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Padres Notes: Bogaerts, Bader, De Vries, Gore, Kwan

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The Padres are expected to activate Xander Bogaerts from the 10-day injured list prior to Monday’s game with the Brewers, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.  The shortstop might’ve already been back this weekend except a planned on-field workout on Friday was canceled due to rain, delaying Bogaerts’ return until the start of the six-game homestand that will conclude the Friars’ regular season.

A left foot fracture has kept Bogaerts out of action since August 27, and it wasn’t clear if he would be able to play again before the postseason, even if the injury wasn’t expected to keep Bogaerts out of any October action.  Bogaerts has hit .262/.330/.387 with 10 home runs over 534 plate appearances, for a decent but unspectacular 103 wRC+.  He has displayed some good plate discipline and augmented his work at the plate with 20 steals (in 22 attempts) and very good defense in the view of the Outs Above Average metric (+7).  Jake Cronenworth and Jose Iglesias have handed most of the shortstop duty over the last four weeks, and with Bogaerts back, Cronenworth should return to his usual second base position.

Returning Monday gives Bogaerts six games to ramp up for a postseason trip that has been all but officially clinched.  San Diego seems likely to finish as the NL’s second wild card team, unless the Padres can overcome the Dodgers’ three-game edge in the NL West race, or if the Padres somehow fritter away their five-game edge over the Reds (who hold the third and final wild card slot).

Though the Padres surely wish they’d been able to overtake Los Angeles for the division lead, a 25-22 record since the trade deadline has at least helped San Diego more or less lock up its fourth playoff berth in the last six years.  President of baseball operations A.J. Preller was his typical active self at the deadline, swinging five trades in July to add a variety of roster upgrades.

The many players actually acquired were just the tip of the iceberg, as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes that “the Padres were in on every top player” even somewhat available at the deadline.  Most of those trade targets were cited on MLBTR’s pages, but Heyman adds that the Padres also had interest in Harrison Bader, who instead went from the Twins to another NL power in the Phillies.

San Diego’s interest in Bader was logical, as the Padres had a clear need in the outfield.  Rather than Bader, the Padres ended up acquiring both Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn from the Orioles for a six-prospect trade package, addressing both left field and first base in one fell swoop.  O’Hearn’s bat has cooled off since the deal while Laureano has played really well, so there probably aren’t any regrets in the Friars’ front office about missing out on Bader, who has exploded since arriving in Philadelphia.

The largest of the Padres’ deadline deals saw Mason Miller and JP Sears acquired from the Athletics for four minor leaguers, including elite prospect Leo De Vries as the headliner.  De Vries was far and away the most prominent prospect moved at the deadline, and it took the inclusion of a controllable young arm like Miller to convince the Padres to move the young shortstop.

This doesn’t mean that other teams didn’t ask.  San Diego was known to have made a push to pry MacKenzie Gore away from the Nationals, even though Washington wasn’t going to move Gore for anything less than a haul.  Heyman writes that the Nats’ ask from the Padres was a five-player package that included De Vries, so it isn’t too surprising that the Padres turned elsewhere.

Steven Kwan was another outfielder on the Padres’ wishlist, and a De Vries-for-Kwan trade was floated between the Padres and Guardians even though Heyman says that neither team wanted a straight-up swap.  Kwan (like Gore) is arbitration-controlled through the 2027 season, so while two-plus years of control is still a lot of an established player, it perhaps wasn’t enough of a long-term add to convince Preller to move De Vries.

From Cleveland’s perspective, the Guardians often pursue at least one MLB-ready piece when trading their veteran assets.  De Vries only just made his Double-A debut after his move to the Athletics’ farm system, and while he is posting strong numbers, he doesn’t turn 19 until next month and isn’t expected to reach the majors until 2027.  While the Guards were only 54-54 on July 31, keeping Kwan has paid dividends, as has helped contribute to the September surge that has now given Cleveland a chance at not just a playoff spot, but even the AL Central title.

Anthony Rizzo Retires

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The Cubs have announced that Anthony Rizzo will retire as a Cub and will be honored this Saturday at Wrigley Field as the club hosts the Rays. He will also serve as an ambassador for the organization. Jesse Rogers of ESPN was among those to relay the news.

Rizzo, now 36, was part of a few different organizations in his career but will always be primarily known as a Cub. He spent the bulk of his career, including essentially all of his prime, in Chicago. That stretch saw him emerge as a core piece as the team became a regular contender in the last half of the previous decade. The highlight came in 2016, when the Cubs finally won the World Series, breaking a 108-year drought.

There was talk of a potential dynasty on Chicago’s north side after that year, as that young core of Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras and Jorge Soler was controllable, affordable and formidable. The top of the rotation appeared set for years, with Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks all squarely in their primes and signed/controlled long-term. The Cubs indeed were competitive on a yearly basis for the remainder of the decade, but they fell to the Dodgers in the 2017 NLCS and haven’t advanced beyond the Wild Card round of postseason play since.

Before that legendary run, Rizzo had to pass through a few other places first. He was drafted by the Red Sox out of high school back in 2007. After a few years in Boston’s minor league system, he was flipped to the Padres as one of the players in the December 2010 deal that sent Adrián González to the Sox.

Rizzo got to make his big league debut with the Friars in 2011 but didn’t hit the ground running. He stepped to the plate 153 times over 49 games but struck out 30.1% of the time and produced a .141/.281/.242 line.

Going into 2012, the Padres decided to go in a different direction. They sent Mat Latos to the Reds for four players, one of whom was Yonder Alonso. With Alonso set to cover first base in San Diego, they then sent Rizzo and right-hander Zach Cates to the Cubs for righty Andrew Cashner and outfielder Kyung-Min Na.

That gambit clearly didn’t pan out for  San Diego. While Cashner had some modest success with the Padres, Alonso never found his power stroke at Petco Park and wound up delivering average offense over parts of four seasons. Yasmani Grandal, also acquired in that swap, struggled in San Diego before being sent to the Dodgers as part of the Matt Kemp trade.

Meanwhile, as all that played out, Rizzo broke out as one of the top first basemen in Major League Baseball. In parts of 10 seasons with the Cubs from 2012-21, Rizzo batted a combined .272/.372/.489 with 242 home runs. He made three All-Star teams, won four Gold Gloves, won a Silver Slugger and garnered MVP votes in five consecutive seasons — including a pair of consecutive fourth-place finishes in 2015-16, when he posted a combined .285/.386/.528 batting line (145 wRC+) and belted 63 home runs (31 in ’15, 32 in ’16). Rizzo struggled in the 2016 NLDS but erupted in both the NLCS and World Series, belting three homers and five doubles with an OPS north of 1.000 between those two series.

As that Cubs core continued to stall out over the years, however, the front office eventually determined there was a need for change. Rizzo, Bryant and Baez were all traded in the summer of 2021 — Baez to the Mets, Bryant to the Giants and Rizzo to the Yankees. Rizzo hit well for the Yankees down the stretch and stepped into a key leadership role, all of which convinced the team to re-sign him to a two-year deal with an option for a third season.

Rizzo went on to spend the final three full seasons of his career in the Bronx, hitting well in 2022 before slipping to about average in 2023 and struggling through injuries in 2024. His time in New York wasn’t nearly as productive, but he logged an overall .234/.326/.409 line as a Yankee and popped 32 home runs in his first full season in pinstripes.

All told, Rizzo’s excellent career will wrap up with a lifetime .261/.361/.467 batting line. He hit 303 home runs in the majors, scored 922 runs, plated 965 runs and even swiped 72 bases. Rizzo is one of just 164 players in major league history to reach 300 career home runs. His 338 doubles rank 352nd all-time, tied with Brady Anderson, Matt Williams, Robin Ventura and the aforementioned Kemp.

Rizzo also tallied 241 postseason plate appearances, and while his .225/.328/.397 line doesn’t stand up to his regular-season excellence, that’s skewed by a brutal showing in the 2015 playoffs. Starting with that NLCS breakout in ’16, Rizzo hit .260/.367/.455 in his final 180 turns at the plate in the playoffs.

Through an early-career extension with the Cubs and a free-agent deal to re-sign with the Yankees in the 2021-22 offseason, Rizzo earned more than $127MM in salary over parts of 14 seasons. FanGraphs valued his career at 35.9 wins above replacement, while Baseball-Reference is even more bullish at 40.4 WAR. Rizzo isn’t likely to be Cooperstown-bound, but he’ll be remembered as a cornerstone piece in an iconic era of Cubs franchise lore and a solid veteran pickup who helped drive some competitive Yankees clubs. Best wishes to Rizzo and his family in whatever the next chapter holds.

Xander Bogaerts Cleared To Resume Baseball Activities

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Xander Bogaerts has been cleared for baseball activity and has begun his rehab process, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union Tribune. Bogaerts has been sidelined since August 29 after he suffered a fractured foot after fouling a ball of his foot a few days earlier.

Bogaerts, 33 in October, was in the midst of an up-and-down season with the Padres prior to his injury. After a down season last year, Bogaerts struggled through the first two-plus months of the year, and on June 17 saw his slash line drop to a paltry .227/.304/.311 through 286 plate appearances. Between that and his rough 2024 campaign, many around the game were starting to worry for the Padres’ ability to get much of anything out of the 11-year contract they signed him to prior to the 2023 campaign. Fortunately, he’s looked more like his old self since then, and has hit .304/.360/.473 with 24 extra-base hits and a 16.1% strikeout rate in his last 248 plate appearances.

That’s slightly better than his career slash line of .288/.350/.446, and offered plenty of optimism regarding Bogaerts’s ability to play up to his career norms moving forward. He even made real strides defensively at shortstop, posting a +7 Outs Above Average despite historically being viewed as a lackluster defender. Bogaerts’s resurgence provided plenty of optimism for the Padres’ ability to compete with the Dodgers down the stretch and into the postseason this year, but last month’s foot injury seemed to put all of that to a halt.

From the very start of the veteran’s recovery process, Padres brass have indicated they expected Bogaerts to be able to contribute in the postseason this year. The implication there, of course, was that the remainder regular season was more or less off the table for the veteran. For Bogaerts to be resuming baseball activities this quickly suggests some reason for optimism that he’ll be able to return, if not by the final game of the regular season, then in time for the Wild Card Series, where the Padres figure to face off against one of the Cubs, or Mets barring a surprise change in seeding. If the regular season ended today, San Diego would face Chicago in a three-game set at Wrigley Field.

Of course, it should be noted that sort of timeline would require Bogaerts to continue rehabbing at a fairly aggressive pace without suffering any setbacks. While adding Bogaerts back to the middle of a lineup that has relied on Jose Iglesias and his 66 wRC+ to be the primary answer at shortstop in his absence would be a huge boost for the Padres, they’re still not exactly hurting for offensive contributors after bringing in both Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn at this year’s trade deadline. Those additions have been enough to make San Diego the fifth-best offensive in the NL since the deadline, which should be enough to make them a formidable opponent given their dominant bullpen led by Mason Miller and Robert Suarez as well as a rotation that figures to feature Michael King, Nick Pivetta, and Dylan Cease.

Padres Expected To Activate Michael King

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The Padres are expected to reinstate right-hander Michael King from the injured list to start tomorrow’s game versus the Reds, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He’s been out since early Aug. 9 due to knee troubles. That August start stands as King’s only appearance since mid-May, as he’d previously missed more than two months with a nerve issue in his right shoulder.

King hasn’t pitched in a minor league rehab game, though skipper Mike Shildt said in a radio appearance late last week that he’d tossed five innings in a scrimmage setting at the team’s Arizona Complex League facility. That put him on turn to take the ball Tuesday, which would’ve been Nestor Cortes’ spot in the rotation had he not gone down with a biceps strain this past Friday.

Those shoulder and knee injuries have limited King to just 11 starts this season, though he’s been every bit as excellent in that slate of appearances as he was with the Padres in 2024 and with the Yankees’ rotation late in 2023. King has pitched 57 2/3 frames on the season and carries a terrific 2.81 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate, an 8.1% walk rate, a 38.3% ground-ball rate and 0.94 homers per nine innings. Since moving into a starting role full-time, the former swingman has started 49 games and pitched to a 2.77 ERA. He’s punched out 28.2% of his opponents against an 8.2% walk rate.

King will step back into a San Diego rotation that’s been anchored by offseason signee Nick Pivetta, in terms of both workload and quality. Pivetta’s 164 1/3 innings lead the Friars, and his 2.85 ERA is tops among Padres starters (with the exception of King’s 2.81 in about one-third as many innings). The ultra-durable Dylan Cease has been healthy all season but has continued to struggle to strand runners, leaving him with a 4.71 ERA despite a premium 30% strikeout rate and passable (albeit somewhat elevated) 10% walk rate. Veteran righty Yu Darvish has a 5.75 ERA in his 11 starts, though he’s trimmed that considerably over his past seven trips to the bump (4.11 ERA). Randy Vasquez has kept his ERA under 4.00 despite walking a tightrope with nearly as many walks (9.7%) as strikeouts (12.3%). There’s likely some regression in store for him.

All of that makes getting King back into the mix all the more critical. The Padres added lefties Cortes and JP Sears at the deadline but didn’t deepen their staff overall, given that they sent out starters Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek in the trade that brought catcher Freddy Fermin to Petco Park. Getting King back could be pivotal, particularly since it’ll give him three to four starts to ramp up and get back into form ahead of the Padres’ looming postseason berth.

It’ll also give him a bit more time to build up his case ahead of what’ll be his first trip to the free-agent market. A swift return to form would bode well for the talented righty’s earning power on the open market. If healthy, King should be among the more coveted starting pitchers in free agency this offseason.

King’s return is likely an unwelcome development for the Reds and their fans. Cincinnati sits four games behind the Mets in the National League Wild Card race, tied with the Giants in that regard. A series loss or a sweep at the hands of the Padres could be a backbreaker for their season. From the Padres’ vantage point, winning even two of three would further pad their standing in the Wild Card mix. And, with just a one-game deficit standing between the Friars and the division-leading archrival Dodgers, King could be a pivotal part of a late push for the division.

Padres Place Nestor Cortes On Injured List

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The Padres placed starter Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to September 4, with a biceps strain. San Diego recalled reliever Ron Marinaccio to provide an extra bullpen arm for tonight’s game in Colorado. It might be a one-day MLB stint. Righty Randy Vásquez joined the team at Coors Field and told reporters (including Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune) that he’ll be recalled to start Saturday’s game.

It continues a rough season for Cortes, whom the Friars acquired from the Brewers at the trade deadline. The lefty’s Milwaukee tenure consisted of two starts and eight runs allowed in as many innings. He then suffered a flexor strain that cost him four months. By the time he was ready to return right around the deadline, the Brewers had six or seven better starting pitchers. They traded Cortes to San Diego, who activated him from the IL on August 3.

Things haven’t gone well through six starts. Cortes carries a 5.47 earned run average through 26 1/3 innings. His strikeout, walk and home run rates are all poor. Cortes has managed one strong start, tossing six scoreless innings to beat the Dodgers on August 23. That’s the only time he’s completed six frames with the Padres. He had his worst outing on Wednesday, giving up four homers and six runs without escaping the third inning against Baltimore.

San Diego acquired Cortes and JP Sears at the deadline in an effort to stabilize the back of the rotation. That became increasingly important when they packaged Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek to Kansas City for catcher Freddy Fermin. Neither addition has worked out so far, as Sears has given up nine earned runs in 14 2/3 frames over his first three starts.

The Padres quickly optioned Sears to Triple-A. He apparently has fallen behind Vásquez on the depth chart, as the Friars elected to call up the righty. Sears is scheduled to start tonight in the minors, which would indicate he’s not in the mix to start on Tuesday in what would have been Cortes’ rotation spot. (San Diego relied on a bullpen game the last time they would have needed a fifth starter.) They may be targeting that day for Michael King to return from the injured list. Manager Mike Shildt told 93.7 The Fan that King threw five innings in a scrimmage at the team’s Arizona complex yesterday. Shildt did not commit to a date for the righty’s reinstatement.

Jason Adam Likely Headed For Season-Ending Quad Surgery

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10:12pm: Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Adam will undergo season-ending surgery if a follow-up MRI confirms the initial diagnosis. The hope is that he’ll be able to return some time around the beginning of the 2026 season.

9:42pm: Padres reliever Jason Adam has been diagnosed with a tendon rupture in his left quad, manager Mike Shildt tells reporters (including Dennis Lin of The Athletic). Shildt didn’t specify a recovery timeline or whether surgery will be required. It’s nevertheless difficult to imagine Adam will be back this season.

Adam was carted off the Petco Park mound during this evening’s loss to the Orioles (video via Talkin’ Baseball). Gunnar Henderson hit a chopper up the middle. The ball was a little behind the right-handed Adam, who naturally pulls toward first base on the follow-through in his delivery. Adam appeared to try to plant and change direction to field the ball when his left leg gave out. The injury had some similarities to the one suffered by Giants starter Landen Roupp, who hurt his knee (coincidentally also in San Diego) while trying to dodge a comeback line drive two weeks ago.

Both pitchers end up being carted off the field. Roupp got relatively good news, as he escaped structural damage — though he did suffer a bone bruise that’ll likely end his season. Adam’s injury unfortunately seems more serious. It’ll also be a much more significant development on the playoff picture. The Friars trail the Dodgers by 2.5 games in the NL West. They’re in possession of the National League’s second Wild Card spot and six games clear of the top non-playoff team.

Adam was a journeyman depth reliever throughout his 20s. He suffered a gruesome left ankle fracture while with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021. It was remarkable that he got back on a mound just four months later. Adam had a breakout showing with the Rays the following season. He has been one of the best and most durable relievers in MLB over the past four years.

Since the start of 2022, Adam ranks sixth in the majors with 262 appearances. His 2.04 earned run average is fourth among relievers with 100+ innings in that stretch (trialing Emmanuel Clase, Brusdar Graterol and Félix Bautista). Only Tyler Rogers and Bryan Abreu have more holds, and Adam has also collected 24 saves in that time.

Adam has continued to produce since the Padres acquired him from Tampa Bay at the ’24 trade deadline. He took a 1.81 ERA and above-average 26% strikeout rate into tonight’s appearance. He’s the team leader in holds (29) and relief innings (64 2/3). Only closer Robert Suarez has entered in higher leverage situations on average. Losing Adam will be a big hit in the postseason, though the Padres still have an enviable group of back-end arms. The Mason Miller deadline swing takes on added importance. Suarez remains an asset in the ninth inning, while Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada are high-end setup arms.

The Padres have Adam under arbitration control for one more season. He’ll be due a decent raise on this year’s $4.8MM salary if they tender him a contract. That’d remain a bargain if he were healthy, but it’d be a tougher call if this injury winds up threatening a chunk of his 2026 season. That prognosis won’t be clear until the organization provides a return timeline. The Padres could lose Suarez to an opt-out clause this winter, and it’s possible they plan to give Miller a look as a starting pitcher next spring.

Padres Re-Sign Martin Maldonado To Minor League Deal

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The Padres have brought back Martín Maldonado on a minor league contract, reports MadFriars. San Diego had designated the veteran catcher for assignment after acquiring Freddy Fermin from Kansas City on deadline day. They released Maldonado a week later.

As it has been more than a month since Maldonado’s last game action, MadFriars adds that he’ll report to the team’s Arizona complex. San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate in El Paso will be in action until September 21. It isn’t known if the Padres intend to assign Maldonado to El Paso once he’s warmed up or will keep him at the complex for the rest of the season.

It’s not clear when the deal was signed, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if this were quietly hammered out over the weekend. If the deal were finalized by August 31, Maldonado would be eligible for San Diego’s playoff roster. He clearly wouldn’t be a first choice to see any action in October, but that’d give them some protection if one of their top two catchers, Fermin or Elias Díaz, suffers an injury.

The Padres still have Luis Campusano on the 40-man roster, but he hasn’t started an MLB game behind the plate all year. San Diego also opted not to recall Campusano with the extra active roster spot that opened today — despite the fact that Campusano is hitting .329/.436/.603 in 91 Triple-A games. They instead continued carrying two infrequently used utility infielders, Will Wagner and Mason McCoy, when Jackson Merrill returned from the injured list. It seems apparent that the Padres have no interest in relying on Campusano in October if Fermin or Díaz were unavailable.

Maldonado is at least familiar with San Diego’s pitching staff if he’s pressed into action. His offensive shortcomings are well known, and he was hitting .204/.245/.327 in 161 plate appearances this year. He was also charged with eight passed balls, second most in MLB, in only 445 innings. He threw out just 13.2% of attempted basestealers. Still, the Padres presumably prefer Maldonado to Campusano as a third catcher, so there’s no harm in keeping him around as injury insurance at a position of weak organizational depth.

Padres Place Xander Bogaerts On IL With Foot Fracture

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The Padres announced that shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a non-displaced fracture in his left foot. Shortstop Mason McCoy has been recalled in a corresponding move. Per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres think Bogaerts has a chance to be back for the postseason, which implies he will miss the remainder of the regular season.

The Friars haven’t yet announced how Bogaerts injured himself but it seems likely it happened on Wednesday. As seen in this clip from MLB.com, Bogaerts fouled a ball of himself in the eighth inning and collapsed in pain. He managed to stay in that game and then the Friars were off yesterday, but it seems they did some recent testing that found the fracture.

Bogaerts isn’t quite the same hitter he was at this peak but is still a solid everyday player. His .262/.330/.387 batting line this year translates to a 103 wRC+, just 3% above league average, but he has 20 stolen bases and seven Outs Above Average at shortstop. Despite the tepid offense, FanGraphs has credited him with three wins above replacement this year.

The options to cover shortstop in his absence are far less inspiring. Veteran Jose Iglesias will probably get the bulk of the playing time there now. He’s a solid defender but is hitting just .228/.303/.276 this year. McCoy is also considered strong with the glove but has a .182/.250/.218 line in 63 big league plate appearances. His Triple-A work is better but still not great. His .265/.341/.413 line since the start of 2024 translates to a wRC+ of 80 in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

That’s a notable drop-off for a club still playing meaningful baseball. The Padres are trying to chase down the Dodgers in the National League West, currently just two games back. They are holding onto the second Wild Card spot, seven games clear of the Reds, the top team not in playoff position. Their odds of making the postseason are still good but no club wants to lose its starting shortstop going into the stretch run. It also sounds like it’s not a guarantee that Bogaerts is back by October.

With the trade deadline having passed a month ago, the Padres have fewer options for finding external solutions. It’s possible they find an upgrade they like on waivers. For instance, the Pirates have reportedly put infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa on the wire. The Padres could grab him and he would be postseason eligible if claimed prior to September 1st, though doing so would mean taking on the roughly $1.21MM still remaining on his contract. That’s not a huge amount in the larger context of MLB payrolls but the Friars have been dealing with a tight budget for years now.

It’s possible that other players have been put on waivers without reporting reaching the public, though teams are usually making such players available as a way to try to save money, so those other guys might have similar salary obligations to Kiner-Falefa.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images

Padres Place Jackson Merrill On 10-Day Injured List

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TODAY: Infielder Will Wagner was called up from Triple-A to take Merrill’s spot on the active roster, the Padres announced.

AUGUST 23: The Padres announced this evening that they’ve placed outfielder Jackson Merrill on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain. The move was retroactive to August 20th, and no corresponding move to replace Merrill on the roster will be announced until tomorrow.

Merrill, 22, already hasn’t appeared in a game since August 17th due to his ailing ankle and now won’t be back for at least the 29th. It’s been a frustrating sophomore season for the outfielder, as he’s been limited to just 91 games between his current ankle injury, an early-season hamstring strain, and an IL stint for concussion-like symptoms back in June. Even when Merrill has been healthy enough to take the field for the Padres, he’s not quite looked like himself. The youngster’s rookie year saw him hit .292/.326/.500 (130 wRC+) with 61 extra-base hits (including 24 homers) and 16 steals in 19 chances.

That was enough to get him plenty of accolades: he finished second only to Paul Skenes in NL Rookie of the Year voting and nabbed an All-Star appearance, a Silver Slugger award, and a ninth-place finish in NL MVP voting. That banner year created plenty of optimism that Merrill would anchor the middle of San Diego’s lineup for years to come, and those hopes were further bolstered when he signed a nine-year extension with the organization earlier this year. Unfortunately, his numbers simply haven’t kept pace with last year. He’s slashed just .261/.317/.413 (105 wRC+) in 386 trips to the plate with 31 extra-base hits (including nine homers) and just one steal in three attempts.

That’s perfectly solid production, of course. It’s just a far cry from what Merrill did last year, and for a Padres clubbed locked in a tight NL West race with the Dodgers a healthy and effective Merrill would be a game changer. Perhaps that’s what has convinced the Padres to finally bite the bullet and place their center fielder on the shelf; giving him some additional time off to rest his ailing ankle could help him heal up for the September stretch run and into the postseason. If a healthy Merrill could play closer to his .357 xwOBA, which is in the same league as stars like Alex Bregman and Byron Buxton, then sitting him down for another week in order to get him healthy would be well worth doing.

Deadline addition Ramon Laureano has been handling center field in Merrill’s absence. That’s left an outfield corner open for Gavin Sheets, while Ryan O’Hearn has settled into a first base and DH role alongside Luis Arraez. With Laureano and O’Hearn in the mix following last month’s deadline, the Padres’ lineup is much better-equipped to handle Merrill’s absence than it was earlier in the year with players like Jason Heyward and Oscar Mercado in the outfield mix. With a fairly solid outfield mix even without Merrill on the roster, it’s unclear what direction the Padres will go for tomorrow’s corresponding transaction. Speculatively speaking, an infielder like Mason McCoy or Will Wagner could make some sense given that both Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth have missed a game recently with day-to-day injuries.

MLB, ESPN Nearing Deal Involving MLB.TV And In-Market Rights For Five Clubs

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Major League Baseball and ESPN are seemingly going to continue their relationship but with a new shape. Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports that the league and the network have an agreement in place which would give ESPN the right to sell all out-of-market games digitally. These rights have previously been sold by the league to consumers as the MLB.TV package. Under the agreement, ESPN will also acquire the in-market rights for the Diamondbacks, Guardians, Padres, Rockies and Twins. ESPN would also have an exclusive weekly game similar to Sunday Night Baseball, but on a different night of the week. The deal is not yet finalized but could be signed in September. It’s unclear how much ESPN would pay the league for this package but Marchand says it will be “substantial”.

MLB and ESPN have an existing contract but it is about to expire. The deal previously ran through 2028 but both sides agreed to opt out after the 2025 season. Under that deal, ESPN still has the rights to Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby and the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Those rights are open for 2026 and beyond. A week ago, Marchand reported that those rights would likely be split up and sold to multiple companies, with Netflix being the favorite for the Derby while NBC/Peacock and Apple TV+ are each trying to get the other components. He echoes that framing in today’s reporting.

The new developments today are potentially seismic. MLB.TV has existed in essentially the same format since 2002. Baseball fans purchase the product through the league and get access to every MLB game, with some exceptions for local blackouts and other games guaranteed to be exclusives for certain broadcasters. If this deal goes through, it’s not exactly clear how it would impact existing MLB.TV consumers but Marchand writes they would likely have to get an ESPN subscription on top of an MLB.TV subscription. It’s unclear how this would impact those who purchase MLB.TV through cable or other linear subscription.

ESPN recently launched a streaming service, allowing anyone to pay $29.99 per month to access the network’s wares, whether or not they subscribe to cable or satellite. The network has recently been building out their portfolio, signing a number of deals with the NFL and WWE.

It now seems they hope to add a number of MLB components to their menu. It’s unclear exactly how MLB.TV customers would be impacted financially. Marchand reports that the basic MLB.TV sticker price should stay the same or could even drop. Paying the ESPN subscription fee as well would lead to customers paying more, though they would also gain access to other ESPN offerings outside of the baseball world. That new arrangement would naturally be a plus for some but a minus for others.

In addition to the MLB.TV plan, it seems ESPN will be gaining local rights for five clubs. Due to cable cutting, the regional sports network (RSN) model has been slowly eroding in recent years. The five aforementioned clubs have all seen their local broadcast deals collapse in recent years, which has led the league to step in and take over. Fans of those clubs have been able to purchase streaming rights, without blackouts, directly from the league. It seems likely these customers will be able to continue in a somewhat similar fashion, though Marchand suggests they would likely have to get an ESPN subscription and then pay an added fee for the specific team they want to access.

In addition to the MLB.TV rights and the local rigths of those five clubs, ESPN will also be getting the rights for some exclusive games to be broadcast nationally. It seems this will basically function the same way as Sunday Night Baseball, though on a different day of the week. It appears the details in this arena are still being worked out, as it’s unclear which day of the week is being targeted. Apple already has the rights to a game every Friday while Roku has an early game every Sunday. Marchand adds that MLB Network could also be part of the deal but that’s more up in the air.

Whatever deal is signed would be fairly temporary. Various different reporters have frequently suggested the league doesn’t want to sign anything that goes beyond 2028. They already have a number of deals expiring after that season. It seems commissioner Rob Manfred is hoping to market a large package, or packages, of rights to multiple broadcasters ahead of the 2029 season. All recent broadcast deals have been relatively short, with nothing going beyond 2028. Marchand reports that is expected to be the case with this ESPN deal as well.

These ongoing broadcast shuffles could hang over the upcoming labor strife. It is widely expected that there will be a lockout after the 2026 season. A prolonged stoppage could lead to games being cancelled in the 2027 season. Manfred and the owners would have to be cognizant of playing chicken with the players and how that could impact these broadcast negotiations. MLB is currently experiencing an uptick in popularity, with measures such as the pitch clock credited with increased attendance and TV ratings. That kind of momentum would help the league sell future broadcast rights but a lockout extending into the summer of 2027 could undermine that.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images

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