The Padres have selected the contracts of left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, right-handed pitchers Efrain Contreras and Steven Wilson, as well as infielder Eguy Rosario per a team announcement. In a corresponding move, outfielder Jorge Oña and Reggie Lawson have been outrighted to Triple-A El Paso. Their 40-man roster is currently full following these transactions.
Gore’s stock has fluctuated wildly in recent seasons. The #3 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of a North Carolina high school, he dominated in the low minors and quickly emerged as one of the game’s top prospects. The southpaw has entered each of the past two seasons among the game’s top ten farmhands, in the estimation of Baseball America, with the evaluators suggesting he had the chance to be a rare #1 caliber arm.
Over the past two seasons, though, Gore’s stock has taken a rather significant hit. There were rumblings of control issues at the alternate training site in 2020, and Gore spent a good chunk of 2021 at the team’s complex facility trying to iron out his mechanics. He only logged 34 cumulative innings between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A.
Certainly, there was no chance of the Padres leaving Gore unprotected in the Rule 5. But it remains to be seen how much they can depend on him going into 2022. The organization likely envisioned Gore as a potential rotation option coming into 2021, and his issues in the minors loomed even larger as the big league staff was crushed by injuries. Getting the 22-year-old back on track is no doubt one of the top offseason priorities for the club’s development staff.
Contreras missed the entire season recovering from a November 2020 Tommy John surgery. Baseball America nevertheless ranked him the Friars’ #18 prospect midseason, calling the 21-year-old a potential back-end starter with plus control.
Wilson, 27, was an eighth-round pick out of Santa Clara in 2018. BA ranked him 30th in the system, praising his mid-90s heater. He pitched to a 3.43 ERA with a huge 40.1% strikeout rate with Triple-A El Paso and could be a big league bullpen option next season.
Rosario, 22, is the #19 prospect in the system according to BA. He’s a hit-first infielder whose bounced around the diamond in the minors. Rosario posted a strong .281/.360/.455 mark with 12 homers in 481 plate appearances with Double-A Amarillo.
Turning to the outrighted players, both Ona and Lawson were once well-regarded prospects themselves. They’ve got little to no big league experience, though. Ona has just 15 plate appearances at the highest level (all in 2020); Lawson has topped out at Double-A. Both had injury-wrecked 2021 seasons in the minors and will now have to work their way back onto the 40-man.
shouldve found a way to keep Yorman Rodriguez. dude’s gonna be good.
Gore’s a bust
No you are
“Sox4ever”?
How’s James Shields doing these days?
So is your mom.
sox4ever, MacKenzie Gore is 22 years old. It’s far too early to call him a “bust”.
Yeah sure he is. I bet if he was left unprotected every single team would have wanted him
You probaly have a bust. As Kramer said you need a “bro”
More moves to come because the Padres have to add an OF and 2 starting pitchers as well as at least one closer.
Good comment man. I’m also a padres fan. Don’t pay any attention to some of this haters in the comment section. Youre right, i expect AT LEAST one Blockbuster trade and ONE high end free agent signing. Guys like castillo, Báez, Norwood, guerra and Rosario could all be trade chips along with others, hopefully Preller can do it again!!! Go padres!!! Ownership is comitted to spend Big and it’s great for US the fans. Don’t ve surprised if they let Melancon walk (6 Million is the value of Melancon But a desperate team might give him 7, not the padres dou)
Another thing, plenty of pitching Available in free agency and by trades. Athletics, Reds, and others are in selling mode and the guardians who knows, rays who knows, Preller can get it done, i’m sure he’s gonna find something good for US
They should let Melanson walk. He is not someone you can count on. I watched all Padre games and he is anything but automatic.
39 saves 2.24 era for 2 million, what a bargain. He is looking at 7-10 million in 2022
Vegas, I agree that Melanson had a really good year and was a bargain. However, as a fan that watched nearly every game,I would get nervous every time he came in. I would rather see Pomeranz as our closure when he was healthy. Hope they don’t bring Melanson back as the closer. Should be an 8th inning guy.
What is it you want Preller to do “again?” He hasn’t done anything yet.
Tatis, Machado cronnenworth Frazier, Nola, grasham clevinger etc he’s done some good moves recently, not this year yet, offseason free agency is just getting started. Melvin, niebla and the Pitching development coordinator signing is great, his GM SEAT is getting hotter, he must deliver a winning team and a playoff team in 2022 and beyond, 2021 was unacceptable Even he said that himself, bur I woulD rather ve a fan of his and the padres than the lowball cheap Chargers who are not willing to spend any money, i’m happy with taking a shot here and there being bold from time to time
Ah the glass if fully empty for the Hotdog, Like any GM he’s made moves that turned out both very well and not so well. To say he “hasn’t done anything yet” is laughable, and so I LOL.
Some of the moves by Preller that went well: Melancon for 2 million, Grisham for Urias, Darvish for Davies, Tatis for Shields, Kimbrel for Maybin, But he’s also made some bad moves, the recent being acquiring Frazier when they already had Cron, Kim, Profar (and maybe Abrams) as 2B options.
No, dipwad. It’s called reality. And, by your own admission, you aren’t even a Padre fan. Which means you really don’t know the whole of Preller’s 8 years, don’t have access to local media, and don’t watch every game. Therefore, you shouldn’t be taken seriously.
I’m a life-long Giants fan yes. Live in San Diego and attend about 30 Padre games a year, involved in MLB baseball more than you’d ever understand, and I like what the Pads are doing (in terms of competing), so wrong, wrong,….wrong again. Old fool
LOL! I saw your edit. Which is it, numnutz? You hate young people, or you hate old people? Or do you just hate everyone who disagrees with your POV? Just keep puffing out your chest in an effort to feel good about yourself, because it doesn’t mean you know anything about the Padres, or even Preller’s history. As you’ve demonstrated.
Until you can make a point with a cogent, logical argument, you should stick to video games. C-ya!
Oh God dude, surely you aren’t including Frazier, Nola and Clevinger as “good moves.”
He is. He also said Kimbrel for Maybin was a good move. I don’t think he even knows who else was involved in that deal! He obviously hasn’t got a clue about Preller.
Lmao hotdog, easy to make you cry young fella
@Remove, where do I say Clev, Nola or Frazier deals were good? See above for example
@Brewer88 I was referring to “2021 great year to be a Padres fan,” not you. But it’s really my fault for not specifying.
Got it. Yeah those were all bad deals. I do agree with “2021”’s comment about the Chargers though!
@Pads Fans Why would they need to add a closer? You said Mark Melancon would pick up his end of the mutual option because he wants to stay in San Diego. If you said it then it MUST be true.
It will be interesting to see what they do post-Melancon. If the Pads can claim a history of success over the past 50+ it’s in building consistently quality bullpens. But the existing group (especially Pagan) is not going to cut it.
Melancon is gone. The Padres are pretty quiet right now. Preller is still licking his wounds after their epic collapse. However, they have a strong core group of young players. Preller just needs to find an economical way to unload Myers or Hosmer. Cronenworth can play first with Frazier, Tatis, Machado and Nola filling out the infield. Grisham in center. There are plenty of corner outfielders available. Pitching is the big question. Snell, Musgrove, and Darvish will be reliable. Clevinger is a big hope so. The rest is up in the air. Look for Preller to trade “The Sheriff”.
Agreed. We have a good core group of position players, but we really don’t have much starting pitching. And we have no depth at all.
Appears as though they’ve finally moved on from Lamet (as a hope so SP), and Morejon or Gore are late season contributors at best. I think Clev and/or Weathers might end up being bullpen pieces. There’s no doubt they will have to add 2 SPs via trades (the Sheriff goes hopefully?) or FA. I agree that’s their biggest need right now along with signing a corner OF with some pop (which may end up being a stronger and more committed Pham?). Campusano and Abrams are likely to add to the mix of figuring out the position players in 2022.
Hopefully the new pitching coach can bring out the best in all the young talent we have.
Clev has said a ton of good things about neibla, so I’m feeling good about him