$35.8M extension through 2021. The 30-year-old closer led the AL in saves last season.
4/17 - New York Yankees reliever Craig Kimbrel earned his 300th career save in a win over Tampa Bay.
4/23 - New York Mets signed CL Jeurys Familia to a 3yr/$39M extension through 2021. Familia is 28 years old and has amassed 119 saves over the last three years.

League Transactions
4/11 - St. Louis Cardinals signed RP Koji Uehara (3-6, 3.28 ERA, 82 G last year) to a 1yr/$7.2M contract. The 11-year veteran just celebrated his 43rd birthday.
4/11 - New York Yankees signed RP Tony Watson (9-4, 36 SV, 3.82 ERA last year) to a 1yr/$13.4M contract. The lefty server as the Pirates' closer last season but will now work the middle innings for New York.
4/29 - Tampa Bay Rays signed RP R.A. Dickey (10-11, 4.06 ERA, 23 GS last year) to a 1yr/$862k deal. The 43-year-old pitcher was released by the Cubs eight days earlier.

League Leaders
AVG - Brandon Belt (SF), .400
HR - P. Fielder (TEX)/G. Stanton (MIA), 9
RBI - Addison Russell (CHC), 24
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN), 7
ERA - Jesse Biddle (ATL), 0.47
Wins - C. Allen (CLE)/W. Davis (OAK)/J. Lester (CHC), 4
K's - Clayton Kershaw (LAD), 40
SVs - Trevor Gott (DET), 9

[Skitch929]

Jose It Ain't So
June 1, 2018

Remember the positive vibes surrounding Jose Abreu last month? So much for that. On May 22 in the bottom of the first inning against the visiting New York Yankees, Abreu hit a ball into the gap in left-center and hustled around first to go for a double. Something happened during that second 90 feet though, and Abreu crumbled to the ground as he reached the base. He was helped off the field and two days later the diagnosis came down: Abreu had a torn posterior cruciate ligament and would be out for the season. The biggest (only?) power threat in the San Diego lineup is gone for the rest of 2018, and the team must now look elsewhere for a big bat to fill the void. That bat may not be currently on the roster--Matt Duffy was called up from AAA to take over the job at first base and is just 2-for-20 in his first week--so the Padres may have to start feeling out the trade market earlier than usual. The team is already 8th in the NL in runs and home runs, and that was with a healthy Abreu for nearly two months. How far those numbers can fall without him remains to be seen.

San Diego went 16-13 in May but will not see Jose Abreu again until next season

Team Notes
-The player doing his best Jose Abreu impression thus far is rookie Aneury Tavarez, whose 9 homers are tied for the team lead with the injured star and more than double that of any other player on the roster. Meanwhile Randal Grichuk's mystery injury turned out to be a fractured finger that kept him out four weeks, and he's expected to spend most of June in the minors on a rehab assignment. In other words, Tavarez has completely control of the starting right field job and Grichuk's days on the big league roster could be numbered.
-Who is doing the worst Abreu impression? That would be Alex Bregman, the shortstop who came over from Houston with sky-high expectations as a middle-of-the-order guy but has fallen completely on his face. The 24-year-old is slashing just .209/.268/.285 and is on pace for just 10 HR all season, numbers that are far below what the organization had in mind when they traded for him. The team has tried moving him around the order with no luck so far, and a trip back down to the minors is not completely out of the question at this point.
-If Bregman does spend some time out of the lineup, middle infielder Ketel Marte will be ready to pick up some slack. The youngster who was shipped out of Seattle after three underachieving seasons had a fantastic month of May, hitting .311 with 13 RBI and 16 SB. He even passed Billy Hamilton for the league lead in stolen bases and is currently on pace for 60 swipes, which would be good for fourth-most in franchise history.
-On the pitching side, closer Carter Capps regained his form in May and earned seven saves in eight appearances without allowing a single run. Chris Sale came crashing back to earth, going 2-4 with a 4.13 ERA in six starts; Michael Wacha was stellar, going 3-0 with a minuscule 2.17 ERA; and Lucas Giolito continued to struggle and is now 1-5 with a 6.30 ERA on the year and even got suspended for two games following a bench-clearing brawl against the Dodgers.

Team Transactions
5/24 - Placed 1B Jose Abreu on the 60-day disabled list.
5/24 - Promoted 1B Matt Duffy from AAA to MLB.

Team Leaders
AVG - Ketel Marte, .298
HR - J. Abreu/A. Tavarez, 9
RBI - Jose Abreu, 31
SB - Ketel Marte, 18
ERA - Tyson Ross, 2.95
Wins - S. Gray/T. Ross, 5
K's - Chris Sale, 79
SVs - Carter Capps, 13

NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 217 (8th)
Batting AVG - .252 (12th)
On-Base PCT - .320 (10th)
Home Runs - 42 (8th)
Stolen Bases - 51 (1st)
Runs Against - 203 (t-7th)
Starters ERA - 4.03 (8th)
Bullpen ERA - 4.07 (7th)
Defensive Eff. - .678 (10th)


League Notes
5/2 - Los Angeles Angels DH David Ortiz (.211, 1 HR, 6 RBI) suffered a concussion and will miss 4 months of action.
5/6 - Boston Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia (.305, 2 HR, 10 RBI) broke a bone in his elbow and is out for the season.
5/8 - Houston Astros SS Carlos Correa was diagnosed with an oblique strain and the former AL MVP will miss 6 weeks.
5/14 - Chicago Cubs closer Carl Edwards Jr (0-2, 6 SV, 4.26 ERA) will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum.
5/20 - Minnesota Twins 1B Joe Mauer got his 2,000th career hit in a game versus the Blue Jays.

League Transactions
5/3 - Chicago White Sox signed 3B Adrian Beltre to a 1yr/$1M contract. Beltre was released by Baltimore in mid-April and is still 32 hits shy of 3,000.
5/31 - Atlanta Braves traded RP Will Smith (1-3, 4 SV, 2.84 ERA) to the Toronto Blue Jays for prospect RF Coltin Gerhart (1.0 stars). Smith earned 43 saves for Atlanta last year and will now set up for Toronto.

League Leaders
AVG - Nick Gordon (MIN), .375
HR - Ryan O'Hearn (KC), 18
RBI - Bryce Harper (WAS), 47
SB - Ketel Marte (SD), 18
ERA - Clayton Kershaw (LAD), 0.76
Wins - J. Lester (CHC)/A. Wainwright (STL), 7
K's - Clayton Kershaw (LAD), 90
SVs - Zach Britton (BAL), 14

[Skitch929]

The Wheels Fall Off
July 1, 2018

It's hard to pinpoint what went wrong for the San Diego Padres in June, probably because there are so many viable options to choose from. Every aspect of the team seemed to fall apart at once, leading to a putrid 7-21 record and a freefall in the NL West standings. The pitching? Bad. The bullpen undid all the progress it made in May and dropped to 13th overall in the NL. Four relievers have ERAs above 5.00, highlighted by closer Carter Capps (5.13) and ten-million-dollar man Steve Cishek (7.99). Save for Chris Sale, every starting pitcher lost more than they won and had an ERA above 4.00. Lucas Giolito gave up 7 ER without recording an out in his June 2 outing versus the Dodgers and was immediately sent back down to the minor leagues -- and his replacement, 25-year-old Rookie Davis, went just 1-4. The offense? Bad. Supposed new power threat Aneury Tavarez hit .206 with just 8 RBI. New first baseman Matt Duffy went 2-for-27 before being sent back to the minors. His replacements Jeff McNeil and Wilmer Flores either couldn't hit or couldn't field. Things got so bad that the team started trying to teach displaced outfielder Randal Grichuk to play first base, but he's hitting an unbelievable .114 since rejoining the big league club.

So where do they go from here? The season is still not even at the halfway point, but the Padres are 11 games under .500, 16.5 games behind the Dodgers in the division, and 8 games behind Milwaukee for the second wildcard spot. The question that GM Luke Armstrong has to answer in the next month is if he thinks his team can regain their form and make a run at a wildcard spot, or if it would be better to pack it in and start looking toward the offseason and beyond (the upcoming FA class is loaded, for what it's worth). One fact that sticks out about San Diego's terrible horrible no good very bad June is that they lost ten(!) one-run games, so it's not as if they were getting blown away every day -- with a better bullpen, their record could have been closer to 17-11 instead of 7-21. Maybe they're just a reliever or two away? Or do they need another overhaul? Something needs to be done one way or another, as the clubhouse environment is starting to suffer. Pitcher Sonny Gray reportedly reached out to Armstrong last week to complain about the attitudes of his teammates, claiming that "nobody seems to be taking things seriously." Some critics could point out that Gray could take his pitching performance more seriously as well, but that's none of my business though.

Everything went wrong for Tyson Ross and the Padres in June

Team Notes
-File under "silver linings": infielder Ketel Marte had a 17-game hitting streak during June and stole 15 more bases. He's now on pace for 69 SB and 69 RBI -- which would both be good enough to lead the team at the end of the year unless someone else steps up.
-The Alex Bregman Experience has taken a detour, as the shortstop was sent back down to Triple-A after his .210 AVG in June was deemed not good enough to start anymore.
-Center fielder Manny Margot fractured his thumb on June 18 in a loss (of course) to the San Francisco Giants and was ruled out for four weeks. Near the end of the month the Padres called up 2016 second-round pick Ryan Boldt to take over the job, and the 23-year-old started his MLB career by going 0-for-6 in his big league debut.

Team Transactions
6/3 - Demoted SP Lucas Giolito from MLB to AAA.
6/3 - Demoted 1B Matt Duffy from MLB to AAA.
6/3 - Promoted SP Rookie Davis from AAA to MLB.
6/3 - Promoted 2B Jeff McNeil from AAA to MLB.
6/4 - Claimed LF Enrique Hernandez off waivers from Atlanta.
6/20 - Placed CF Manny Margot on the 15-day disabled list.
6/20 - Promoted RF Randal Grichuk from AAA to MLB.
6/28 - Demoted SS Alex Bregman from MLB to AAA.
6/28 - Promoted CF Ryan Boldt from AA to MLB.

Team Leaders
AVG - Ketel Marte, .286
HR - Aneury Tavarez, 13
RBI - Ketel Marte, 33
SB - Ketel Marte, 33
ERA - Chris Sale, 3.31
Wins - T. Ross/C. Sale, 6
K's - Chris Sale, 120
SVs - Carter Capps, 14

Draft Recap
Round 1 - SS L.T. Tolbert, 22 (1.5 stars, college)
Round 2 - SP Keaton Carattini, 18 (1.0 stars, high school)
Round 3 - SS John Aiello, 21 (1.0 stars, college)
Round 4 - SP Connor Ollio, 18 (0.5 stars, high school)
Round 5 - CF Elijah Cabell, 19 (0.5 stars, high school)

NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 320 (9th)
Batting AVG - .250 (11th)
On-Base PCT - .318 (8th)
Home Runs - 61 (13th)
Stolen Bases - 97 (1st)
Runs Against - 349 (11th)
Starters ERA - 4.13 (8th)
Bullpen ERA - 4.68 (13th)
Defensive Eff. - .676 (11th)


League Notes
6/2 - Milwaukee Brewers SP Corey Knebel pitched a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals with 11 K and 5 BB. It's his only win of the season thus far in 16 starts.
6/5 - San Francisco Giants signed SP Madison Bumgarner to a 7yr/$153M contract extension. The 28-year-old lefty is 119-82 in his 9+ seasons with San Francisco.
6/6 - Baltimore Orioles 2B Jonathan Schoop (.286, 17 HR, 37 RBI) suffered a broken kneecap and will miss the rest of the season.
6/16 - Chicago Cubs 3B Kris Bryant hit for the cycle in a loss against the Cincinnati Reds.
6/28 - Houston Astros signed SS Carlos Correa to a 6yr/$75.9 contract extension. It's the first non-rookie contract for the 2016 AL MVP.

League Transactions
6/16 - Miami Marlins traded SP Jarred Cosart (4-5, 2.23 ERA) to the Philadelphia Phillies for CF Roman Quinn (.355, 4 HR, 18 RBI @ AAA).

League Leaders
AVG - Nick Gordon (MIN), .375
HR - Ryan O'Hearn (KC), 25
RBI - Mark Trumbo (CHW), 73
SB - Ketel Marte (SD), 33
ERA - Clayton Kershaw (LAD), 1.21
Wins - Michael Feliz (HOU), 11
K's - Clayton Kershaw (LAD), 130
SVs - Zach Britton (BAL), 24

[Skitch929]

All-Star Break 2018
July 16, 2018

The first half of July saw improvement for the Padres, but then again literally anything would have been better than the abysmal June that this organization just experienced (although losing Michael Brantley to a fractured rib until mid-August would have been nice to avoid). San Diego went 8-5 before most of the league went on vacation for the All-Star break, inching their way closer to .500 one day at a time. They still sit far back in the wildcard race and even further in the division so no one is feeling too optimistic yet, but this brief turnaround is a good start. And speaking of good starts, disgruntled pitcher Sonny Gray turned in a pair of those in his final outings before the break, tossing a combined 17 IP with just 1 ER and 13 K. Gray lowered his ERA from 4.59 to 4.01 in those two games and would be a huge spark in this turnaround if he can start pitching like that (read: his expected level) on a consistent basis for the first time since early 2017.

On the other hand, Gray's inability to string together quality starts in the past year combined with his new affinity for complaining about team chemistry could make him a possible trade chip this month if the team decides to pack it in and start prepping for next year. The $13M he is expected to earn in arbitration this offseason could perhaps be better spent in free agency, like say on the soon-to-be rich Jose Fernandez who is almost certain to leave Miami and test the market. Nothing has actually materialized on the trade front involving Gray, however, so it's all speculation at this point. San Diego did make one move that we can confirm, shipping reliever Steve Cishek (1-6, 7.36 ERA) to the Boston Red Sox for reliever Carson Smith (2-5, 15 SV, 5.05 ERA) on July 8. Cishek was a disappointment right from the beginning of the year, never living up to the $10.5M contract he was given in the offseason. His struggles followed by the resulting reluctance to use him in games caused him to become a malcontent in the clubhouse and the organization needed to get him out of town. Carson Smith found himself in a similar situation in Boston; after being named the closer for the first time in his career, he struggled mightily and never looked comfortable. His inconsistencies led the Sox to recently relieve him of 9th inning duties, and he was none too happy about losing his job on a 37-51 ballclub. So the disgruntled relievers have switched coasts, and given Cishek's big salary and the $3M Smith is set to make in arbitration, both could be right back on the market come this offseason.

But the trading deadline and the offseason are still a ways away. For now, everyone will be enjoying some time off before getting back to business. A trio of Padres will be spending that time off at the All-Star Game in Washington, DC as SP Chris Sale (7-7, 3.30 ERA), C Chance Sisco (.278, 5 HR, 30 RBI), and SS Ketel Marte (.299, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 34 SB) were selected as All-Star reserves.

Ace Chris Sale and speed demon Ketel Marte join catcher Chance Sisco as your 2018 San Diego All-Stars

Team Transactions
7/8 - Placed RP Carson Smith on the active roster.
7/15 - Placed LF Michael Brantley on the 15-day disabled list.
7/15 - Promoted SS Alex Bregman from AAA to MLB.
7/16 - Activated CF Manny Margot from 15-day the disabled list.
7/16 - Demoted CF Ryan Boldt from MLB to AAA.

Team Leaders
AVG - Ketel Marte, .299
HR - Aneury Tavarez, 18
RBI - Aneury Tavarez, 42
SB - Ketel Marte, 34
ERA - Chris Sale, 3.30
Wins - S. Gray/T. Ross/C. Sale, 7
K's - Chris Sale, 134
SVs - Carter Capps, 15

NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 385 (t-9th)
Batting AVG - .253 (10th)
On-Base PCT - .319 (10th)
Home Runs - 76 (t-11th)
Stolen Bases - 101 (1st)
Runs Against - 401 (8th)
Starters ERA - 4.16 (9th)
Bullpen ERA - 4.33 (8th)
Defensive Eff. - .675 (11th)


League Notes
7/7 - Tampa Bay Rays closer Dan Otero suffered a torn rotator cuff and is out for the year.
7/9 - Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder picked up his 2000th career hit in a game versus Boston. Three days later, he swatted his 400th career home run.
7/10 - Houston Astros third baseman Colin Moran tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

League Transactions
7/11 - Pittsburgh Pirates sent 1B Josh Bell (.280, 9 HR, 51 RBI) to the Seattle Mariners for SP Luis Perdomo (4-11, 5.16 ERA).
7/12 - Los Angeles Angels released CL Francisco Rodriguez (0-0, 8.16 ERA, 29 G). K-Rod is ranks 4th all-time with 425 career saves.
7/15 - Texas Rangers signed free agent 1B Kendrys Morales (.200, 5 HR, 10 RBI) to a 1yr/$812k contract. Morales was cut by the Mets a week earlier.

League Leaders
AVG - Nick Gordon (MIN), .363
HR - Ryan O'Hearn (KC), 30
RBI - Matt Olson (OAK), 78
SB - Ketel Marte (SD), 34
ERA - Clayton Kershaw (LAD), 1.26
Wins - M. Feliz (HOU)/C. Kershaw (LAD)/J. Lester (CHC), 13
K's - Clayton Kershaw (LAD), 155
SVs - Zach Britton (BAL), 27

American League All-Stars
Manager: Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels


National League All-Stars
Manager: Terry Collins, New York Mets

[Skitch929]

So Long, Farewell
August 1, 2018

Here we go again. After holding out as long as possible to see if his squad would be able to turn things around, GM Luke Armstrong finally reached the breaking point after San Diego was swept back-to-back by San Francisco and Pittsburgh upon returning from the All-Star break. Knowing that the 2018 season was a lost cause, Armstrong--who makes trades like he's trying to set the all-time record for them--once again went into fire-sale mode and started selling off pieces of his roster. The goal was not so much to rebuild (though the Padres acquired several very good prospects at the deadline) but to retool and prepare for the offseason. This winter's free agency class will be one of the best in recent memory as superstars Bryce Harper and Jose Fernandez are expected to hit the open market, and the Padres' mission was to free up the cash to make a run at one or even potentially both players in order to get back to the playoffs in 2019. With visions of those names stitched on the back of San Diego jerseys, Armstrong set out to shed some salary and get whatever he could for some expiring contracts. Altogether he made an astounding six trades at the deadline, reshuffling his big league roster and saying goodbye to some big names in the process.

After a year of underperforming and publicly complaining, Sonny Gray has been shipped to Milwaukee.

Padres get:
SP Corey Knebel (3-7, 3.16 ERA, 21 GS)
SS Orlando Arcia (.279, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 5 SB)
CF Trent Clark (5.0 stars, AAA)
SP Turner Larkins (3.0 stars, R)
C Zack Collins (4.5 stars, AAA)

Brewers get:
SP Sonny Gray (7-6, 4.01 ERA, 21 GS)
SS Wilmer Flores (.270, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 1 SB)
RF Randal Grichuk (.244, 2 HR, 12 RBI)
SP Wily Peralta (9-4, 4.10 ERA, 20 GS @ AAA)
RP Felipe Rivero (6-5, 4.65 ERA, 46 G @ AAA)

Analysis: Nothing like a blockbuster to get the process rolling, right? Gray was the first major acquisition of the Luke Armstrong era when he came over from Oakland at the 2016 deadline and was dominant for the first half of his San Diego career and subpar for the second. Altogether he went 25-19 in 70 starts for the Padres and became a clubhouse distraction earlier this season when he began to publicly complain about the attitudes of his teammates. He now becomes a front-line starter for a Milwaukee team that currently sits a single game ahead of the Cubs in the NL Central. Wilmer Flores was also a major addition for the Pads when he came over in the deal that sent Matt Kemp to the Mets in 2016, but even after leading the team in batting average last season he could not carve out a full-time role in manager Ron Washington's lineup. He will mainly come off the bench for the Brew Crew as will Randal Grichuk, whose saga in San Diego finally comes to an end after a very tumultous tenure. Wily Peralta and Felipe Rivero each have plenty of major league experience under their belts and will join Milwaukee's big league club for the pennant race after spending most of 2018 in the minors with San Diego (who gets out of paying their combined estimated $2.4M arbitration salaries this offseason). The big prize coming back to San Diego in this deal is Orlando Arcia who checks all of the boxes: young, cheap, smart, talented. He was named the #6 prospect in baseball prior to the 2017 season and then went on to smack 175 hits and lead the league in doubles (58) in his rookie campaign. He plays gold glove caliber defense at both middle infield positions and is a threat to steal every time he gets on base. Arcia has been on the disabled list since June 10 with a hip strain and won't return until mid-September, but it's his potential in next year's lineup that had the San Diego front office doing a happy dance when they landed him. Trent Clark is also a major addition; the 21-year-old outfielder struggled mightily in his first big league call-up earlier this year (.217 AVG in 16 G) but he is considered a top-ten prospect who will be a very feared member of the lineup if/when his power finally comes along. Larkins has the potential to be a #2 or #3 starter someday but needs to get working fast; he will turn 23 this offseason and has not made it past rookie ball since being drafted last year. Lastly we come to Corey Knebel, who threw a no-hitter on June 2 for his first win of the season, and 23-year-old catcher prospect Zack Collins, the 5th overall draft pick in 2016. Both are very talented players who helped contribute to the mind-blowing-ness of this huge trade, but the Padres did not see them fitting into their long term plans. While the first three newcomers listed here would be wise to start looking into the San Diego housing market, Knebel and Collins should leave their bags packed. Case in point...


Padres get:
LF Jesse Winker (.246, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 3 SB)
RP Parker Bugg (0-0, 4.01 ERA, 30 G)

Reds get:
C Zach Collins (4.5 stars, AAA)
SP Luis Gonzalez (1.0 stars, R)
1B Matt E. Duffy (.242, 8 HR, 59 RBI @ AAA)
RF J.B. Shuck (.323, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 19 G @ AAA)
LF Enrique Hernandez (.267, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 26 G @ AAA)

Analysis: And there goes Collins. The highly touted catching prospect is the centerpiece here, combined with fellow prospect Luis Gonzalez and a trio of part-timers in Duffy, Shuck, and Hernandez (the former two were placed on Cincy's big league roster). In return, the last place Reds send over 2017 Rookie of the Year Jesse Winker who had started to lose playing time due to a sophomore slump. The 24-year-old outfielder figures to be the favorite to hold onto the starting left field job next season as he is viewed as a more reliable option who can offer consistency the way players like Aneury Tavarez and Boog Powell cannot. But wait, you may be saying. Wasn't Michael Brantley supposed to be that guy who finally offered stability in left field? Yeah, about that...


Padres get:
RP Aaron Slegers (4.5 stars, AAA)
SP Tyler Jay (3.0 stars, AA)
SP Lewis Thorpe (3.0 stars, AA)
3B Travis Blankenhorn (3.5 stars, A+)

Twins get:
LF Michael Brantley (.270, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 16 SB)
RP Carson Smith (3-5, 15 SV, 4.78 ERA, 36 G)
C Jared Barnes (1.0 stars, R)

Analysis: Brantley's $11M option was picked up for 2018 because the club planned on making another playoff run this year. Obviously things have not played out that way, and with the team clearing out as much cap space as possible to prepare for a free agent shopping spree this winter, Brantley and his expiring contract became expendable for San Diego and an attractive target for a Minnesota team that holds just a 0.5 game lead over Kansas City in the AL Central. When he returns from the disabled list in two weeks he will join Miguel Sano and Max Kepler in a very talented outfield that the Twins hope can carry them back to the promised land. Recently acquired Carson Smith has also been flipped here, and much to his delight he will get a chance to close games for his new squad. The haul for the Padres here is pure prospects: 25-year-old Slegers is the best of the bunch, and though he was being used sparingly as a reliever for the big league club in Minnesota he projects as a starter and will show San Diego what he can do when September rolls around. Jay is the #31 prospect in the league who has been dominant in Double-A (10-4, 2.80 ERA) while Thorpe and Blankenhorn were both minor-league All-Stars this year.


Padres get:
RP Alex Claudio (4-2, 4.42 ERA, 48 G)

Rangers get:
CF John Flowers (1.0 stars, R)

Analysis: Easy one here. The 51-50 Texas Rangers were looking to get anything for a relief pitcher they probably did not plan on bringing back next season, and the Padres desperately needed a left-hander in their bullpen for next season (they had not used a lefty in 2018 up to this point) and believe Claudio's estimated $1.1M upcoming arbitration payday was worth the risk.


Padres get:
SS Gleybar Torres (5.0 stars, AAA)

Cubs get:
CL Carter Capps (3-3, 15 SV, 4.05 ERA, 32 G)
2B Luis Sardinas (3.0 stars, AAA)
CF Billy Burns (.272, 5 HR, 47 RBI, 24 SB @ AAA)
SP Dion Henderson (1.0 stars, R)
2B Ariel Ortega (1.5 stars, R)

Analysis: Earlier in July the Padres attempted to negotiate a contract extension with impending free agent Carter Capps, but the 2017 All-Star's demands were too rich for San Diego's blood (3yrs/$33M). Once again thinking ahead to this offseason's potential free agent spending bonanza and knowing that they already had one or two other dominant relievers who could take over 9th inning duties, the team made the choice to get something for Capps while they still could. Having lost their own closer Carl Edwards Jr earlier this year, the Cubs welcomed the opportunity to acquire Capps and instantly tagged him for the closing role. Infielder Luis Sardinas and outfielder Billy Burns are MLB-caliber players who will likely join Chicago's roster in September, while Henderson and Ortega were included to further increase the haul the Cubbies received in exchange for one of their top prospects. 21-year-old shortstop Gleybar Torres was named the #13 prospect in baseball prior to this season and has amazing contact potential to the point where he should be a .300+ hitter every year (he's currently hitting .302 at Triple-A on the season). He is yet another star prospect in the infield, something San Diego seems to be collecting, and will likely be ready for big-league action late next year or in 2020. Where he'll fit into San Diego's loaded "infield of the future" remains to be seen, but for now the club is happy to have acquired a 5-star prospect for their departing closer.


Padres get:
SP Carlos Carrasco (9-3, 3.04 ERA, 21 GS)
RP Justus Sheffield (2-2, 4.18 ERA, 28 G)
SP Matt Vogel (2.5 stars, AA)

Indians get:
SP Corey Knebel (3-7, 3.16 ERA, 21 GS)
SP Jake Odorizzi (1-1, 3.34 ERA, 14 G)
2B Luis R. Guzman (3.5 stars, R)

Analysis: And finally we loop back around to Corey Knebel. San Diego had no problems with Knebel's talent, but they were not sold on the converted reliever's stamina and his ability to pitch late into games (case in point -- he tied for the NL lead with 35 starts in 2017 but pitched only 172.1 IP). So the organization put him right back out on the trading block knowing someone wouldn't be able to pass on a 26-year-old coming off a no-hitter, and the 56-44 Cleveland Indians came calling immediately. Knebel and Jake Odorizzi were shipped off to Cleveland where both will instantly join the starting rotation to help the Indians' playoff hunt, while Luis R. Guzman will bolster their farm system after being deemed expendable by a San Diego squad that has infielders up to their ears. In return the Padres pick up 31-year-old Carlos Carrasco, a somewhat curious move by a team that appeared to be in rebuild mode but one that makes sense when you consider that he will only cost $9M next season (less than double Knebel's salary) and already has a proven track-record as a dependable starter (currently on pace for his third straight 200+ IP season). Also coming to town is 22-year-old lefty Justus Sheffield who had been working out of the bullpen for the Indians in his rookie campaign but could be an effective starter with a bit more development in the minors.


All told, San Diego traded away seven players from the big league roster, raised their available money for this winter's free agency period, and bumped their minor league system ranking up to #1 in all of baseball. They have thrown in the towel on the 2018 season but still employ many quality players and are ready to open their wallets and lure in the big free agency fish in order to field a team that should be right back in contention next season. Fans who thought that last year was the beginning of a major turnaround for this franchise will unfortunately have to remain patient, but there's no denying that San Diego is gearing up to be very good very soon.


Team Leaders
AVG - Ketel Marte, .292
HR - Aneury Tavarez, 19
RBI - Aneury Tavarez, 47
SB - Ketel Marte, 35
ERA - Chris Sale, 3.31
Wins - S. Gray/T. Ross/C. Sale, 7
K's - Chris Sale, 150
SVs - Tony Zych, 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 412 (12th)
Batting AVG - .251 (13th)
On-Base PCT - .317 (12th)
Home Runs - 82 (12th)
Stolen Bases - 108 (1st)
Runs Against - 440 (7th)
Starters ERA - 4.05 (7th)
Bullpen ERA - 4.30 (8th)
Defensive Eff. - .678 (11th)


League Notes
7/17 - The National League defeated the American League 8-7 in the All-Star game. Los Angeles Dodgers SS Corey Seager was named the game's MVP.
7/31 - Houston Astros SP Dallas Keuchel (7-10, 3.27 ERA) will miss eight weeks with elbow tendinitis.

League Transactions
7/24 - New York Yankees (64-36) traded 2B Ian Kinsler (.200, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 12 G) and prospect RF Jonathan Amundaray (0.5 stars, R) to the Los Angeles Angels (41-58) for SP Hisashi Iwakuma (5-7, 4.34 ERA) and $700k cash.
7/25 - Colorado Rockies (40-60) traded CL A.J. Ramos (3-1, 19 SV, 2.04 ERA) to the Texas Rangers (51-50) for prospects SS Adrian Pernalete (3.0 stars, R) and SP Nick Gardewine (0.5 stars, AA).
7/30 - Baltimore Orioles (58-41) sent CF Joey Rickard (.241, 0 HR, 15 RBI, 13 SB) to the New York Mets (60-40) in exchange for RP Mark Melancon (1-4, 3.03 ERA, 48 G) and prospect SS Nolan Williams (2.5 stars, R).

League Leaders
AVG - Nick Gordon (MIN), .360
HR - Ryan O'Hearn (KC), 33
RBI - Bryce Harper (WAS), 88
SB - Ketel Marte (SD), 35
ERA - Clayton Kershaw (LAD), 1.36
Wins - C. Kershaw (LAD)/J. Lester (CHC), 14
K's - Clayton Kershaw (LAD), 172
SVs - Zach Britton (BAL), 30