The Padres went from a veritable playoff lock to a sub-.500 record on the heels of a catastrophic second-half collapse. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller will go back to the drawing board amid greater expectations and even more pressure.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Fernando Tatis Jr., SS: $329MM through 2034
- Manny Machado, 3B: $210MM through 2028 (Machado can opt out of contract after 2023 season)
- Eric Hosmer, 1B: $59MM through 2025
- Yu Darvish, RHP: $37MM through 2023
- Blake Snell, LHP: $28.5MM through 2023
- Ha-Seong Kim, INF: $23MM through 2024 (includes $2MM buyout of $8MM mutual option for 2025)
- Wil Myers, OF: $21MM through 2022 (includes $1MM buyout of $20MM club option for 2023)
- Drew Pomeranz, LHP: $16MM through 2023
- Jurickson Profar, INF/OF: $15MM through 2023 (includes $1MM buyout of $10MM mutual option for 2024; Profar can opt out of contract after 2022 season)
- Mike Clevinger, RHP: $6.5MM through 2022
- Craig Stammen, RHP: $4MM through 2022
- Pierce Johnson, RHP: $3MM through 2022
- 2022 commitments: $140.5MM
- Total long-term commitments: $752MM
Projected Salaries for Arbitration-Eligible Players (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Adam Frazier – $7.2MM
- Matt Strahm – $2.1MM
- Joe Musgrove – $8.9MM
- Dinelson Lamet – $4.6MM
- Emilio Pagan – $2.3MM
- Victor Caratini – $2.1MM
- Jose Castillo – $700K
- Tim Hill – $1.4MM
- Trey Wingenter – $600K
- Austin Adams – $1.0MM
- Chris Paddack – $2.1MM
Non-tender candidates: Strahm, Castillo, Wingenter
Option Decisions
- Exercised $4MM club option on RHP Craig Stammen
- Exercised $3MM club option on RHP Pierce Johnson
- Declined $4MM club option on OF Jake Marisnick
- Declined $800K club option on RHP Keone Kela (Kela had Tommy John surgery in late May)
- RHP Mark Melancon declined $5MM mutual option (received $1MM buyout)
Free Agents
- Daniel Hudson, Mark Melancon, Jake Marisnick, Keone Kela, Ross Detwiler, Vince Velasquez, Tommy Pham
On the day of the 2021 trade deadline, the Padres were 61-45 — still third place in a dominant NL West division but only five games out of first and also holding a commanding five-and-a-half-game lead on the NL’s second Wild Card spot. A postseason berth seemed overwhelmingly likely. The Friars appeared poised for another aggressive deadline, reportedly making a push to acquire Max Scherzer from the Nationals while also exploring trades to shed Eric Hosmer’s contract and improve an inconsistent offense.
Instead, the division-rival Dodgers won the Scherzer bidding, and no deals involving Hosmer materialized. The Padres acquired second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier despite having various options at both positions, and their other big deadline takeaway was reliever Daniel Hudson. That was hardly a pair of inconsequential acquisitions at the time, but Monday morning quarterbacking was in full effect as the Padres almost immediately performed a swan dive in the Wild Card standings. San Diego astonishingly went 18-38 to close out the season — not only losing a playoff spot but falling below .500 on the year.
Amid that catastrophic fall from grace were reports of tensions in the clubhouse. Second-year manager Jayce Tingler reportedly lost the locker room late in the year, and public-facing spats involving star players like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado only fanned the flames on that narrative.
It came as little surprise, then, to see the offseason begin with Tingler’s ousting. (He’s since joined the Twins as their new bench coach.) What was a surprise — to put things mildly — was the sudden hiring of longtime Athletics manager Bob Melvin, who agreed to a three-year deal to take the reins in San Diego. Melvin was under contract with the A’s through the 2022 season, but a cost-cutting A’s club let him interview and sign with the Padres on a reported three-year, $12MM contract — asking for no compensation in return.
It was a legitimate shocker and widely viewed as something of a coup for the Friars. While their 2021 season ended in disaster, the 2021-22 offseason kicked off on an immensely positive note. Those good feelings will only extend so long, however, and Preller & Co. must now look for ways to improve a roster that faceplanted in the season’s second half.
The first question, quite likely, is simply one of where to begin. The Padres have a remarkable 23 players either on guaranteed contracts or eligible for arbitration, presenting them with a nearly full active roster before even making a move. They’ll surely make some subtractions via non-tender and trade in the coming days, and it stands to reason that the team will again revisit some of those deadline-season trade endeavors.
The reported effort to move Hosmer, for instance, was surely fueled by a desire to improve upon his pedestrian offensive performance but was also borne out of a desire to curb a payroll that has increasingly soared to previously unseen levels in San Diego. Both Hosmer and Wil Myers are slightly above-average hitters with salaries north of $20MM on the books in 2022. The urgency to move Hosmer’s deal is only heightened by the fact that he’d gain 10-and-5 rights (10 years of MLB service, past five with the same team) at the end of the 2022 season — which would give him full veto power over any trade.
The Padres’ 2022 payroll is already projected by Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez at a staggering $192MM — with nearly $209MM of luxury-tax considerations. That $192MM mark is already nearly $20MM higher than the prior franchise-record. While ownership may be comfortable taking the overall budget to new heights — it’s doubtful they’d have signed Tatis and Machado to those mega-deals were that not the case — the budget surely isn’t limitless. And considering the fact that this Padres club ranked 14th in each of total runs scored, combined wRC+, ERA and FIP, it’s obvious that improvements are needed on both ends of the roster.
Looking for creative ways to shed the contracts of Hosmer or Myers figure to again be revisited this winter, and the Padres have no shortage of square pegs currently being asked to fill round holes. Acquiring Adam Frazier was something of a curious fit in the first place, given the presence of Machado, Tatis and All-Star second baseman Jake Cronenworth, but Frazier’s projected $7.2MM salary now looks even more questionable on the Padres’ roster. He’s obviously a fine player based on his track record in Pittsburgh, but perhaps the lack of a defined role in San Diego didn’t agree with him.
That same logic, to some extent, applies to infielder Ha-Seong Kim. The Padres signed the former KBO superstar to a four-year deal despite lacking obvious infield playing time for him, and Kim struggled to find his footing as he adjusted to big league pitching with inconsistent playing time across multiple positions. Kim was viewed as the equivalent of an MLB-ready, top 100 prospect at the time of his signing but hit just .202/.270/.352 while averaging fewer than three plate appearances over his 117 games.
Between Kim, Frazier and Jurickson Profar, whose questionable three-year deal only looks even more dubious now, the Padres are set to pay upwards of $20MM to a trio of players who don’t even have a defined spot in the everyday lineup. Trading any of the three should be firmly on the table, as should the easier-said-than-done possibility of finally finding a partner in a Hosmer or Myers trade. From a purely speculative standpoint, the money remaining on the Hosmer and Aaron Hicks contracts are quite similar, and Hosmer’s contact-oriented lefty bat could be of some appeal to the Yankees if they don’t re-sign Anthony Rizzo.
If the Padres ultimately are able to shed some of the currently questionable fits for their lineup, they’ll look for ways to quickly reallocate any dollars saved and lineup spots that were vacated. With Tommy Pham reaching free agency and Myers standing as a viable trade candidate, a corner outfielder could be a sensible upgrade. The aforementioned Frazier can certainly handle left field, but alternatives on the market include the likes of Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, Michael Conforto, Starling Marte, Avisail Garcia and NPB superstar Seiya Suzuki. At first base, the open market has Rizzo, while the trade market will include Matt Olson, Luke Voit and others.
If the designated hitter is indeed added to the National League, as is widely expected, it’s likely Preller will look to old friend Nelson Cruz. Preller has shown a clear affinity for former Rangers players in past iterations of the Padres’ roster, and he even explored the possibility of acquiring Cruz at the trade deadline and playing him at first base. The addition of a DH would also make it easier for San Diego (or any other NL club) to put forth a long-term offer for either of Castellanos or Schwarber, who boast imposing bats but come with sub-par defensive grades.
On the pitching side of things, the Padres have a pretty strong group on paper. The combination of Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Mike Clevinger, Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack looks sound. The trio of MacKenzie Gore, Adrian Morejon (who had Tommy John surgery in May) and Ryan Weathers makes for an enticing and upside-laden series of depth options.
That said, the starting rotation was expected to be a strength in 2021 but turned into a glaring liability. Darvish melted down the stretch after a strong first several months, while the opposite was true of Snell. Lamet’s ongoing injury woes limited his innings and placed a large slate of red flags on him for the 2022 season. Clevinger, like Morejon, is coming back from Tommy John surgery and as we know, that’s hardly a lock. (Just look at Noah Syndergaard’s 2021 season.) Paddack, meanwhile, struggled throughout the season and has yet to recapture his brilliant rookie form. Weathers was hit hard after a promising start, and most confounding of all, Gore barely pitched in the minors — instead spending much of the season working through mechanical issues at the Padres’ Arizona facility.
By late in the season, the Padres were giving starts to reclamation projects like Jake Arrieta and Vince Velasquez as they clung to faint postseason hopes. The end result was a rotation that finished 29th in the Majors in innings pitched (741 1/3) and 18th in ERA (4.54).
Further compounding matters for the Friars is that the rotation is a rather expensive group. Darvish, Snell, Musgrove, Clevinger, Paddack and Lamet will earn somewhere in the vicinity of $55MM combined, but only Musgrove showed any real consistency in 2021. San Diego will hope that swapping out former pitching coach Larry Rothschild — who was fired in August — for Ruben Niebla will help to improve the results. That said, if the Padres are again looking for ways to shake up the roster, it’s at least feasible that one of Darvish or Snell could be moved as a means of freeing up payroll and opening a spot for a different acquisition.
The uncertainty surrounding several promising young arms — Weathers, Gore, Morejon, and Lamet — also raises the possibility of moving anyone from that group in a trade of note. Preller is routinely involved in all of the big names on the market, and it’s easy to imagine Oakland’s Olson and perhaps one of their available starters piquing the Padres’ interest. A shot at a high-ceiling wild card like Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, or perhaps an aggressive pursuit of a Cincinnati starter like Sonny Gray or Luis Castillo could seemingly be in the cards, too. It’s easy to write off the Padres as a team that doesn’t definitively “need” another starter, but Preller showed last year in acquiring Darvish, Snell and Musgrove that he’s unafraid to stockpile pieces in areas where the big league roster does not have a dire need. (See also: the signing of Kim and acquisition of Frazier.)
As far as relief pitching is concerned, the Padres generally appear to have a strong group, but that shouldn’t squarely rule them out from making some notable additions. Mark Melancon led baseball in saves this past season and is now a free agent. He came to the Padres on a bargain deal after his market failed to materialize last winter, so it’s unlikely he’d be re-signed at a premium rate. Waiting out the market and pouncing on a veteran arm again this offseason makes sense, though, particularly with standout southpaw Drew Pomeranz on the mend from a torn flexor tendon.
As is the case in the rotation and the lineup, however, the Padres can’t be ruled out if a big-name reliever becomes available via trade. Don’t be surprised to see them linked to Josh Hader or Craig Kimbrel in the weeks and months to come.
More than any team in Major League Baseball, the Padres have proven themselves difficult to predict. Preller’s “Rock Star GM” moniker, given to him by Matt Kemp after a dizzying flurry of transactions in his first offseason on the job, is often used in humorous fashion — but it’s also rooted in some truth. Preller has shown a repeated affinity to grab headlines with fearless trades, free-agent signings and extensions alike, often moving players who seemed unattainable or acquiring players despite a lack of obvious need. He is quite arguably the sport’s most aggressive baseball operations leader, and given the mounting expectations in San Diego and a shocking freefall from 2021 playoff contention, there’s more pressure than ever to find the right pieces.
With starting pitching, hopefully.
I was hoping there would be a poll.
I was told there would be snacks.
I found the poll. It smells like sweat and shame for some reason. =/
By making more flashy moves that don’t move the needle and destroy their farm depth. Preller has 7 years of this. Fortunately for him he was able to parlay his flashy moves last offseason into an extension
By signing more second basemen to play out of position
The Frazier trade never made sense to me. They had 3 second basemen already. Why add another? it was like the 2018 Brewers when they acquired Mike Moustakas and Jonathan Schoop, made Travis Shaw move to 2B, and then Schoop to shortstop, then the next year move Shaw back to third and open 2019 with Moustakas at 2B.
Frazier has outfield experience and while he’s more than useable in the grass, a lot of his value comes from the fact he’s a plus defensive second baseman. But you already have that in Cronenworth. I doubt they trade Cronenworth, or move him off of 2B and they won’t find a taker for Profar. Between Kim and Frazier, the latter is the easier to trade.
But why would they trade a guy who they just bought at peak value 4 months ago? They’re not going to get back more than they gave up to get him.
They’re the Padres. We’re not talking about a front office that has made the most well thought out decisions. We’re talking about a front office with a GM who makes impulse purchases, regardless of the future impact. It’s true that out of Profar, Kim, and Frazier, if they were to deal one of them, Frazier would likely be the one moved.
@mlb1225 If they wanted to trade Frazier he never would have been traded for in the first place. Don’t say they traded for him expecting to move Hosmer to make room. They couldn’t possibly have believed anyone would take Hosmer.
Mlb1225- couldn’t agree more.
I never expected them to find a Hosmer taker. Why would anyone want to take on that contract? It (the Frazier trade) was an odd trade to start with and and odd trade now. You’re missing the point of what I said. This is the San Diego Padres. They’ve made so many impulse moves over the past 2 years, regardless of whether it is the right move. Would it make sense to trade for Frazier then deal him 6 months later? No, but did it make sens to acquire another middle infielder when you already have 3 on the roster, your #1 prospect is also a middle infielder will return next year knocking on the door for major league playing time, and when said acquired middle infielder was clearly getting lucky and in the midist of declining? Also no. I’m not disagreeing with you. Trading Frazier right after trading for him doesn’t make sense. But between Frazier, Profar, and Kim, Frazier probably has the highest chance of being dealt. He’s a free agent after next year, isn’t on an albatross contract, and could net the Padres something they need.
@mlb1225 You are a Pirates fan so I can’t blame you for not knowing this but the general consensus on Padres social media is that Adam Frazier was traded for with the assumption that Eric Hosmer would be traded, Jake Cronenworth would be moved to 1st base and Adam Frazier would be installed as the everyday 2B. I don’t believe this narrative, however, because trading for a guy who you have to trade Hosmer to clear room for and just assuming that another team will magically take Hosmer off our hands is more than just a little irresponsible.
I would have never traded for Frazier. But they did. They clearly felt he filled a need. And the Padres have all the same needs they did last July, if not more.
it was a mistake getting Frazier
They were trying to go for a guy like Chris Taylor… he’s not Chris Taylor
Don’t compound the mistake by sitting pat…
@CoachDan Well clearly Preller doesn’t think it was a mistake getting Frazier. So go take it up with him.
That rumor has not been well sourced. It is possible that they got Frazier assuming a gap at 1B, but even that move is questionable . They already had a 2B in Kim whose worst numbers were as PH and passable when playing in field (wRC+ of 92 as position player in second half). Frazier actually hit worse than that as a Padre. Also, you lose a ton of Cronenworth’s value by moving him off 2B because he is very good. If they move Hosmer, they need to find someone who can hit but not field. someone like Ty France or Franmil Reyes or….
That’s coming a Bucs poster which their front office isn’t much better than the Padres FO but at least the Padres are spending money trying to be competitive.
Kim wasn’t hitting profar wasn’t hitting.
Tatis moved to OF. Cronenworth moved to ss, Frazier played 2B.
Ideally heading into 2022 OF is Tatis Jr, Grisham, Myers with Machado, Cronenworth, Frazier, Hosmer on the INF.
They could use a RH OF bat so they could put Myere at 1st against lefties.
So do this…trade Kim to Toronto and then trade Darvish & Morejon to Texas for IKF, he becomes the perfect UIF. Then trade Hosmer & Justin Lange to NYY for Gallo.
great! trade more prospects for more offense that they don’t need!
They have pitching they just need to pitch to their ability. IKF & Gallo have gold glove caliber defense, and they’ve actually won those awards. That’s exactly what the Friars need.
Could Machado opt out after 2023 if he is crushing it?
He should and try to get a new eight-year deal minimum.
Would destroy the team I think and anger the fan base. Preller gets ridiculed for the opt out and Machado goes somewhere else (looking ahead, Detroit might have a spot for him)
@tstats Umm… Unless the team starts winning, I don’t think any Padres fan is going to be upset about Machado going to Detroit.
Fair fair, not in SD but I figured they must like Manny cause at least he produces at a high rate unlike most the team (Tatis aside)
@tstats How is that Machado’s problem?
I’m not saying it’s his problem I’m just noting that it will demoralize the fan base and will hurt PRELLER
@YankeesBleacherCreature Teams were viciously opposed to paying Machado past 2026 when he was a free agent and you now expect them to pay him through 2031?
That or if the front office keeps meddling and Bob Melvin gets fed up with Preller. I could see a player wanting to escape weirdness.
Ah, the overrated Padres haha. Watch them miss the playoffs again next year.
Look they just will ok. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th.. They’ll be in every position of the division throughout the year
BRef has Clevinger’s salary as 8 million in 2022
The $6.5M could be CBT value. They signed Clevinger to a 2 year deal last year, knowing he’d miss all of 2021. So they may have paid him $5M last year and $8M for 2022, for a CBT hit of $6.5m per year.
Bingo. You’ve always been good with the financials, Dorothy. $6.5m base with $1.5m bonus for ’22 with 2 $250k escalators for Games Started. ’21 covered the rest of the $11.5m deal ($2m base with $1.5m bonus for his “rehab” year).
Actually I looked it up. He signed a 2/$11.5M contract in 2021. He was paid $2.0M in salary for 2021, plus 1/2 of a $3M signing bonus. For 2022, he is due $6.5M in salary, plus the second half ($1.5M) of the signing bonus, so that’s where the $8M for 2022 comes from. As far as the CBT goes, he’ll count for $5.75M against the CBT in 2022, if there is a CBT in 2022.
@ Gwynning – Looks like you posted right before I did..thanks for the additional info about the escalators!
Anytime buddy, nice research on your own! Escalators will be easy (by all current appearances…) to hit at 5 and 10 Games Started. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Snell seemed to have turned it around in the second half, one of the few players on the Padres that got noticably better as the 2021 season went on. Padres seem to be the kings of impulse buys. Like their starting staff and line-up, on paper, seems like it should be up there with the best in the league.
Preller is In over his head. It’s not big considered to his other signings, but what the hell is the Profar deal? A bunch of player options? He got paid more than Kikè and Kikè is actually good.
Profar is a case study in group think. Once a number one prospect, then always regarded as a potential superstar.
And the only team in baseball who overvalues Profar is SD. Preller locked him up like he’s some kind of secret weapon. There isn’t a team in the league that doesn’t look forward to Profar being in the lineup. The guy is a decent cheerleader and a colorful clubhouse presence, but a producer he is not – never has been and never will be.
Preller is a mess.
Interesting question: what if the padres never made any of their “buy” trades
This includes:
Snell
Darvish
Musgrove
Frazier
Clevinger
Would they be in a better or worse position to win rn?
Would they have a better or worse outlook for the future?
Well obviously they’d look better for the future. Of those trades, Clevinger and arguably Snell aren’t helping them now.
No one is helping them now, off-season
They would be in a better farm state and they wouldn’t have rushed everything
They’d have a lot more money to spend too
That would be a fun MLBTR write up. Haha
A one post recap on those headline moves, how each side of the trade has performed since, and perhaps potential alternatives they missed out on?
BeforeMcCourt5 hours ago
That would be a fun MLBTR write up. Haha
==============================================
Without the current trades (I’m using 2018 as a cut-off), SD would have (roughly)
C-Hedges/Mejia
1B-Hosmer/Myers
2B-France
SS-Tatis
3B-Urias
LF-Reyes
CF-Margot
RF-Renfroe
SP-Lauer
SP-Quantrill
SP-Patino
SP-Lamet
SP-Paddack
SP-Lucchesi
CL-Clase
I’m not saying the this team would be better than what they have now, but it would be close.. And the payroll would be $75, and they’d be back to having the best farm in BB.
Um, that’s a terrible team aside from Tatis. Worse than the Rockies possibly. You don’t win trophies for best farm system or best offseason, they are aggressive traders and accumulate talent but try to mush it all together without any cohesion.
to see out this alternate universe, I have gone to MLB the Show 20 to go down a different path, avoiding all those trades, I just wait for a year, and let those prospects come up, Tatis, Grish, Machado, lead my offense, Paddack becomes a stud and comes in 3rd for cy young awards, Joey lucchesi reinvents himself and becomes 2 starter, until Gore gets up and sets the world on fire, I don’t let Yates go, and reinforce the pen, Yates is a stud. things would’ve been so much better if they didn’t jump the gun, I see this team as being done, no more prospects, older talent, just Tatis trying his best to carry the Padres.
Preller is pretty good at acquiring prospects but mind bogglingly bad at acquiring “impact’ MLB talent. I went back and did a clumsy roll forward of the organization if you just kept good talent and did prospect acquisition. That team is much better. It does assume they drafted Austin Riley with the pick they sent Atlanta (which is what Atlanta did).
gaslampball.com/2021/11/9/22771033/heres-where-the…
I think they’ll win the west next year. The Giants will regress, and the Dodgers will lose a lot in FA and won’t sign much in value. They’ll still make the playoffs though
The Giants will regress but are still going to be solid from here on out especially by 2023. I think it’ll be an actual 3 team race from start to finish in 2022
How can you possibly think it’s a guarantee La will fail to find any value?
The Padres seem like a mess with horrible roster construction. I can’t imagine they have a huge budget this off-season, so the only way to significantly improve is through trades. I am stunned Preller still has a job. The Giants and the Dodgers will be very good.
Not a Preller fan.
But the new majority owner has politely put him on a leash.
The additions of a skilled manager and a top flite pitching coach will make this team better. The roster may well change as there are too many people on it that aren’t contributing much. Not sure about Hosmer in that though. If he stays I think Melvin will use him correctly and get those around him to do their jobs. If they move him in order to get around his no-trade clause kicking in, they’ll have to eat a substantial portion of his salary…..and I can’t think of a team that needs a 1B all that badly.
Once again, Samuel talking out his ass cause he think he sounds smart.
Peter swindler never put preller on any leash whatsoever. He has repeatedly spoken about he completely trusts preller and the team is in prellers hands.
Whether or not that’s a good thing, we will find out, but you really ought to stop trying to sound intelligent on Padres topics, cause you are wrong 95% of the time when you try to sound like some Padres insider
Peter Seidler*
I mean, Peter Swindler was kind of appropriate.
@ damascusj;
You’re crude, insulting, and ignorant of how bureaucracies work.
I agree with his take. Seidler’s public comments and the contract extension support Preller, but really doubt with the money and time he has been given, if the team does not gel into a legitimate WS contender starting very soon, he is toast.
Love the Padres, like some of what Preller has done but he has done more damage than good and hard to see him suddenly figuring it out to adjust the roster for this window. I expect them to flail while Preller is running things. He is on is 4th legitimate manager (Black, Green, Tingler, now Melvin). That has to be unprecedented for a GM that has not accomplished anything.
@damascus …
What was Seidler supposed to say publicly? Get a clue.
Polite? They extended him for half a decade…
collapse in the first half?
I like how y’all don’t even mention that Hosmer can opt out after 2022
Why would he? He is going to make way more money in 23 than he would with any other team
Never said he would
Good point, but don’t you agree he stays with the Padres if it’s up to him?
Oh, Hosmer will be a Padre until the day after the 2025 World Series ends. But that doesn’t change that he has the right to opt out after 2022.
That is true, it also might depend on his 2022 season. If he puts up really good numbers you might wonder if the Padres trade him or if he opts out.
I have a better chance of dating Margot Robbie than Eric Hosmer has of opting out of his contract.
Still… He DOES have an opt-out. Which was the original point of my comment. I’m not sure if Steve forgot or if he decided that it simply wasn’t worth mentioning.
You make a point
When you consider that Margot Robbie took a restraining order against your type. San Diego is screwed.
Hosmer would be making the biggest mistake of his life if he opted out of the rest of that contract.
Unless he has an MVP season in ’22 or something. And that’s not going to happen.
He’s not going to opt out for exactly the same reason Profar exercised his option.
Work smarter not harder. Preller needs to learn the lesson that getting an infinite number of second baseman isn’t going to fix your starting pitcher issue. Neither will buying SPs with huge contracts who are past their prime.
If the new CBA allows 6 infielders you’re all going to feel pretty silly about criticizing his moves
That is true, we can’t forget about the CBA…
Tbf, this CBA does not disallow 6 infielders
Preller is the biggest idiot GM in baseball. He flings money at everything that will stand still enough to catch it. No wonder he has so much money in players he doesn’t need and never did, or players who weren’t worth their money the day they were signed. Poor Manny. A generational talent on a mediocre team. I bet he wishes he’d stayed with the Dodgers.
I don’t think Manny cares. Money was the only reason he signed with SD and he gets paid either way.
He wants a ring…not gonna get it while Preller is in SD. I don’t know why he wasn’t fired after the medical deception scandal, but I bet the owners have had second thoughts about that.
No, what he wants is a $300m guarantee.
You mean the medical deception scandal where the Red Sox and Marlins combined to trade the Padres three pitchers who had TJS? Just making sure we’re talking about the same scandal.
Uh … Preller has been discipled THREE times by MLB, including two suspensions and a fine for holding illegal workouts with underage latino players.
Don’t forget the 12 Apostles
Ooh … a typo naze!
Actually Manny despises LA, but go on
The Dodgers didn’t make any serious attempt to sign Machado after trading for him.
Why is Castillo a non-tender candidate if his projected salary is only 700k?
Injuries
Cue the asinine comment from Pads Fans/Koamalu/websoulsurfer/ whatever he is calling himself nowadays about how Wil Myers is actually worth his contract
OF should be Tatis Jr, Grisham, Myers
Add a RH bat to play OF/1B against lefties
INF should be Machado, Cronenworth, Frazier, Hosmer
Add a starter or 2 for back of the rotation
Darvish, Snell, Musgrove, plus Clevinger, Morejon coming back at some point.
I’d trade Campusano for pitching help at the right price. Maybe Marlins and Padres swap Campusano and Meyer as the headliners to a deal? Padres have Nola for 4 years. There’s time to draft and develop a successor.
@Faith Jr has been adamant that he’s a SS. So they will need a corner OF. They very well could resign Pham.
23 of 26 Roster spots are accounted for… re-sign Pham (cheaply), Nelson Cruz for DH and a Bullpen addition bring us to 26. If Niño sticks at SS (most likely) then Frazier is our LFer. We’re not signing a top-shelf FA with a QO attached; the team is in the top tier penalty phase with regards to the CBT and i don’t see us coughing up the 2nd and 4th Rd. picks along with International money. I’d keep Campy just because his bat is looking solid and his glove has improved tremendously… but he would gather a nice arm if he’s moved.
Well they did give up their first rounder for James Shields in 2015
Frazier would become the lightest hitting OF in NL, why do that? They need a bat there. But im with you on keeping Camps, he really showed some growth as a hitter latter half of minors season.
Frazier s/b non-tendered, the 7 mill can be better spent elsewhere. He doesn’t fit anywhere. The game has changed, the guy hit 1 HR and maybe a couple of doubles while with the Pads. Meantime we lost game after game because other teams had more power.
Frazier is exactly what this club needs. He’s a contact hitter, doesn’t strike out, takes a walk, and knows how to bunt. He’s also a good second baseman and a better OF than Profar will ever be.
Plus he can hit 240 with 3 HRs and 4 SBs in 600 ABs. Just what they need
Closer to .280, but don’t let reality stand in your way.
I was forecasting his next season based upon declines this last season. I guess you admired his excellent “contact” when he hit 267 for Pads last year, .335 SLG, 1 HR in 211 plate appearances. Woo ooo
Why Tucupita Marcano wields a bigger bat
SLG only rewards power. Period. It’s not even a sliver of the bigger picture of a player.
I love these morons who think the only stat that matters is SLG or ISO. Low baseball IQ … Typical of my fellow Padre fans.
Still defending the punch n Judy hitter?
Some of us are Giants fans, but you’re certainly no Padre fan
@Brewer … So, as a Giants fan, you tacitly admit you really don’t know squat about the Padres. Got it.
Tatis was not a good OF. And he made no secret about hating the OF because he wanted to play SS. I hope he grows up and stops pouting, because he wasn’t very good at SS either.
And when was he pouting?
From the moment Preller put him in the outfield. If you watched every game or read the local media, it was obvious.
You obviously didn’t follow the team, or maybe you just see the world through a child’s eyes. Upon the request of medical staff he agreed to play a new position while the shoulder regained strength, but has a longterm desire to play SS, the position he’s played his entire career. I’m sure Tom Brady would whine if asked to play free safety, so give Tatis some credit for complying.
You obviously don’t follow the team or you would know what he said, how he said it, and why Machado finally had to try and straighten him out in the dugout.
Lol
I obviously think higher of Preller than most of the crowd. He is intelligent and thoughtful. But what he is doing is NOT the best strategy. I give him a D grade. He acquires older and injured talent while depleting young talented prospects. The Snell trade is a good example. Patino is a great pitching prospect who cost millions less than Snell and who you would control for a long time. Why trade Patino and Mejia and two more prospects on top of that for Snell who costs millions more? The answer is that in a desperate attempt to win sooner they mortgage their future. But Preller is no idiot, I am sure that he discussed the high profile trade with ownership, the majority of the GMs in the league now run big trades by ownership. The Padres still have pitchers in A ball who might have done better than Arrieta. The Dodgers will win 95 games in 2022 if Buehler and Urias stay healthy. The Giants will win 90 to 95 if they sign two free agent solid starting pitchers. The Padres do not have to make the playoffs in 2022, but if they cannot win 85 games in a tough division, I think ownership will replace the rock star with a golden oldie.
You give Preller a D and call that thinking highly of him? Bold of you! I will top that and give him a C. But just a C. The injuries that besieged the team were unworldly and weren’t his fault. And other than the Frazier trade, most of his moves last year were defendable for a team whose ownership was pushing for a quick rise to competitiveness. They’ll likely add another SP, platoon guy for Hosmer, and maybe bring back a healthier Pham. If they make a bigger splash it will be via a trade involving Myers, Frazier and prospects. Though a significant upgrade to Myers won’t come cheap. They won’t deal Abrams, and I’d be surprised if they part with any one of their 2-4 prospects. Hassell especially
No one is trading anything that would qualify as a “big splash” if they are getting Myers back. And the only way to dump Hosmer is to attach Abrams and Hassell (not or, and).
I don’t think Abrams was on the block for a Scherzer rental. But I agree he’s a near-future star and they need to figure out his position on the team very soon. They won’t trade Hosmer for same reason as every year, dump him is the only path to replacing him. I bet he gets another year and will be platooned with Cron as is.
I did not say that I think “highly” of him. I said that I think “higher” of him than most posters here. He is smart, just misdirected.
We do agree on one point. Part of why he did not get an “F” is because they did not trade Abrams to get Scherzer and Turner. I think Abrams will be a star. And yes, had a couple pitchers been healthier they would have had a better record, but still third place in the tough division.
My C grade isn’t “highly” either, but I do give nod to how a healthy Clev, Morejon, Darvish, Snell, Paddack and Tatis, and half the relievers might have made Preller look a little better.
Preller – in his EIGHTH year. He gets a D-.
Sadly the padres are just the red headed step child who gets smacked around by the dodgers and giants
Preller has a knack for getting deals done. The problem is, he’s making deals for guys the Padres dont really need. It’s looking like there wasnt any overall roster-building strategy and now they have a lot of payroll with not enough space to play all the cool toys they got.
Padres have a deep desire to move Hosmer and Meyers. Good luck with that. Either the wallet or the farm will take hits to move those guys. BIG HITS.
empirejim9 hours ago
Preller has a knack for getting deals done.
====================================
Getting deals done is easy. Getting good deals done is harder.
Not all is doom and gloom if Preller can deal better and get past this year. They can buy out Myers, and Hosmer drops to “just” $13M/yr starting in 2023.
More $300M contracts, hopefully
Your meltdown about how the playoff system is broken because the Braves beat your dodgers is one of the funniest meltdowns ever on this site. Thanks for the laugh McCourt. You disappeared for a while after the dodgers lost so I never got a chance to thank you for that laugh.
Anyone else thinks SD should keep Hosmer and Myers? Players historically perform better on walk years… Myers will be a FA next season and will play for his next contract … Hosmer for a possible opt out.. might be better to keep them ?
Well for one, there is no way in Hell Hosmer opts out.
For two, I think they should keep them because the quality and quantity of prospects they would have to attach to dump them would just make it counterproductive.
The cost of moving Hos is too great yes. Groundhog Day on this problem.
Angels will take Myers,Kim,Clevinger and Padres get Upton & SS Livan Soto & SP Jason “ best name for a pitcher” Junk.we take your overpriced anchor ,shed salary with Kim, Clevinger.Padres get our flag pole and 2 kids to restock the farm.
Hard pass but thanks for calling. Kim is a high-ceiling keeper (defensive stud, great bench piece is his floor), Sunshine and Myers playing for contracts. Upton is nearly making more than all 3 Pads; not good for our CBT figures and we’re not desperate to restock a still strong farm.
I agree with your basic premise, but there are two things that are questionable …
1) Clevinger is coming off his SECOND TJ. We have no idea how he’s good he’s going to be, contract year or not. Huge question mark there.
2) Our farm is not “still strong.” FanGraphs has us at 17th. That’s second tier.
1. Sunshine is pumping it, he looks outstanding at this point of his rehab.
2. Fangraphs hates us but their opinion is validated by many. I like our farm more than most I guess, we still have lots of valuable pieces in places. It’s tailor-made for our team; we kept our big names for the positions of need and everyone is on schedule.
3. Always have Faith in my corner! I’d rather have Wil over Upton to begin with, and as expensive as Wil is perceived, Upton would count as $15m more against the CBT level. Clev is a proven pseudo-Ace (TOR for sure), Junk is… well, Junk for now. Kim > Soto all days ending in Y. Soto projects as 2B in the Majors anyhow, the last thing we need with our current roster construction (and future if we’re projecting Abrams as middle IF.) All due respect, it’s a worthy phone call to listen to, but we’re on the lower end of the bargain in all 3 aspects. Hard pass, but I can appreciate and understand your input.
I’ve heard Clev is throwing well, but that’s really not the same as pitching in game situations. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but I can’t ignore the reality of a second TJ.
FanGraphs isn’t the only outlet to rank our farm no better than mediocre/average. “FanGraphs hates us?” Come on, man.
Yes, all things considered, I’d take Wil over Upton at this point. And Kim is a valuable backup in a crowded infield.
Fangraphs is consistent with ranking our farm the lowest, hence my statement. We all know we’re top-heavy with Gore, Campy, Bobby 3-Sticks and CJ… but people are sleeping on possible ’22 guys like Eguy, Knehr, Reggie Lawson, Ethan Elliott and Steven Wilson. Our depth pieces for ’23 and beyond are looking strong, too. Like I said, maybe I like our farm more than most, but as someone who watches it more than most, there are a lot of slick cats coming soon. I really like James Wood, Jackson Merrill, Victor Acosta and Brandon Valenzuela but they’re all still too young to truly project as MLB starters/stars. The future is bright, Fangraph’s opinion aside. Happy Thanksgiving buddy!
I fail to see how three good prospects makes us “top heavy.” (I excluded Gore because his stock has been dropping like a rock for over a year.)
The rest of those guys are meh. They’re middlin’ prospects who may or may not ever crack a big league roster. Look at Lawson, he was just outrighted off the 40 man, and he really hasn’t exactly torn up the minors.
Like I said before, FanGraphs isn’t the only publication with farm rankings and scouting reports. Of those I checked, the highest I saw us ranked was 13th. That makes the “Fangraphs hates us” argument look like a lame excuse. The fact is, our farm isn’t great, and it has very little balance and depth.
How about not throwing money at everyone? Wallets rarely win championships these days.
The Padres of MLB are the Leafs of the NHL. Both look like good teams with high-end talent, but neither has the depth nor (at present) know-how in terms of winning.
Ehhhhhh maybe a good comparison but they aren’t good for different reason. As a suffering leafs fan, the leafs problem, at least now is they loaded themselves with top end similar players, hoping the salary cap would increase but never did.
Playoffs are won by depth players and the leafs have none (actually they have one in Spezza) so they end up being a really good regular season team and consistent playoff flop, they just aren’t built for the battle of nhl post season.
But I get the comparison as the ‘have everything a team needs to win, they are trying but just never works out because they are perennial losers’
… as long as the Habs keep losing, we’re all good (I grew up a Nordiques fan). Grit, both the Leafs & Padres lack that certain grinding, tough-to-play-against quality. I wish your Leafs well, Dusty.
Preller runs the team like a fantasy team.. He acquires talent without regard to the future, their salaries, or their fit.
I said it a hundred times and I’ll keep saying it, Pittsburgh needs to take on the Hosmer deal and try to get a young arm back in return. Their payroll is so low, may as well do something with it. They can even try Hosmer out but can eventually flip him to another team if they find a long term 1B. If they won’t sign any free agents, why not?
Please stop saying that.
That’s a fantastic counter argument. Why should the team with a sorry payroll -who’s looking to accumulate young talent and is still a year or two away take advantage of a team who’s always all-in but is looking to free up cash for more roster flexibility?
Looks like the Padres contractual situation is similar to where the Angels were a few years ago with Pujols, Hamilton, et al. It has taken us years to get close to being a bit flexible again.
Preller is a genius – he fools his owner into an extension w/poor results!
Maybe there is an old fashioned trade potential where 2B/lefty bat Frazier (1yr remaining) can fill a need for WSox in exchange for closer Kimbrel’s 1yr remaining and cash?
I would love the Tigers to pick up the contract of Kim for salary relief, and let him and Kreidler battle for SS in spring training. Really don’t want to see that 10 yr deal in Motown.
Until Preller is gone, I don’t see us winning a WS.
SD – i.e. Preller – seems to have one strength (finding/signing/drafting minor league talent). His ability to DEVELOP that talent and assemble a winning major league team seems to be lacking. His free agent signing and trade acquisition record is abysmal.
We’ll see if Melvin can overcome the other shortcomings, and influence the roster composition enough to make this team a winner.
If that 17-year old talent never develops, maybe it wasn’t there to begin with? Which makes signing that young talent more of a weakness than a strength, doesn’t it?
Where’s all the band wagon padres fans that were proclaiming a New World Order for the NL West and MLB….. LOL what a joke…. As the giants learned in the playoffs, the NL West and chances of mlb supremacy goes through LA every single year
We were sabotaged by Preller’s poor roster construction and idiotic pitching management. We’ll be mopping the foor with Dodger blues soon enough.
You can never have too much talent.Cronenworth or Frazier can play every day helping out around the diamond.I would put Frazier at 2b and use Cronenworth everywhere like the Dodgers did with Taylor the last 4 yrs.I’m a longtime Dodger fan since Koufax.I’ve never seen a more talented Padre team ever.Clevenger,Snell, Darvish,Musgrove,Lamet,Morejon,Gore,Paddock healthy is a very scary group of 1’s & 2’s .Dominating group for any organization!