The Padres activated Wil Myers from the injured list today. He is in the lineup playing right field. Brian O’Grady, meanwhile, was optioned to Triple-A, while Keone Kela was moved to the 60-day injured list, per the team.
Myers has been out of action since May 11th. The multi-positional righty was off to a solid start at the plate, slashing .255/.342/.415 with four home runs in 120 plate appearances. Myers, the longest-tenured Padre, has taken a backseat to more prominent players in recent years, but he remains a key piece of the lineup. He has settled in as their everyday right fielder after years of shifting around the diamond. His 154 wRC+ in 2020 was easily the highest such mark of his career.
O’Grady has been part of the solution in right field during Myers’ absence, along with Jurickson Profar, Jorge Mateo, and Patrick Kivlehan. But O’Grady saw the most time, starting five games versus five starts for the other three players combined. The 29-year-old hit just .100/.268/.150, however, across 27 plate appearances. The most action he has seen in a Major League season is 48 plate appearances with the Reds back in 2019.
Watching O Grady up there was painful.
Not as bad as Maybin
Just what the Padres needed after an 8 game win streak, the return of one of their better bats. Now if they can just trade Pham for Soto…
You pull a hard bargain… but ok, you have a deal.
C’mon be realistic. Pham and prospects #25 – #30 for Soto.
Pham, 25 – 30 and magic beans for Soto.
hey look, we joke about those magic beans, but if you can get a golden goose out of ’em then its a great deal.
Fernando Tatis Jr. was a magic bean when he was traded for James Shields. Preciado, Mena and Caissie were magic beans when they were traded for Darvish as well.
30 games played, 13 jacks, 10 swipes. And that’s after a horrendous start. Project that over full season.
Well everyone that was put out in right field during Myers absence are all hitting better than O’Grady did.
And to think, 2 months ago there was a lot of DFA Mateo or don’t give a spot to Marcano to make room for BOG because he was a “real” OFer. Not intending to call anyone out, because I wasn’t opposed to DFA Mateo or Pham myself. I guess just good that we don’t make the decisions is all I’m saying.
Its been an impressive first 30% for SD
They have the 3 intangibles I love
Pitching
Depth
Aggressiveness
Round ball square bat in the end type of deal ; but regardless of results, SD has hit a home run from the upstairs management department team sitting here today.
There financials/needs line up very well in the future if they continue maintaining current payroll levels. This isn’t some “ALL in ” move as much as its been labeled, I see a pretty stable path
Never heard the “all in” on the Padres and they look nothing of the sort w a decent farm and players like clevinger coming back. Plus their youth on mlb team. I think they continue to close gap on Dodgers. Maybe not this year but could see em taking over next and Holding that spot for seasons to come
Brian O’Grady hit a BIG double against the Rockies in Colorado.
Yes he did. Hopefully, he hits more down the road when he gets a chance again. It’s is so good to be able to nit pick and comparing about the 26th man as basically our only thing to complain about!! Just think 10 months from now with Clev and Gore in play and Lament full strength, we may be arguing about putting a 2018 AL CY winner in the pen!! Wow is that a change.
Pads need an outfielder to take Pham’s place and not convinced Melancon can keep up his great start. Fix these two things and and the Pads might have something. This upcoming road trip will tell us a lot about the Padres. Any team that does not win their division in the National League is going to have a tough tough time of making the playoffs.
On the more immediate timeframe, fixing the good fortune of Melancon’s early season excellence probably falls on the health of Pomeranz – he’s the stop-gap if and when Melancon falters. But Preller is masterful at acquiring key RP in the late season seller’s market, as he did last year. And with Kela out, I’m guessing they will add a closer-quality guy later this summer.
I agree the Pom’s health and possible Pagan being stable is a part of the equation but there is also that other factor that doesn’t get discussed much. At some point, Paddack or Lamet (think John Smoltz) or even Snell (if Gore and Weathers are both starters later) are going to be extra arms and could be closers – at least for 2021.
It’s true that trading for RP is a risk, unless you can pick up a contract like Melancon’s. They got lucky with Rosenthal last year, but a late season rental isn’t a huge commitment (other than some $).
Of the SP you mention above, Gore is probably the least fit for 2021 RP, especially closer type role. Lamet might be the best, then Weathers (who’s on an innings cap anyway). I think we’re stuck with Snell’s 5-6 innings 100 IP games. I like Adams lately….
My mention of Gore was intended to say that he would be a SP pushing one of the others out of SP slot. Darvish, Musgrove, Gore, Snell – if that were to be where things are in August, means, only 1 of the others (and all of them in post season) have a SP slot. Of course, we must now consider Diaz as an option, let me add finally. Diaz and Castillo have been the RL combo coming up for like 5 years now it seems and neither can avoid a plethora of misc injuries.
Yeah I mis-read about Gore. If they bring him up (I’m not fully convinced they will until he’s dominant in AAA), then it will be to start games. If that happens and assuming Paddack continues even in mediocrity, that leaves Lamet and Weathers in a non-starters roll, or they run with rotation of 6. The next more likely scenario that would involve Gore would be a Paddack melt-down (plausible) in combination with a Lamet rise to rotation again. Still I don’t see a 2021 closer coming from the group, so let’s hope Melancon, Pagan and Poms keep things together, or they find a diamond in the rough. This discussion was kicked off by a mention of potential regression in Melancon, but hard to worry too much given SD’s pitching staff presently sits (albeit only 30% into season) light years ahead of all teams in MLB with a team ERA at 2.59, the Dodgers a distant 2nd at 2.99.
The Padres should go after Winker or Castellanos from the Reds. Both are MVP candidates on a sinking ship. Wonder what it would take to get one of them? What would you give up?
It would take the moon to get WInker, who’s under team control by Reds, especially in a rebuild if they go that route. Forget it, won’t happen. The cost of getting a proven OFer to replace Pham will be perhaps too steep given the commitments already in place to Profar and Pham, but who knows what Preller might have up his sleeve. I’m guessing they will likely keep rolling with those 2 in hopes one gets hot. Profar hasn’t been bad and even Pham as bad as he’s been has maintained a reasonable OBP. Kim is starting to look good at the plate lately, maybe he enters the equation in OF, If it was next year, CJ Abrams is lurking.
I’ve actually been thinking Castellanos all year as a target. I think he has an option which he surely won’t be planning to exercise so Cincy might as well get something for him. Winker isn’t a chance to get without giving up something Preller isn’t giving up. If Profar can manage 2020 stats he can have LF. If he can’t, then at some point Cronenworth or Kim or even Tatis (think it thru before you shoot me with Abrams coming up next year and either doesn’t have a position or will have to switch to CF – moving Grish to LF – which isn’t a given that Abrams can make the transition. If Abrams is ready he can’t sit on bench either.
I may have misspoke about Winker being under Reds control, looks like his contract is up after this year.
As for Tati in OF, ok I won’t shoot. They have a nice problem with Abrams being a year (or two) ahead of schedule. Being a true SS, like Tatis, something has to give though. Abrams was not rated to be as good a SS (range + arm) as Tatis until recently.. He’s growing into an adult body. It’s surprising that Cronenworth and Kim have not (to my knowledge) played much in OF this year, they just have so many options with Profar that it hasn’t been necessary, even with Tatis missing so many games. Kim is more comfortable at 3B and SS than 2nd, so Cronenworth has anchored there, and he continues to surprise us all with that advanced hitting approach. But Abrams will force some interesting decisions. They won’t bring him up to be utility IFer – or if they do I think that would be a mistake.
I don’t know why, but I’m a huge Mateo fan and would like to see him play some more. The Padres have the lucky problem of having so many good players that it’s hard to give Mateo regular at bats.
Consider me a wannabe Mateo fan. He is earning his keep (misread a couple games though) so I’m a fan. I really wasn’t 2 months ago but he is winning me over for the role that he needs to fill. As for playing more – not on board with that because the talent is just higher ahead of him. A few games here and there for rest days and make the best out of it is my goal for him.