Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic breaks down the tough choices facing the Diamondbacks this winter. Taking another crack at contention would mean filling several needs. It’d also come with some clear risks. As Piecoro well explains: “For years, the Diamondbacks have had just enough talent to want to keep pushing forward, but not enough to seriously contend for a World Series. And, it seems, each time they’ve tried to load up, they’ve only set themselves back further from a possible championship.” It’s a really interesting initial look at the complicated situation, including some takes from rival executives from around the game.
More from the NL West:
- The Giants are expected to wish a fond farewell this weekend to outfielder Hunter Pence, as Kerry Crowley of The Mercury News writes. He’ll get a prominent place on the lineup card, but that’s not solely honorary. Pence has turned in a bit of a late charge, after all, and the Giants still have a consolation prize (keeping the rival Dodgers from a division title) to play for. So, is this the end for Pence? That still seems unclear. He says he’ll “treat it just like I treat every game. You never know your whole career even when you’re young, it could be your last game.”
- It could soon also be the end of the line for Carlos Gonzalez with the Rockies, as Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post recently explored. Understandably, the veteran outfielder is focused on finishing out what could be a special season for the Colorado organization. He has been getting less opportunities of late, which seems likely to be the prelude to a departure via free agency this winter. Whether or not that’ll come to pass, CarGo (much like Pence) says he’ll continue to “try to take advantage every night” of the chance to suit up. Soon to turn 33, Gonzalez carries a .276/.329/.463 slash line through 489 plate appearances — good for an approximately league-average overall output once adjusted for park effects and league context.
- Finally, we’ll turn to yet another pending free agent. While the Padres’ youth movement is the primary hope for the franchise, the team still needs to fill roles. That could conceivably lead to a reunion with shortstop Freddy Galvis. As AJ Cassavell of MLB.com writes, Galvis has been on a tear at the plate to end the season. And it seems he has generally left a good impression. While fans are pining for Fernando Tatis Jr., skipper Andy Green notes that there are reasons to like the idea of a return for Galvis. Tatis, after all, still has some seasoning left. That leave room at short to open the year, at least, in addition to the possibility that Galvis “could bounce around,” as Green put it. Of course, the veteran infielder is also likely to test the waters to see whether he can pull down more money or a better opportunity elsewhere. He’ll be among several glove-first veterans hitting the open market.
D-Backs and Mariners are mirror images of each other…
Snake fans at least have a WS win to remember…Off the topic but it would be great if all attending fans at Fenway on Sunday wore A’s green.
Galvis, Iglesias, Hechavaira, Mercer and more shortstops.
Pence was never the same after his injury. His head might think its not over, but the numbers don’t lie and there’s too many more interesting cheaper options out there. Thanks for the awkward-looking way you played the game, Hunter!
JTO,
When I think of awkward outfield play, Eric Byrnes comes to mind. As for Pence, he deserves to go out on his terms. I can see a spring training invite and if he surprises and is healthy, he makes a roster.
I agree,he will be somewhere if not here,he is great Leader and more of a 4th outfielder type with semi regular at bats but he is not the type of guy to sit on his he bench for long periods,he burns to hot for that and that hurt him this year when he was back healthy especially since he has never done that before.Last I saw as a Giant he hits over ..300 with runners in scoring position,just saying and with a weak FA Class you never know? Good Luck Hunter Regardless!
Did you just call this a weak free agent class….?
No my bad,I was just thinking FA Outfielders (after Harper)because that’s what the Giants need,I wasn’t including Manny and etc.
Cargo will get a lot of 4th OF offers this offseason.
I’m not so sure. He doesn’t hit so well away from Coors Field. A .668 OPS on the road this season.
If the Padres make little to no attempt to resign Galvis, it will demonstrate they have no commitment to being competitive, let alone trying to win more games.
Or it could mean they see Tatis as the shortstop of the future and have cheaper players than Galvis they could use to fill in at SS until Tatis is ready (Guerra).
Anyway, the article says “Of course, the veteran infielder is also likely to test the waters to see whether he can pull down more money or a better opportunity elsewhere,” both of which are likely.
Even Padres management says Tatis needs more seasoning. And everybody else in-house is little more than an unproven prospect, which puts us right back where we’ve been for years at SS. Maybe you noticed over the last few games that Guerra can’t hit, and his glove could still use some work?
Without Galvis, we don’t have a SS.
My point is that I want to see some effort made to at least try to resign Galvis until Tatis is actually ready to prove himself. If Galvis leaves, and I suspect he will, we’ll just have to deal with it then. Let’s also remember, there is zero guarantee that Tatis is going to be a stud in the big leagues.
Tatis should be up by the ASB at the latest.
Does it really matter if Guerra can’t hit? The Padres aren’t going to contend in 2019 so why waste money on Galvis when all that will really do is hurt their draft position? And why would Galvis want to sign with a team that will likely be looking to trade him after half a season?
Yeah. Wave the white flag. Here’s a money-saving idea: Let’s just keep the team in Peoria all year and forfeit the season! After all, we’re “not going to contend,” so why bother competing. I’m sure the teams actually play to win will appreciate it.
Nobody has any idea when, or even if Tatis will be up next year. Everybody predicted the exact same thing about Urias (and others) this year.
There is no excuse for not competing and playing to win. The Braves weren’t supposed to “be in contention” this year. Neither were the Phillies. The Rays are playing .500+ baseball. I guess somebody forgot to tell them they didn’t have to bother with that pesky little winning thing.
Yeah. Wave the white flag. Here’s a money-saving idea: Let’s just keep the team in Peoria all year and just forfeit the season! After all, we’re “not going to contend,” so why bother competing.
Nobody has any idea when, or even if Tatis will be up next year. Everybody predicted the exact same thing about Urias (and others) this year.
There is no excuse for not competing and playing to win. The Braves weren’t supposed to “be in contention” this year. Neither were the Phillies. The Rays are playing .500+ baseball. I guess somebody forgot to tell them they didn’t have to bother with that pesky little winning thing.
BTW – this is baseball. Draft position is practically irrelevant.
“There is no excuse for not competing and playing to win.”
Tell that to the Cubs and Astros of the early ’10s. And they turned out just fine now didn’t they?
When the Padres don’t contend next year, it won’t be because of Javier Guerra.
Freaking mobile ap. Sorry about the double post!
Tell it to the A’s. The Braves. The Phillies. The Brewers.
It’s still just another excuse.
West Coast Ryan has some good points
Only one of those three went throwing money around and trading prospects for established talent before at least breaking .500 the year before.
Which proves what? That there is more than one way to get from A to B? Of course there is.
My only point is that unless we resign Gavis, we don’t have a quality SS.
My secondary point is that some Padre fans are so accustomed to losing and making excuses, they don’t care about winning.
My point is that Tatis will be up soon enough to fill that role and that the Padres didn’t have to trade for Galvis to be able to sign him.
I only see regular season record as a means of determining who makes the playoffs. That’s not going to happen for the Padres in 2019 so having Galvis at SS over Guerra or whoever for the first half of 2019 doesn’t do much for me.
You’re right. Why bother with playing the season.
The difference is that you can’t make absolute statements based on speculation and hope for a future that is not guaranteed and may never come. As anybody who’s followed the Padres for more than 5 years will tell you: been there, done that.
And you’re kind of proving my point about how some people get more pleasure from hoping for tomorrow than succeeding today. Have we been losing for so long that we’ve been brainwashed into thinking that always “hoping” for next year is more valid than wanting to win games now? Think about how irrational and sad that becomes with each passing year. It’s truly pathetic, and many fan bases wouldn’t tolerate it.
Hope for whatever you want. The Padres aren’t going to contend in 2019.
And the Braves and Phillies weren’t going to contend in 2018. And the D’backs were supposed to be fighting the Dodgers for the NL West, not the Rockies.
Throw away your crystal ball; it’s a flawed technology.
Completely different situation. Those teams had quality pieces in place. The Padres won’t in 2019.
The Braves had nothing “in place” to start the season. You might want to check their roster and see how many rookies they have.
And what about the A’s? Or TB? Even the Rays have a winning record, and neither of them fit your narrative.
On the other side of that coin is the Nats. They were a consensus pick to win it all this year. Where are they at? That’s called baseball. You can’t predict squat.
But if you enjoy tanking while blindly accepting the “hope” of a completely uncertain future, go right ahead. Take the season off.
I’m a half keg full type of guy, but in 2019 I agree, it’s not looking overly positive. Then again, we could be a couple players short of being a good team.
Yeah, we could be. One of the great things about baseball is that you never know. What a team looks like “on paper” usually has nothing to do with reality. You see it every single year.
One thing that’s usually obvious: Is management trying to win.
Dawg: And this comes as a surprise to you! Padres have been the NL West’s doormat for years. Still waiting for them to develop a starting pitcher of substance. Hoskins was a bad signing. Gonna be stuck with him for years. Bullpen has been the only solid performer the past few years. And what happened to Margot this year? Really thought he was gonna be a perennial 20/20 guy. Looks overmatched right now. Sophomore jinx at play here? Dunno.
I meant Hosner.
Not surprised, just tired of it.
As for Margot, he was over-hyped from the beginning. There was nothing about his minor league career to suggest he would be an exceptional major league player. Even the scouting reports on him were all over the place with projections ranging from 45FV to 60 (from a biased East Coast scout), and every one of them that I read was loaded with caveats and phrases like “if he learns to …” IMO, Margot is what he is: a pretty near average ML player.
I’d like the Padres to retain Galvis but can’t see him returning knowing Tatis Jr is on his way soon.
Tatis is at least a year away, and there’s been a lot of talk about moving him to third.
As of now, we don’t really have a SS for next year. And we definitely don’t have a third baseman!
So move your “superstar” player to 3B because 1 year of Galvis on non contending team essential
In what league is Wil Myers a “superstar?”
😉
They will re-sign Galvis to a cheap one year deal with an option for 20’ to protect the development of Tatis Jr. / unless someone else offers the sun and moon for Galvis and a promised starting role 1 yr 7.5M/ with an option for 2.5M for 2020 which would obviously be declined if Tatis Jr. wins the job by the All-Star break and is the type of player everyone expects him to be.
Galvis was brought here just like Hosmer in the attempt to change the culture by overpaying for guys who “do the right things” on and off the field/ who play everyday/ team first guys/ etc. Having him around to shadow Urias and Tatis Jr. for another year isn’t a bad idea. I’d even imagine they want to keep AJ Ellis around in some capacity to further help the development of Hedges and now with Mejia.
Red Rooster is spot on with a lot of his comments. You can tell who has a pulse for local San Diego Padres baseball and who just thinks this team is trying to tank on purpose.
But what reason does Galvis have to agree to that? Why would he sign in SD for less money if he can get more money and a more guaranteed starting role elsewhere?
There probably isn’t going to be many teams out there looking for a starting SS. Considering there will be 4-5 players similar to Galvis on the market and a superstar in Machado I think 1/$7.5m with an option is generous. He can probably get 2/$12m maybe $13m elsewhere but I doubt he lands a 4 year contract. MI are not positions of demand like they were a few years ago. Baltimore, SD, and maybe Pittsburgh are the only teams I can think of that need a starting SS. Who knows, the Yankees could sign Machado and make Didi available. He hits free agency after next year and would be the perfect transitional player for Tatis Jr.
In the right line up, and the Padres line up isn’t that place, a Gold Glove SS with some pop can play everyday if others do the bulk of the hitting. To wit, the Cardinals have poor defense but pretty good hitters. Freddy could fit there.
Padres: Tatis at 3B and Galvis at SS would be awesome. Galvis’ glove and reliability are critical for a young pitching staff. You can only appreciate his play by watching him play every day. Very underrated player.
I’d be happy to see that. Especially if Tatis is ready, which we don’t know yet.
Galvis is not going to be looking for a 1 year deal. He is going to be looking for a 2-3 year deal.
He will only be 29 next year. A 1 year contract at a good salary could be tempting for him. He doesn’t have much of an injury history, so he might forego the security of a multi year contract for a one year deal with a good base salary, easily reached incentives and a vesting option.