Today’s 4-3 loss to the Reds dropped the Padres to 38-46, as the team continued to languish in fourth place in NL West. San Diego is closer to the last-place Rockies than they are to a wild card berth (8.5 games) or the first-place Diamondbacks (11.5 games), and the Padres aren’t exactly gaining momentum, with seven losses in their last eight games.
It’s a very surprising dropoff for a club that reached the NLCS last season, and has been spending to franchise-record levels to continue that success. The Padres exceeded the luxury tax threshold in each of the last two seasons and are easily on pace for a third, with a $250MM payroll and a projected $275.8MM tax number (as per Roster Resource). Getting to the NLCS only made the Padres hungry for more, but a busy offseason that included signing Xander Bogaerts and extending Manny Machado and Yu Darvish has thus far yielded mediocre results.
The struggles of the Padres’ first three months haven’t dampened the overall view of team chairman Peter Seidler, who first of all hasn’t written off the Friars’ chances for 2023. “We have half the season to play. I mean, much, much stranger things have happened….So there’s a lot of catching up for us to do. I’m on the train that says we’re gonna catch up,” Seidler told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Just because the Padres’ plan for 2023 “hasn’t worked yet….it doesn’t make me lose sleep at night or lack confidence in what we’re doing.”
“I know we’re going to be good. We’re gonna have every chance to be in the mix for the World Series every single year. And so that gives me some kind of serious long-term comfort. We’re not going to reverse course. We’re always gonna adjust….All my focus now is on this year, because I’m as solid as I can be on the year after and two years after and three and the next decade.”
While Seidler naturally isn’t pleased with how the Padres have performed to date, he pointed to the trade deadline as an opportunity for improvement, saying “You know we’re always open for business.” While naturally much can still change between now and the August 1 deadline, Seidler’s comment would suggest that the Padres are looking to be buyers, rather than sellers. Of course, the team might take a middle ground and pursue both routes, perhaps trading some shorter-term assets for players who can help the Padres either in the rest of 2023 or in 2024 and beyond.
As to who could be making these calls on deadline day, Seidler expressed his total support in club CEO Erik Greupner and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.
“I’m not afraid to make changes. I never have been. But I really value stability,” Seidler said. “And when I know the person as well and the skillset as well as I know A.J. and Erik, they’re not going anywhere. Period….I believe in stability. It is something that is undervalued, generally speaking, in organizations and maybe particularly in sports franchises. But I’m not for mediocre stability. I’m for excellence. And to me, A.J. is excellence.”
“That’s the very interesting thing about professional sports. You have a couple of bad months and fans or the media say, ’You’ve got to fire this guy.’ It’s crazy to me. Absolutely crazy.”
Preller is one of the longer-tenured front office bosses in baseball, running the Padres’ baseball ops department since August 2014. It hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride, as Preller’s tenure has included only two winning records in his eight full seasons, though he did oversee a substantial rebuild (albeit in the wake of an ill-fated attempt to load up on big-name talent early in his stint as general manager). Even as recently as 2021, the Padres seemed to be stumbling both on and off the field, but the hiring of Bob Melvin as manager seemed to calm things, and San Diego went 89-73 in 2022 before making their postseason run. Preller received a contract extension following the Padres’ playoff berth in 2020, and his current deal runs through the 2026 campaign.
Seidler endorsed Melvin as well, though as Acee noted, Seidler (like Preller in recent comments) didn’t give a full guarantee about Melvin’s future as the Friars’ manager. Melvin’s deal with the team is up after the 2024 season, and if the Padres’ struggles were continue, a managerial change might be one logical route of shaking things up, if a larger-scale front office change isn’t happening.
That said, Seidler seemed to disagree with the premise of a true guarantee of Melvin’s job security, asking “What’s the point in saying that? Bob is one of the great managers in our game. I’ll leave it there. As well as being a great guy and as trusted a human being as you’ll ever find. But we’re talking about a job here.”
Dodger fans everywhere: please don’t
They’ve got their own issues to deal with.
True, but the Dodgers, a team that’s basically run out of starting pitchers, is 7+ games better?
Dodgers have more starters than the Giants and just made the KC royals look great.
Don’t what? We all know they won’t trade a thing to us. Except River Ryan. Friedman owns Preller
He is joking that ” we’re not going to reverse course” means they won’t stop losing so much. It’s not a serious comment.
That’s my take. We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing. Spending billions and losing. And this guy is a billionaire? Not for long.
All the owners make money, regardless of what they spend.
You do recall that they made it to the NLDS last year, right?
NLCS
A.J. Preller should have been fired long ago. The Padres are a complete dumpster fire. The Padres are awful! Saddest part …. Offense is one of their biggest problems. They were supposed to be outslugging teams. Tatis, Soto, Machado, Bogaerts, etc …. The team struggles to score runs.
Mets fans are frustrated for the same reasons.
I don’t understand the love with Preller. It wouldn’t be so reactionary to fire him. He has a track record of almost a decade now with the Padres and has way more failures than successes to show for it
It’s not Preller’s fault.
Senor – the other side – I don’t understand the hate for Preller, they were in the NLDS last year after knocking out 101 win team and 110 win team.
Just saying.
They got hot at the right time? One postseason shouldn’t overlook the rest of his tenure. Though to be fair, Seidler is the one who’s approved him giving up a ton of organizational depth over the years
Senor – are you giving credit to the players for “getting hot” as opposed to Preller who put the players together while simultaneously, blaming Preller for putting players (mostly the same ones) on the field that are underperforming?
It’s like you blame when it goes bad but you call it lucky when thing go good – a little double standard there is why I’m questioning your point of view.
No. I’m putting blame on Preller for destroying their depth. The Padres problem isn’t underperformance. It’s that they don’t have solutions to fill in for that underperformance (or injury, for that matter), which is bound to happen over the course of a 162-game season.
If you look at the Padres as a whole last season, they had to scratch and claw until the final weekend to clinch a playoff spot, even with their talent. Grisham was unplayable for 6 months and Bell for the 2 months he was in SD, then suddenly they have the week of their lives. That’s not smart baseball, that’s just pure dumb luck.
Soto carries them in the NLCS (along with Manny). So on the one hand, you could give credit to Preller for acquiring the prospects necessary to get Soto (which I personally would, given he’s one of the top 10 players in the game at his WORST).
But you could also see the argument for giving up a lot of his eggs in one big move. It prevents them from making other moves, maybe not as headline worthy, but definitely could be just as impactful.
And the problem is that even with ALL that, they could have still seriously gone a more pragmatic path this offseason and use that money amongst spare parts.
But then they decided to severely hamper their payroll over the next couple of seasons and extend Darvish, Machado (when they had all the leverage in the world, mind you) and sign Bogaerts until he’s 41 years old. So it really begs the question, what the hell is Preller (and Seidler) doing?
Any team that gets hot at the right time can make the brass look like a genius. And conversely, any team that goes cold at the wrong time can make them look like complete idiots. But neither of that tells the whole story. It’s about the overall process and IMO, the Padres have had a horrible process for a few years now.
Preller got some great players. He can’t play for them.
That sounds a lot like the Phillies. They barely get into the PO with just 87 wins. They get hot and make it to the WS when they shouldn’t even have made into the postseason.
It is Preller’s fault.
That’s a pretty awesome post.
We’ve seen this before, it’s only a matter of time before a fire sale will take place.
Is the Padre owner kidding himself! Preller has put the team in a horrible financial position for many years to come! He learned nothing from his Hosmer 8 year deal they are stilling paying through 2027! They R top 4 in payroll and their playoff chances are slim to none! To many teams to jump over at this point with a 38 and 46 record! They would have to go 52 and 25 to get to 90 wins! Machado and Bogaerts will be receiving pay checks long after their baseball careers are over! The Radio and TV revenue is predicated on size of market so with sell outs most nights their revenue streams are already maxed out! This is a financial albatross at this point! He will give Soto a 10 year $350M deal soon enough! In all of Preller’s years in SD U have one wild card appearance to show for it and a long term payroll nightmare!
first, you are incorrect as to the 1 wildcard appearance. Second, can you even imagine a world where Preller doesn’t at least have to get some level of approval before spending 300+ million dollars of the owners money? Seriously?
It’s not about approval it’s about doing what is in the best interest of the organization long term! Giving long term guarantees to most of your starting lineup is insane! Tatis hadn’t finished his first season and he locked him up practically forever! Name the last long term contract that AJ gave that has worked out favorably for the organization?
Tatis? None of the others has enough time to give a yes or no.
And yes, approval of ownership is what it’s about when someone tries to put all the blame on the GM for something that ownership obviously approved.
Tatis you say? The guy that just finished serving his suspension for cheating. He doesn’t even have 1 years of mlb service time yet and Preller gave him a lifetime contract! Then they move him to right field! His offense playing SS would have been elite but as an outfielder it’s not that difficult to find. Very few shortstops can produce like Tatis! If Preller was planning to move him there was no reason for the long term commitment in year one! Ownership obviously has to ok the money but the proposals are submitted by Preller as things he is recommending to make the team better! All the contracts and moves are Preller’s ideas! The Bogaerts fiasco was just stupid! The last thing the Padres needed was another infielder for $280,000,000!
Lol. If you look at his career hitting stats, it would be nearly impossible to find better numbers over the past 5 years at any position. He’s in the company of Acuna perhaps? He’s better than Soto. Speed, power, average, and now add gold glove OF. His contract might be the most team friendly of any star in the league, other than Acuna Jr.
First Machado contract worked out favorably for the Padres. Extending him is looking like a mistake tho.
This is the mindset that kept Texas from the playoffs for so long. Sometimes, you have to retool. 2015 was when Texas traded Keone Kela and traded for Hamels. They did deal Yu Darvish in 2017, but they should have dealt many other guys and tanked for draft picks sooner. SD obviously has a year of Soto next year, but Snell and Hader have no place on the team if they can get a few top 100 prospects in return. Maybe cash + those 2 for Duran, and Acuna/White + a lesser guy out of the top 100?
Why are Rangers’ fans so eager to trade Duran? Carter isn’t knocking down the door right this second and Duran is the second best hitter on the team going off the raw numbers. Who do you think slides into his spot in the lineup? Trading him for anyone (except maybe Ohtani) is an immensely stupid idea.
Most fans are actually delusional with their optimism foe Duran. He would be sold high. See JP Martinez and Elier Hernandez. Perhaps Dustin Harris can come up, or they can trade for a guy. I just see him turning into Odor/Mazara due to extremely bad plate discipline. That’s why I would dump him now.
JP Martinez and Elier Hernandez have never had MLB success. Until recently, neither of them even had AAA success. They are not even remotely comparable to Duran who is having great major league success right now, and his batted ball numbers indicate it’s sustainable. If you want to trade Duran, then you’re an idiot.
Nope. Batted ball data doesn’t help if you chase 2 feet off the plate. They will adapt. A true idiot would believe he is sustainable.
If this level of production is unsustainable, then why would any team want him in a trade? Surely they have actual scouts who can see that he chases down and away, so by your logic nobody will want him if the Rangers are that eager to deal him. You’re not very smart.
Neither are Yu
No answer to my question, as expected. If you don’t want Duran because his production is unsustainable, then nobody else will want him either for the exact same reason. You are bad at this.
If hader fetches 1 or 2 top 100 prospects the other GM will be out of a job come the winter meetings. He’s a rental.
The Padres have had the Pitcher of the Month for the past two months, an All Star closer, probably the best outfield in the NL, and a top 3 defense in all MLB.
They have one, and only one, problem: the players who are supposed to hit are not hitting.
It’s too late to turn back now, I believe I believe I believe I’m falling in love!
These teams don’t realize that signing these players to big contracts in free agency just makes them lazy. These guys make too much money to care about putting in the work anymore.
There are tons and tons of counter examples to this in all sports. Sometimes guys just have a bad year, sometimes they play well for a few years and then age takes over. The amount of guys who cash in on a big pay day and then give the Albert Haynesworth effort is low.
Prove it
Nice playground retort
Even worse Steve, I don’t have a bf.
Patrick mahomes
LSJ
Your homophobic trope is not welcome here
Oh come on, he waited all of June soooooooooooooooooo patiently…
(says the gay chick)
Thanks for virtue signaling, you’re such a great person!
It’s not virtue signaling if you’re an affected person.
Y’all aren’t the brightest bunch
Not necessarily. Baseball is a really tough game to play at a high level, and even the best players have to deal with slumps, injuries and the like. I think Machado’s broken finger might still be bothering him.
You’re not wrong, Little Stevie. But you’re not entirely right either. Long-term security in sports affects different athletes in different ways. For some players, the competitive instinct is so strong that the amount of money they’re paid doesn’t make much difference. They go all out no matter what. Other players will lucrative long-term contracts get subconsciously complacent. Analytics are important. But they can’t predict how an individual player will respond to having über job security.
They just need to trade some of these upcoming free agents if they continue this downward spiral. But I’m not in charge, thank god
Snell and Hader have contracts that expire at the end of the year.
If Robert Suarez will be healthy in 2024, there is no reason to pay for Hader.
Snell and Hader to Reds for Noelvi Marte or CES? Or to Marlins for a young pitcher?
It would be insane not to trade them, but we see how things work in SD. The most likely scenario is both will be extended, along with Soto, to market rate contracts or more. If we keep throwing money at the problem, eventually it will solve itself.
Now I see why that fanbase acts the way they do. The owner is just a delusional as the fans. Doubling down on this year’s team could set them back for years. They should sell off at least Snell and Hader.
The contracts they gave out is what is going to set them back. The machado & bogaerts deals are immovable.
Cronenworth doesn’t even have surplus value on his deal at the moment. Tatis’ massive deal couldn’t be moved without eating serious cash either. They’re in a bad spot and they seriously lack the young depth in the minors that can come in and give them a shot in the arm.
Cronenworth’s contract was always a head-scratcher. But I don’t know why anywone would want to trade Tatis, whose contract might come back to bite SD later.
Tatis is having a great season, he may have been a cheater, but he is their best position player right now.
They simply overpaid to have three shortstops.
At this point, Machado at 3B, Bogaerts at SS, and Tatis at RF are locked. Everything else should be on table. Crony hits like a 2B not a 1B, Kim should be at SS not 2B.
Need a catching prospect, need a 1B prospect, oh so many needs.
They don’t need a catching prospect they have Luis Campusano and Ethan Salas.
We have seen deals that are completely upside down get moved. Remember David Price?
Every single team in baseball would be drooling at the opportunity to trade for Tatis if the Padres made him available right now and the Padres would not eat a penny of that deal. It’s a bargain.
The Cronenworth deal was a head scratcher for me since the beginning. His greatest value is on defense at 2B and they moved him to a position where his defense cannot outweigh his offense.
You say that, but when you’re the upgrade from Hosmer, it actually makes a huge difference to the team overall. It’s a breath of fresh air not having Hosmer botch routine scoops.
Given how many games the bullpen has lost, might have been smarter to move Crone to pen
Tatis is easily worth that contract.
Agree, Tatis is worth that contract. At this point I would take Tatis over Machado and Bogaerts.
Easily better than machado and bogey. & yeah I can see that. I could see a few teams being open to taking that on w/ a light prospect return. I would think to get an appropriate haul they’d be eating cash. It was a 13/340MM extension with the salaries escalating as time goes on.
Not often you see a mega deal get dealt without some cash eaten though. Stanton/Arenado come to mind. Different situations though.
Tatis AS snub is a joke
He’s got 11 years left and has already missed one due to stupidity and cheating. I’d be really hesitant to taking on that contract, even if he is playing well right now.
All 29 other teams would take Tatis’ contract. Yes, even the Pirates, Rays and A’s.
Can you please be specific regarding which areas of managing that Melvin fails at ?? That would be helpful.
Apparently all based on the team he has and the record they currently own. It’s not like he’s managing the A’s. He’s got a star team and the payroll to go with it.
Watch 2014 play-in game. Worst managed game in history.
Unpaid – Blake Snell might disagree!
Winning?
First, I’m agreeing with you. Second, the Padres are a willing slender as opposed to the A’s. Not saying they were a bad team, but the Padres will spend right now which the A’s had to do internally and holistically.
His handling of pitchers. I have seen him get manipulated by the opposing mgr many times this year. I know of at least a handful of games this year that he is directly responsible for losing.
They have only won 3 games in a row 2 times this year.
?
I think youre thinking their most recent playin loss. Youre forgiven for mixing them up because there are so many of them tho.
2014 was one of only two games in history where the losing team was less than three outs from advancing TWICE.
And yes, 2011 Rangers were the other one…
Padres should trade Hader & Soto for as many power arms possible. Platoons work great in the OF.
Yeah, maybe it is time to punt on 2023. Coincidentally, both the guys you name are currently the SD all stars.
Padre fans, is Machado hurt? I know he’s been in the lineup almost everyday, but he seems to be a bit “off”. Maybe the time off for the All Star break will be a blessing for him. If they want any shot at the playoffs, he needs to get going back to what he is capable of.
Machado was hit in the hand by a pitch in mid-May. He was out until June 2nd
Padres should trade Soto & Hader for as many power arms as possible, and shift to platoons around Machado, Tatis & Bogaerts.
I wish I had a boss that said blow billions and fail, but we have full faith in you. I’m sure they made back some in big names filling seats and buying jerseys
Greupner said during spring training that the team would not lose money this season even with the payroll that high.
That was before the Bally’s Sports contract blew up in their face. Oops.
Name the last team with multiple clubhouse divas that have won a championship. Machado + Tatis combo will never win together. They fracture the clubhouse. You can only have at most 1, and they cannot be the leader if you want to win.
Preller already tried this approach and it failed and ended in a fire sale. That will happen again unless they lose Machado and elevate a unifying clubhouse leader to keep Tatis in line
Lol that is all.
1924 Senators. So many divas!
Wasn’t Hosmer supposed to be the unifying clubhouse leader?
Yankees. Red Sox. Giants. Dodgers.
> Name the last team with
> multiple clubhouse divas
> that have won a championship.
The Lovely Ladies in Baseball Stars for NES overcame a lot of drama from their clubhouse divas to win it all in 1991.
AJ Preller is an AWFUL GM. Good scouting and Preller relying on his scouting department built the farm system and he squandered it BIG TIME!!!
Where did he exactly squander it? CJ Abrams for Soto?
Wood & Hassel are the two you want to keep an eye on.
Wood and Hassell are not doing well this season. For Hassell its the 2nd straight season he has hit poorly.
Also sent MacKenzie Gore packing. in the Soto deal. Soto deal is not bad at all it’s the several other trades and horrible signings/extensions.
Tatis trade for a bag of beans seems to be a decent one from what I can tell.
Wood has a .888 OPS this year…
Wood is a top 10 prospect in baseball. Hassell doesn’t look like much of a kiss until he finds an organization that can teach him to change his swing.
His current swing isn’t conducive to hitting for any power.
In AA Woods doesn’t have .888, more like .666
Wood is striking out 33% of the time this season and the problem is getting worse as he climbs the ladder. He has a .794 OPS in 2 months in AA.
As many on here have pointed out, that type of player rarely becomes an All Star type player in the majors.
Someday he might be a bench guy in the bigs. For now he is a guy that strikes out far too much but occasionally connects on a bomb against inferior pitching.
So was Abrams. So was Gore. Both are performing poorly in the majors for the 2nd straight season. Wood is striking out 33% of the time this season. That does not bode well for him being an impact player in the majors.
.794
“Someday he might be a bench guy in the bigs.”
Right. We’ll revisit this one in 4 years.
Clevinger trade. Nola trade. Fumbling Luis Castillo. Matt Kemp trade. Justin Upton trade. Wil Myers trade. Matt Brash trade. Xander contract. Cronenworth contract. Machado 2.0 contract. Hosmer contract. Probably way more. Too much to keep track of
Fernando Tatis contract is the biggest blunder.
Tatis contract is a bargain so far. This season he is on pace for a 7.2 WAR. That would be about $60 million in surplus value for the Padres this season. Can safely say the deal will be a huge bargain once it’s over too.
Talking farm system, not contract signings, which are most of what you listed.
What studs did he move? Trea Turner is the one that comes to mind other than what I mentioned, but at the time Wil Myers had a high ceiling as well.
You can play the hindsight game all day, but I’d doubt you’d disagree with the Tatis signing at the time (a move that follows what the Braves are doing with their kids). Has Darvish worked out? Snell? Musgrave? Hadr? Xander just joined – don’t understand the signing either but it hasn’t exactly disappointed either.
Not a fan of AJ, but be fair and call the good ones as well.
I think Tatis contract will haunt the Padres
AJ is solid. He’s making decisions based on the team’s business model which is established by ownership. Owner thinks wins come by acquiring veteran players from elsewhere … and money is no objective. IMO, AJ is doing his job … he has brought in the talent, it just hasn’t fired this season.
Look at how much they signed Tatis for, and then show the similar contract given out by Atlanta. Other than AJ signed a young player, there is none of the value that Atlanta maintains in their contracts.
Tatis would have to be dead to haunt the Padres. 😉
The only three really horrible deals were
Trea Turner for Will Myers
Signing Bogaerts when they already had Kim and Tatis
Hosmer
@MannyBeingMVP Kemp trade? Upton trade? Clevinger trade? Nola trade? Clase trade? Frazier trade? 2nd Hosmer contract?
I think your total lack of common-sense haunts us on this board.
Tatis is on pace for a 7 WAR season. He missed 3 weeks to start it, so that is incredibly good.
He is 24, so there are at least 10 years of good play ahead of him and his contract is over after his age 35 season. The Padres will never have to pay him in the steep decline years. Of all their recent contracts, his is the best.
The ownership group thinks DOLLARS come from acquiring veteran superstar players. It’s worked so far. Padres are near the top of baseball in attendance, have 3 times as much in sponsorship money in 2023 as they did in 2019, and the playoff games last offseason added even more money to his revenue stream last season.
Tatis is on a $24 million AAV deal. It’s a bargain.
Marcell Ozuna was such a bargain.
Boegarts is not a bad deal. Just a puzzling one considering how good Kim has been. He will eventually move off SS and either that position will be filled by Kim if he extends or Merrill if he continues to progress.
If the Padres and Mets had a clue, they would trade managers. Showalter is Manny’s favorite manager and Melvin needs a fresh start.
Melvin did nothing but win in Oakland with very few star caliber players. They just never had the players to go deep into the postseason.
We had a Melvin. His name was Art Howe. No need to revisit that again.
Fair point. I liked Howe though. I still can’t believe he went from winning 102 and 103 games with Oakland in 2001 & 2002 to being out of managing 2 years later. I checked the rosters out for both the 2003 & 2004 Mets. Pretty underwhelming. Tough to pin that on Howe IMO.
But truth is I hope the Padres don’t figure it out because I’m a Giants fan, but congrats on taking 2 out of 3 from my boys.
Aside from using a bullpen game in a one-game playoff in 2018 i don’t really see what Melvin did wrong in Oakland’s playoff appearances he managed.
@steph I disagree. I’m a Giants fan but watch the A’s casually as my stepson is a avid A’s fan, we’re in the east bay/Sacramento valley depending on who you ask so there are a lot of takes on both teams hear. You may be right about some but the 2014 AL wild card comes to mind. That game was lost due to Jon Lester’s ability to hold runners. The argument could be made that Melvin left him in too long but the way he was rolling up to the 8th and with a 4 run lead it made sense to me at the time to save the bullpen that was showing signs of wear as the season was winding down and go with Lester who seemed to be the sure bet. I’m not exactly Bochy to be fair but in hindsight given Melvins situation I would
Have managed it the same way, perhaps pulled Lester a batter earlier knowing Cains speed but with a 4 run lead I can’t blame him for showing faith in his horse even if it didn’t pay off.
Raiders fans would like to remind you fellas of Jamarcus Russel and his purple Drank.
This is the excuses ppl make for him; the excuses we no longer have to make for him.
@StephCurry. I am just curious to know precisely what Melvin failed to do since you’re still not providing any specific examples. It would seem like since you’re so adamant that he couldn’t manage his way out of a paper bag that you would have some concrete examples to point to instead of just saying “he’s horrible” over & over again. It’s called a discussion board for a reason.
The A’s would go 7-13 under Melvin in the playoffs.
They would go 8-12 under Art Howe. Was he “horrible” too?
They couldn’t “reverse course” if they wanted to given the amount of players locked into long term contracts that no one is taking off their hands. Soto and Snell are probably the only two pieces that might bring something back and i doubt they want to pull the plug on Soto a year after giving up so much to get him
Get Mrs Wills to test the balls from Padre games and Mets too. I’m starting to believe that SD fan who thinks Manfred is switching in dead balls for them. Either that or SD has been very unlucky. They’re 5-15 in 1 run games, and 6 games over .500 in Pythagorean win/loss record, entering today.
I think Manfred is punishing teams who spend a lot on free agents and juicing the ball for teams that sign players to team friendly deals. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s juicing balls for Boras client pitchers and having Boras’ hitters play against dead balls. Last year’s revelation that Robbie boy gave Judge better balls during his HR chase should’ve been the biggest scandal since Pete Rose but baseball writers are dunces who ignore obvious cheating in the sport. The commish is trying to prevent Dr Wills from receiving balls and has threatened any MLB employee who helps her. This shouldn’t be okay with baseball fans. I hate the padres and Mets but I’m not cool with different balls being used in season or even year to year.
Must read for all:
insider.com/mlb-used-two-balls-again-this-year-and…
The researcher is just plain — are not right,” Manfred said when asked about Wills’ data at that press conference before the July All-Star Game.
While the league is eager to dismiss Wills’ research, not everyone shares Manfred’s opinion of her. Wills is a Harvard-educated scientist with a Ph.D. from Montana State University, and her work on baseballs has been featured in Sports Illustrated and The Athletic.
From the article you posted, All in the suit.
Manfred is such a bad liar he gives himself away and other data analysis mentioned in the article confirms Dr Wills conclusion of different balls being used in season and from season to season. It’s ridiculous that he’s allowed to get away with this and most baseball writers ignore it. It destroys confidence in the game.
Yeah you don’t seem crazy at all.
Nice try VTADave but baseball has already admitted to changing the balls and cheating is ingrained in baseball. I’m sorry you’re so naive to trust Rob Manfred. Dr Wills is a sports data scientist and astrophysicist with physical proof. If there was nothing to worry about, Manfred wouldn’t threaten to fire MLB employees who give her access to game balls. I might be wrong with some of my opinions but the facts are facts. For stat geeks like me, changing the ball from year to year ruins the sport. I bet you’re one of those guys who think Bonds and McGwire only used creatine. I love how you insulted me without providing any evidence to back it up why you think I’m crazy.
Thank you “all in the suit you wear” for providing that article. It’s a shame some sheep still don’t get why changing the balls in season is bad for baseball.
The company Seidler owns with MLB is producing dead balls that MLB can use against Seidler ?
@foppert
Yes and Manfred admitted it. He said they produced dead balls and used mixed lots in season. His excuse is, some balls were left over from previous years but the production numbers say he’s lying again. Why even risk using previous season balls? Send them to the minors or something.
Seidler is part owner and has no control over what balls are sent where. Could you imagine if he did have a say in what balls they used? I think it’s already a conflict of interest to have him involved through his equity firm, but providing money and overseeing the distribution are two different things.
Manfred has already admitted to using different balls in season, after he was caught with physical evidence. Maybe I’m wrong about Manfred punishing SD and I hope I am because I’m not a padres fan, in fact I root against the primadonnas. That said, I could see where an overbearing commish would be motivated to control game balls. I’m suspicious now that we know he juiced balls in 2019, killed balls in 2021 and gave Judge Goldilocks balls in 2022. Even if the SD fan complaining was wrong, Manfred is at fault for making it look bad. What billion $ company would put questions into people’s heads by buying the ball manufacturer and producing different balls all the time? It’s silly and hurting their reputation, for what? More control? How far are they willing to go for that control and where do they draw the line?
Then Rob threatening Austin Slater and non-union team employees just for helping Dr Wills makes him look even more guilty. Manfred is either crooked, dumb, or both
Pads are one of the oldest teams (avg player age) in the league already and gonna get older as those long contracts age with the players. Players don’t get better into their 30s. Bad predicament to be in. Didn’t learn from Hosmer and others.
The padres have signed and traded themselves into a hole they can’t get out of without a fire sale and trying to offload some of that money. They would definitely have to eat a sheet ton of money to move a Tatis or Machado. But those two on the same roster is a perfect storm of clubhouse cancer. They’re both to high on themselves to play a team game. But I’m not a GM so I’ll just enjoy the drama unfolding with my popcorn.
Fire Sale?
San Diego?
Now that you’ve mentioned it, those two things indeed historically go together just like Ham and Eggs, Kim and Ye, Data and Scraping.
But not this time around. I don’t believe Peter Seidler is going to torch the joint for the insurance money.
Word is he’s willing if not eager to eat the $100M-ish loss by the end of this season considering postseason funds aren’t involved this time around. He absolutely means what he’s saying and thoroughly believes in it.
“Wait ‘ til next year” it is, especially when you realize he literally has Brooklyn Bums blood coursing his veins. He grew up with that in his ownership DNA.
Wouldn’t cost a dime to trade Tatis. Machado would be another story unless he picks it up substantially this season.
All 29 other teams would take Tatis’ contract. Yes, even the Pirates, Rays and A’s.
I’m in agreement with the Chairman Seidler. The Padres built the team for win now. IMO: They need a catcher to get this pitching staff in sync. At times, the Padres only win on individual talent and neglect team fundamentals.
I’m with you Pete keep the foot on the gas, don’t stop now
Padres season is over, they have Snell and a handful of other good players coming off the books at seasons, and they have no tradable prospects they can afford to trade.
Their major league squad has no tradeable commodities other than Soto and Kim and that would be taking a huge step back in both cases. Unless they move guys like Snell, Lugo, Wacha, Hader, and Martinez that could all be FA at seasons end, but that would cripple the rotation and bullpen.
The Padres cannot move forward by making trades at the deadline.
I don’t think the Padres season is over considering the amount of pretenders in the NL. The Padres do need to put together a couple win streaks soon, however.
Why would you not trade Snell, Lugo and Hader if the season is already over?
I didn’t say I wouldn’t. I said it would cripple both their rotation and bullpen. Seidler said they are not throwing in the towel so he would probably not allow that kind of movement in trade.
So then their season isn’t over.
the Baseball Gods granted wishes but saw how Padres fans reacted upon finally having a good team. NO HUMILITY whatsoever. Acted like a team with Championships. Acted like complete shitholes. May they be banished back to the depths of baseball hell.
You have been.
Prellers strengths and weaknesses as a GM have been exposed during his time with the Padres. Trading MLB players for prospects has been one of his strengths, but trading prospects for MLB players has been one of his weaknesses. He is known for being a elite scout yet trades away the majority of his accumulated prospects is very confusing to me.
AJ Preller strength is building a great farm system. By the mid-season prospect rankings after the draft, the Padres should have 5, possibly 6 players in the top 100. That is what he does best.
What he has not done as well at is developing players. So, you use that prospect capital in trades.
He traded for Soto who has a 160 OPS+ this season. That is elite.
He traded for Musgrove who has a 3.17 ERA and a no-hitter since joining the Padres.
He traded for Darvish who has been a solid starter with a 3.84 ERA since joining the team.
He traded for Hader who has been lights out this season. A top 3 reliever in baseball.
He traded for Snell who has been outstanding this season.
Every GM makes mistakes, and some players get hurt or simply don’t live up to the hype like Wil Myers and Josh Bell, That does not mean that Preller has not made good acquisitions via trade.
Developing players is sort of the whole key to the equation, is it not?
The Padres are a collection of players who play for the name on the back of the uniform, not the name on the front of the uniform.
Padres need to acquire a solid SP before the deadline. Their everyday line up will eventually hit the numbers most expect of them. Love their bullpen, especially Hader.
Padres are gonna win the NL West.
Geez. Big call. Did you do the math. If you be generous and say the West is won with 90wins, the Padres have to go 52-26.
So you’re telling me there’s a chance?
Maybe if your “analytical skills “ were as bad as his you would also be a multi billionaire
All we need is a cool buzz and a tasty wave and we’ll be fine
Gnarly
The b riff tc favl ccdtc song tyvttrg Rv
Who do they trade FOR a solid SP?
What exactly do you tell your boss to keep your job for 9 years being as awful as Preller has?
This isn’t even his first time building a “win now” team and failing miserably.
Worst GM in baseball, and still has ownership fleeced
Apparent to those watching this weekend’s series, the Reds are up and coming with a bright young future. The Padres are built to win now and not getting it done.Quite a bit to ML baseball besides payroll.
In my very humble opinion, watching the same series, the Padres could have easily won at least 2 out of those 3 games.
Poor bullpen management by San Diego and equally poor decisions (including starting pitching) made by management in key games proved to be the difference. A few ridiculously bad choices in particular severely impacted the momentum of the 2 games that San Diego lost. The Padres essentially gave 2 out of the 3 games away.
I’m not suggesting that the Reds aren’t a better team this year. But in this particular series, the Padres players weren’t provided with “winning” managerial support. In the midst of the current drama surrounding the Padres team, it’s possible that people may be quickly forgetting that the Padres have skilled players as well.
“Poor bullpen management” – yeah Bob should have told those guys not to give up runs! It’s been the same guys (for the most part) serving in the same roles. Every RP is going to have a bad appearance and balloon his ERA. 8 out of 10 are good appearances so, can you really blame the manager when it happens?
If you care to read the game threads at Gaslamp Ball (the SBNation site for the Padres), you’ll discover that I’m not the only one expressing the same opinion regarding spontaneous management decisions and their effect on individual game outcomes. (That includes bullpen management– Hader could have been kept in longer in one game in particular during the Padres’ series with the Reds.)
Caylor- I quit reading that negative crap a couple of years ago. Same old crabby as- people ranting on the same rants year after year. Can’t let go of something from years past; can’t just enjoy a team’s efforts at trying to improve; always negative. Good life is about who you surround yourself with and I found myself reading some form of hate and negativity in very day on that site so – no thanks.
I don’t have the same experience at all reading the game thread comments at Gaslamp Ball. Many of the comments there are positive, insightful, and constructive. The majority of the fans there seem to care about the team. I’m sorry you haven’t had the same experience.
I’ll exclude Panamaniac and MichelinKy (something like that) but most was all Preller hate and Hosmer hate and Myers hate or insert anyone that wasn’t living up to expectations.
You really haven’t seen any of that? Granted no Hosmer and Myers in 2023 but that is what the mainstream was a few years ago.
It’s why I no longer read or comment there. Fans that are neither knowledgeable nor fun to read. Walked away years ago and never looked back.
“We’re not going to reverse course”.
With such words, Napoleon went to Elba.
“We’re not going to reverse course.”
We will continue to lose, with overpaid players.
“We’re not going to reverse course.”
We will continue to fill the stands and rake in money with star players that fill seats. Next season we will bring even more star players just to tick you off.
Moscow
A lot of Padre players have already achieved their primary career goal.
“Trading a player is disrespectful to him!” XD XD XD
Dude. Get yourself some help.
You need the help friend.
You are stalking me after an inconsequential internet discussion that happened 2 months ago……
Get some help.
How am I stalking you when you posted on a public forum? LOL
Ok. Your call.
Trading Bumgarner wouldn’t have been disrespectful.
I’m the 2 months since we had that discussion, I’ve reconsidered my position.
I totally agree with you.
Now let’s move on with our lives.
Seeing as the Padres design is to gather people from other clubs, may I recommend snatching up Chaim Bloom?
The Padres have an impressive collection of talent but the question I ask is: who leads? You need a vocal clubhouse leader or a really strong and steady voice at manager, and you need glue guys. When you look at baseball dynasties, they all had those.
Musgrove on the pitching staff and Machado and Bogaerts on the offensive side. At least that was the goal in signing them.
Part of the problem is the (mostly fans) micro management approach. You need to look at a longer term outcome than just a half season. Teams have down years. Bogaerts has followed Machado from the East to the West, along with switching leagues. Machado’s first year was unspectacular, but he improved after that. So will Xander, likely, so be patient.
Hey, maybe this team is just a hodge podge of talent that will never gel. But don’t be surprised at either their failure or their success. Few teams are successful year after year. And even among those teams, they often don’t have much postseason success to show for it.
The Red Sox are the most successful franchise of the milennium but their fans are mad at their last place finishes and want to see the manager, front office and owner run out of town. They let Bogaerts get away and signed Story to replace him! And yet, they have a better record than the Padres.
Huh.
They aren’t built as a team you are patient with. They’re a win now team
Ship Tatis to the Tigers. They need offense. What can you get back? Rogers is a good defensive catcher and has some pop. We have lots of young pitchers. Mize is throwing bullpen sessions right now. They help you next year to fill your holes. We also have lots of young pitching prospects for later. Don’t like that, then maybe work a deal for Torkelson who is tearing it up in June. Tork and a minor league pitcher.
I’m so glad you don’t actually have any say. Let SD keep their prima donna.
What’s your solution to fix the offense long term? Bring back the Castro’s? You make some good points too about not re-signing Candelario, but guess what that boat has floated so why keep dwelling on it? I agree with you that they should bring some new blood in…you say Parker Meadows, I say Justyn Henry-Malloy, we both say Colt Keith. Tatis is a prima donna but the guy can play and he’s a 5 tool player. How is that bad, especially when his value is arguably down because of his behavior issues. Plug him in at short, move Baez to 2b or 3b. We all agree they need to do something to address the offense.
Tatis is injury prone in the INF and won’t be playing there again
Preller has gutted the farm.
The Tigers aren’t giving away young, major league ready future stars
for rookie league and A ball players and that is all the Padres have to offer on their farm.
Not happening.
This will tell you all you need to now about AJ Preller:
Peter Seidler had discussions with Bruce Bochy and his Reps
before hiring Bob Melvin.
Bochy is a Padres icon who started his career with the Padres and was on both Padres World Series teams:
1) as a backup catcher
2) as Manager
Bochy would not work with AJ Preller.
And Siedler had just given Preller a huge extension.
So,Peter Seidler picked Preller over Bochy.
The Texas Rangers and their fans thank you.
I like Bob Melvin, but if he can’t get these guys going (maybe too mellow)
then he could be fired as the scapegoat for Preller’s bad moves.
Is that so about Bochy/Preller? I had not heard that. Makes me sad.
Bochy gets along with his fellow humans about as well as anyone.
With the Padres the current possessor of perhaps the most upside down Pythagorean W-L record I’ve ever seen, and having seen my fill of Bob Melvin vs. Philadelphia in the NLCS last season, one can imagine that a Bochy-led 2023 Padres team would be on a serious roll.
Not a Preller-hater, and I don’t necessarily believe that Bochy is back in baseball for the long haul, but if the above It’s Either Him Or Me is true then it’s a shame for Padres fans. No way Seidler would have picked Bochy in that contest.
Then again, a report in The Athletic from Friday said the following regarding a possible Bochy hire by the Padres:
Multiple people expressed doubt that Bochy, who managed the Padres from 1995 to 2006 and led them to their last World Series appearance in ’98, would come out of retirement to work for a GM as hands-on as Preller.
“There’s no way f—ing Bochy goes in and deals with all that,” said one former big-league manager. “There’s no way.”
Bochy’s New Boss in Texas?! Is former Padres starter Chris Young who was a starting pitcher for Bochy in San Diego, and, basically, Bochy was his boss as Manager in San Diego,
It is all about relationships.
Going to the Rangers and working with Pres of Baseball Ops Chris Young who developed their friendship during their time with the Padres
is like Bochy getting to hand pick his new boss and gives Bochy
huge input on player personnel for the Rangers.
Padres are not trading Tatis.
2 Days before the trade deadline – We’re going to reverse course.
“We’re not going to reverse course.” – Capt. Edward Smith.
Seconded by Stockton Rush.
DCart
A little recent for that joke, don’t you think?
Not at all.
A week from now, most people will think Stockton Rush is pledge week at University of the Pacific.
I see you’ve nominated yourself as the comment section monitor.
Keep the faith Padres fans….it will take a hot July and August, and this team is very capable of doing that. Haters beware!
Peter Seidler is a psychological mess. He has had a bout with cancer and he is not the healthiest looking person today. Whether he’s suffering from chemo brain or something more debilitating, something is not right with his analytical skills.
Something that was quite concerning is that, in a recent interview, he brought up homelessness when discussing a question about being frustrated or angry with the team.
The saying goes “go woke, go broke.” I guess he’s fine with it, it’s his money and he can’t take it with him when he dies.
The club is just run poorly. From choosing a weak signal FM station near the Mexican border (which means there’s a lot of interference from stations south of the border who broadcast at higher wattages while the American stations lower theirs as per treaties), hiring Lindsey Hill (Trevor Bauer’s accuser) to having his superstar shortstop break a wrist dirt biking and being suspended for steroids without a babysitter watching the stupid punk.
Then there is the unbridled spending by a GM who has done nothing but destroy the farm system and made quite a few really bad trades and backing into a couple of good ones…
Seidler is letting his spoiled brat kid (GM AJ Preller) spend all the money now. Not forming a team, collecting a lineup.
I would definitely trade the following:
Blake Snell
Josh Hader
Seth Lugo
Nick Martinez and Luis Garcia if anyone will take them
Michael Wacha if they’re not going to pick up that option
Bring some or all of them back as free agents in the winter if they want.
Then possibly do some light buying on guys with multiple years of control. Something like the 2013 Ian Kennedy trade.
Couple titles? You’re off your anxiety meds bro. From 2014-2021 which team were they even better than to win even 1 title?
And their “AL Dominance” blasted b/c of the Astros cheating is just a convenient excuse b/c your team was not good enough. A’s weren’t even good in 2017 either. Stop giving excuses to losing to better teams since 2014 (Royals, Astros, Yankees).
A’s were just a combo of good not great, and mentally weak when the lights were the brightest
Machado seems.to bring a curse wherever he lands. team needs to hire an exorcist.
The Dodgers literally made the WS with him. And they weren’t exactly dominant that year before they traded for him. Their record was mediocre enough in the first half that they got to claim Bryce Harper on August waivers to block other teams from trading for him and they were tied with the Rockies after 162 games.
I tip my cap to Peter Seidler for spending above and beyond the Padres revenues to win a World Series Title,
That said, it has always been about quality spending and not outspending the entire league while loading up on veteran players.
The Rays, Reds Pirates, Orioles etc have spent a lot less and are getting more wins than the Padres.
AJ Preller likes to make “big splash” trades that often blow up in the Padres faces.
He built a top 5 farm system and then personally destroyed it in a few short years?!
The Guardians, Rays, Mariners and many other MLB teams thank the Padres for all the young players they acquired from SD.
The Padres have destroyed their depth in trades and do not have top, young hungry major league future stars pushing their major league roster for jobs.
That and Padres have veterans too comfortable with their contracts and not producing to justify their big contracts.
The Padres were picked to win the Division and go to the World Series.
Unless, they “catch fire” in the 2nd half, then it is very unlikely that they repeat last years success.
I blame the “That’s What’s In” guys.
I’d trade
Hader
Snell
Martinez
Lugo
Wacha
I’d also trade Soto for some pitching depth and a young controllable mlb ready outfielder.
Padres should also check in on some pen rentals.
They can right the ship but pen needs some love for sure. That and guys need to start playing on par with their contracts.
Why would you trade Soto for less than half of what you gave up to get him that’s a terrible argument.
Weird. I never actually stated by name what players it would cost to get Soto other generic positional need going forward long term for the Padres, i.e. pitching depth and a young controllable outfielder.
Pitching depth could be front line starters top of the rotation potential guys that have multiple years of control. Young controllable outfielder could be someone that has all star potential close to or at mlb ready that has full team control.
Terrible analysis and response.
Padres aren’t getting back half of what they gave up to get Soto if they trade him now. If Preller thought Juan Soto was worth more than CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Bobby Barrels, James Wood and Jarlin Susana why would he suddenly decide that Juan Soto is worth less than half of that when he just made the All Star team?
Wood Hassell Susana are years away if they even make it. Not doing themselves any favors in the prospect rankings.
Abrams looks like a utility player and Gore looks like a #4.
All in all. Padres could probably trade Soto and get more production than whatever else they traded away.
Giving up top prospects that don’t pan out or live up to the hype isn’t giving up much. Same thing happened in the Clevinger trade. Only thing Cleveland has to show for it is really Josh Naylor so far.
No. The Padres could not get more production than whatever they traded away by trading Soto. Especially with Soto struggling initially after he arrived in San Diego, being a year closer to FA and with the false hope of an extension basically being squashed at this point.
Wood, Hassell and Susana being years away is only a problem to people who don’t know about projection and future value.
Clevinger trade is top 5 bad among Preller trades. Not a trade you wanna hang your hat on.
When Trent Grisham has more extra base hits and a higher OPS than Manny Machado, things are not going well.
The Padres will have a 200 +: run differential by end of September but miss the playoffs by 2 games in the standings. In 2024 they win the WS. The agony Padre fans feel this year, and all San Diego sports fans have felt under the decades of Curse, will then be forgotten. But only then.