Padres lefty Clayton Richard was placed on the disabled list earlier today due to inflammation in his left knee, and manager Andy Green now tells reporters that Richard is headed for season-ending surgery to alleviate discomfort that he’s pitched through since April (Twitter links via MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell and the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee).
Richard, 35 next month, pitched to a respectable 4.43 ERA (4.18 FIP, 4.06 xFIP) with 6.9 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.80 HR/9 and a 57.9 percent ground-ball rate through 124 first-half innings this season. However, his 2018 campaign has gone off the rails in a miserable second half that has seen him (perhaps literally) limp to an 8.57 ERA with 4.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, a whopping 2.80 HR/9 and a 53.5 percent grounder rate. Richard is far from a flamethrower, but a look at his season-long velocity charts show that his fastball has dropped in the month of August as well.
Richard is earning a $3MM base salary in 2018 as part of the two-year, $6MM extension he signed with the Padres late last season, and he earned a pair of $250K bonuses for crossing the 125-inning and 150-inning thresholds. He’s under contract for the 2019 season as well at that same $3MM rate and will once again have up to $1.5MM worth of incentives available to him — though he’d need to reach the 200-inning mark for the first time since 2012 in order to do so.
The Padres will likely look to Richard as a stabilizing innings eater in their rotation once again in 2019. While some of their promising young arms have begun to surface at the MLB level — Joey Lucchesi, Eric Lauer and Jacob Nix are among the team’s prospects to debut this season — there’s still a need for a bridging presence while that trio looks to establish themselves. Meanwhile, promising arms like MacKenzie Gore, Chris Paddack, Logan Allen, Cal Quantrill, Adrian Morejon and Michel Baez (among others) continue to work their way toward San Diego as the Padres’ front office eyes aims to compile a homegrown core of arms around which to build.
Padres have pitching prospects….lots of them. Position players….question marks everywhere. Still striking out a lot…a bunch of 250 hitters. Myers should be sent to AL. This GM has sold the owners a bill of goods….so far.
They’ve promoted like 3 dudes total from the rebuilt farm system.
Luis Urias, Joey Lucchesi, Eric Laurer, Jose Castillo, Jacob Nix, Trey Wingenter, Brett Kennedy, Walker Lockett, Franmil Reyes
Who’s Eric Laurer?
A 23 year old starting pitcher that’s struggling tremendously in his first year in the majors
There is no pitcher in MLB named Eric Laurer
If you can’t tell that it was a spelling error and you litteraly can’t make the connection between Laurer and Lauer then I feel sorry for you
Im sure the bluejays would be willing to trade anyone not named after their father in their farm for one or two of those arms
We can afford Myers too. If we traded smoak he’d have a spot to play
Would feel like an upgrade to me. We have too many OF and SS prospects but nearly 0 imminent talent in Pitching and no 1B prospects either really.
Richard, 35 next month, pitched to a respectable 4.43 ERA
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What? That’s a 73 ERA+ in San Diego. If that’s respectable, Sonny Gray is royalty in NY, with his 87 ERA+.
He has a 73 ERA+ including his awful second half.
He pitched to a 104 FIP- and a 99 xFIP- in the first half in addition to his 4.43 ERA. He wasn’t great, but he was fine, especially for a starter being paid less than most middle relievers.
Steve….. Which 5 MLB pitchers, for the last 10 years, have pitched the most MLB innings, (probably 500 innings or more?), for the least amount of money?
So who do you trade keep etc?
I mean Gore Paddack Baez Lucchesi Nix Quantril Patino Morejon Allen Lamet
Maybe padres can attach someone like quantril to wil myers contract and get rid of it. Maybe indians for danny salazar as a buy low trade piece for next season.
Enough of those guys are far enough out that it’s not really a burning issue for Preller & Co. to figure out right now. Some will inevitably get hurt, some will decline or fail to reach their potential, etc.
I’d imagine they’re simply thrilled to have the depth and will see how it all plays out.
You wonder which of 10 pitching prospects you trade/keep, but then suggest trading for an oft injured starter in hopes that he becomes a trade piece next season? Plus, with the amount of guaranteed money the Padres have on the books past next season (only Hosmer and Myers), the Padres do not have to trade Myers especially if it means adding a very good prospect to the deal.
The point of the trade is to clear money outright. As in no money owed to Myers. Itll take a good prospect to do such.
Taking all financial commitments to myers means padres wont get much in return. Danny Salazar represents a high risk high reward player during a year- 2019- the padres are gonna be calling up many young players and probably wont compete again.
And clearing the money means putting the money elsewhere like 3B.
Myers is playing 3rd base right now and seems to be taking to it just fine. Why deal a prospect to get rid of Myers money, only to spend that money on the position he is currently playing? If the knock on Myers is his head isn’t always in the game, that will/better change playing 3rd.
Don’t get me wrong, bringing in an accomplished 3rd baseman wouldn’t hurt, but Myers has this year, next season and 2 off seasons to work on his defense before this team should be a legitimate contender. He took to 1st well, I am expecting the same at 3rd.
But will he take to batting? Too many strike outs looking with men on base. Listening to him, he sounds like he doesn’t have much between the ears; maybe he floats off between pitches and gets caught.
Id love to say attach gore to hosmers contract and ship both to the yankees and move myers back to 1B but myers is realistically more moveable.
seems like they pushed him through some needless innings
if he was hurting since april
Poor Clay Dick
Urias is the first of many to come. The Padres have guys stashed at nearly every level that can and will make an impact when given the chance. Their window will start to crack open next season and will likely be wide open come 2020.