Although the Padres haven’t made the playoffs since 2006, managing partner Peter Seidler told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that he isn’t going to rush the franchise’s current rebuild. Seidler acknowledged that the Padres’ future-minded strategy probably won’t begin paying dividends at the major league level until 2019 at the earliest. That strategy has come into focus this year, with the team having outspent every other club on the international market this month.
After signing 10 top international prospects July 2, San Diego added another – 17-year-old Cuban left-hander Adrian Morejon – for a sizable $11MM bonus on Friday. The Padres had already soared past their league-allotted bonus pool by then, meaning that they’ll pay a 100 percent luxury tax on the Morejon signing. As such, they effectively picked him up for $22MM and have now spent in the neighborhood of $60MM on international free agents this year. The Padres’ allocation of international cash is currently, in their judgment, “the smartest place to spend money,” according to Seidler.
“In the context of baseball, it’s two years of Zack Greinke,” he continued. “It’s two years of Clayton Kershaw. For us, we get 20 high-ceiling teenagers. Most of them ultimately are not going to make it to Petco Park. But if four or five of them are impact players at Petco?”
Eventually joining those players in the majors could be several prospects from this year’s amateur draft, in which the Padres had six of the first 85 picks – including three first-round selections.
“This franchise’s history in the amateur draft — as far as having impactful players play for the Padres in the major leagues — is probably as bad as it gets,” Seidler stated. “We have confidence that what we are building is going to completely reverse that.”
Shifting gears to the major league side, the 38-49 Friars have the second-worst record in the NL West and will no doubt look to sell as the Aug. 1 deadline nears. The team has already jettisoned right-hander James Shields and cashed in 39-year-old reliever Fernando Rodney for a prospect, and it hasn’t ruled out trading its best starter of 2016 – lefty Drew Pomeranz – writes Shaikin.
Pomeranz, 27, is making a paltry $1.35MM this season and has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining, but the All-Star is scheduled to become a free agent when the Padres’ prospective window of competing, 2019, opens. Given his eminently affordable contract and excellent production – he ranks fifth in the majors in ERA (2.47) and 10th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.15) – Pomeranz could be one of the most appealing players available around the deadline. While the Padres aren’t against selling high on him, the same isn’t true regarding first baseman Wil Myers.
“He’s not going to be traded,” Seidler declared, and executive chairman Ron Fowler told Shaikin that Myers is “the type of guy we want to build this team around.”
As a result, Fowler is hopeful the Padres and Myers, a 25-year-old All-Star, can work out an extension. Myers is earning barely over the league minimum this year and is controllable through arbitration for three more seasons. The ex-Ray and former premier prospect has hit a tremendous .293/.358/.535 with 19 home runs in 371 plate appearances, also adding 15 stolen bases on 18 attempts. Thanks largely to his output at the plate and on the base paths, Myers has already been worth 3.5 fWAR – tied for the 11th-highest total among position players this year.
“The way we’re building this business is really straightforward,” said Seidler. “It’s all about building a core of high-ceiling, home-grown talent. That does go back to the way the best sports franchises in any of the major sports have always been run.”
Myers isn’t homegrown, but he’s clearly a high-ceiling player. And Seidler’s Padres hope Myers and a cavalcade of talented prospects can eventually lead the franchise back to relevance in the coming years.
In the context of baseball, it’s two years of Zack Greinke,” he continued. “It’s two years of Clayton Kershaw. For us, we get 20 high-ceiling teenagers. Most of them ultimately are not going to make it to Petco Park. But if four or five of them are impact players at Petco?”
Refreshing to see quotes like this. I’m a Dodger fan but I believe the Padres are doing it right now after decades of mismanagement.
This is Major League Baseball, nor minor league baseball. That quote is just a way to rationalize not contending. There’s a lot of luck involved in having success when turning to ’20 high ceiling teenagers’, whatever that means. Organizations do whatever is in their power to build a winning ballclub, and when they can’t do that they make quotes like that. It’s not mismanagement, it’s just baseball.
Hmm, “that quote is just a way to rationalize not contending”… sure, but not contending is also the way Houston and Chicago rebuilt and now those two teams have cores that should be in the thick of the hunt for the next 5 or so seasons.
Myaccount you are wrong. Cubs rebuild including traded like for Rizzo and Arrieta and Russell and Hammel and free agent signings like Heyward and Lackey and Lester and Zobrist plus good draft picks
If only they had Trea Turner and Joe Ross lol
I’ll take Myers over both of them. That’s just me though.
I think I would also honestly. Myers has been phenomenal this season
Wow, he’s been stupid good. Amazing fantasy value.
Two words – Anthony Arizona
“Rizzo” – dam auto- correct
I hated that trade the day it was made. I’ve never been a fan of moving bats for arms.
Cubs fans say thank you
You’re very welcome.
Yeah that one definitely hurts. Especially with how mediocre Cashner has been.
What did you think of Alonso for Pomeranz – at the time?
Glad to get rid of Alonso, thought Pomerantz would make a great 8th inngjng guy and maybe eventually become a closer.
That they weren’t trading a bat for Pomeranz.
Alonso was terrible and still is, so I was for it. Rizzo had more upside which I was upset about.
The other thing was is I thought Pom was going to be the new Maurer and Maurer would start. But look what I know.
Padres fans say thank you for choking in 1984
Westcoastryan sounds very bitter. Sorry your team sucks dude but that is your problem. Enjoy living in 1984
It’s better than living in 1908 🙂
And no I’m not bitter at all. I’m quite happy that you guys choked in 1984, 2003 and will choke again this year.
Dusty Baker will be the undoing of joe ross. Baker has destroyed so many young arms.
By the end of everything it may just be turner for ross esp if baker overuses him. Which, hes seen hos velocity drop and landed on the dl this year.
Love that your a Frank Thomas fan from the 619. I too am 619 and a huge Big Hurt fan.
It’s risky, but Padres should lock up Myers with a good extension. Doing it now should make it more affordable. After 2017 they really only have Kemp left on the books for a lot of salary so they will have flexibility.
Pomeranz they need to sell high after missing out on trading Ross when he had value.
Pom should definitely be sold off. Id wait until after next year before extending Myers. Don’t have to, and how many times have we seen a big extension handed out after 1 good year come back to haunt. Make him do it for at least 2 years.
I agree on Pom, but think that upper management needs to redeem the “mess” from last year and back a good impression to the fan base. Locking up Myers would help “us” forget where we’ve been and focus on where we’re going.
I agree with waiting to extend Myers until next year. The Padres have been burned multiple times in the past by extending guys too early, so it would be smart to see if he can continue to play at a high level next year.
Also, Pomeranz should be moved this year by the trade deadline. His recent all star selection will help increase his value even more.
I like Seidler. And thats saying something, bcuz I have NEVER been a fan of Padres owner(s), I like that Seidler just threw it out there, that they really wont be indulging in high expectations of this team, for another 3 yrs or so. And Im all for that….just let the fans know what they’re in store for, so that we dont get any expectations up, and at the same time, we can really enjoy watching these kids, grow into big leaguers..
and watching him nail past owners for all the bad drafts, by saying that their history in that regard, has been “as bad as it gets”, is right up my alley.
so, I like the direction they’re headed in, and I dig how Seidler has taken more of a lead, over Ron Fowler, after we all heard how Ron Fowler REALLY felt about their product. Honesty is fine…we all like honesty, especially when its so rare in sports. But it can also be very bad for business. When you call your product ‘miserable failures” and you nail your ace to the cross, before showing him to the door, you’re also telling your sponsors they’re wasting money on your product.
this team will win a World Series in the next 5-8 yrs…and they’ll win a couple, before its all said and done, and show up in the playoffs more often. But its just not something you can rush, when two previous owners have done as much damage to the franchise, as John Moores and Geoff Moorad, have.
Need to put a break on the WS talk. There’s a team named the Cubs that already have that 5-8 year window covered.
Yeah if they’re lucky, the Padres will maybe make the playoffs at least once in the next 10 years or so, but the World Series is a lot more of a stretch.
Not when they’re losing 15 of 20 like they have been. There’s a lot that still has to go right having so many young players on their lineup. I’ll say their success this season is a combination of having veteran bulldogs in their starting rotation and a lot of luck with health and productivity of their youth.
its an opinion…not a mandate. If you’re offended, there are avenues for ‘professional help’ with that kind of thing.
An extension for Myers can only be a good thing for both parties. His injury history would make him more likely to sign for some guaranteed dollars, while the Padres would extend their window to contend with Myers, which they need too. It also makes Myers an even more attractive trade chip because of the years controlled, assuming it’s a fair extension like the ones the Braves gave to their eventual traded core. In the event, however, Myers is not willing to discuss an extension, I’d deal him in the winter, not only to stock the minor leagues with as much talent as possible, but for all the young talent to have similar years of control, which goes a little under the radar when dealing with these young talents. It’s why it made sense for the Braves to trade Miller last year. The talent they received in return, no matter how much an overpay it may or may not have been, will be controllable for similar years with their already existing talent, compared to wasting years of control this year and next as talent debuts and develops at the major league level. When healthy, Myers is a great talent, but unless an extension happens, his years of control don’t align with the nucleus of talent the Padres are trying to assemble down the road. It’s good the Padres are formulating a plan to contend in the future instead of ‘trying’ to win with mediocre players the way they have been. Hopefully, similar franchises like the Rockies, White Sox, Rays, and Angels can follow suit instead of the ‘let’s win as many games as we can this year even if it caps out at 75-80 wins’
I totally agree with you on this front. The White Sox are the posterboy for this line of thought.
There’s no magic formula for winning in this game. Teams rise and fall every season because of a long list of factors. To have long term success as an organization in MLB, you pretty much have to catch lightning in a bottle, and in most cases play in a weak division where it’s your team and then everyone else. They key to success in this game is staying healthy and getting a lot of above average or better years out of a lot players at the same time (luck). A lot of these teams strip it down and only rebuild through their system because they don’t have the resources to just go out and sign a marquee player that is going to give them an 8 WAR just like that. If all 30 teams had a $200 million dollar payroll, they’d all go after the big money players. It’s all a crap shoot.
More or less, but there is a such thing as creating your own luck. You’ll always have some Cinderella’s. The Cubs aren’t winning bc of some 8 WAR players they bought. They’re fortunate to have a lot of young cheap talent. The point is you need a young CORE to to compete. 2007 was almost a decade ago for Colorado. They seem to get it now with the trade of Tulo last year.
Myers doesn’t want to become a more attractive trade chip. If he wanted to play for somebody else he wouldn’t take an extension then hope to be traded he’d just wait out free agency.
I was just stating that bc it’s just another reason for the Padres to sign him. For Myers, it’d be about securing his future earnings while he is healthy.
No it’s not another reason. If we extend Myers the purpose is to use him. Not trade him.
Myers is the face of the franchise and will NOT be traded if he does not agree to an extension this winter. That type of thinking keeps you in constant rebuild. The Cubs kept Rizzo when they were bad and it has turned out well. Fans won’t come out to see a AAA team. This team has had a lot of injuries this year to mask the progress that has been made. Adding Renfoe, Margot and Asuaje coming to combine with Myers, Jankowski and Spangenberg is exciting for the future.
Difference is they could realistically contend before Rizzo hit free agency even if he hadn’t taken an extension.
Rebuild? When were they built?
Mid to late 90s. Last time the Braves were any good too.
good one.HAHA
What would the Rangers have to give up to get Drew Pomeranz and Brad Hand. Would a package with Lewis Brinson,Luis Ortiz and Hanser Alberto get it done
I do not see the Rangers moving Brinson. Though I like the thought of adding him to the Padres system. Ortiz makes sense, thought I think the name that would get brought up would be Tate if a pitcher is headlining the deal. I personally would love a deal around Tate and Morgan.
Who knows, both players are under control for the next 2 years so the Padres don’t have to trade them. As we found out last year at the deadline abd I. The off-season Preller asks for the world and if he does not get it he won’t make the deal (unless he has to).
Yep that should do it. Maybe add a throw in but that seems fair.
Rangers offer brinson ortiz tate no problem with the padres dealing ross pomeranz hand and buchter.
You’re talking 3 top 100 prospects. Be worth it for preller trade all 4 of those guys for 3 top 100 prospects.
I could see them trade Brinson,Ortiz and Morgan and a lower level for Pomeranz,Butcher and Norris. They need a SP,A LH Relief pitcher and a catcher upgrade.
Has Brinson’s troubles this year lowered his stock that much? But this kind of deal is problematic for both the Rangers and the Padres. For the Rangers it is adding 3 roster players and none leaving, that presents a load of challenges, and the main option would be to included one or two in the deal with the Padres. The name that would make the most sense is Nick Martinez SP which would solve one of the Padres problems of who to plug into the rotation for Pomeranz. Who else makes sense though. I know Padres fans would love either Profar or Mendez, but its hard to see the Rangers doing that.
For the Padres that is a lot of major league talent to give up in one shot, since splitting Pom and Norris deals apart to lead to better returns especially given the pitching and catching markets. They are both affordable and have control left, not the kind of assets that can be found easily on the market.
There is a lot of details that would have to worked out to pull this kind of a deal off. I just don’t see it as realistic or something that both teams would agree too. A deal that is something like: Pom/Norris/Butcher for Brinson/Ortiz/Morgan/plus whatever add/roster mgnt would be highly unlikely given everything.
Yeah they would probably want to put Norris and Pomeranz in separate trades to try and get a better return compared to keeping them together. I could see the Rangers as a good trade partner with them, and the fact that Preller knows their system definitely helps out in that situation.