The Padres are close to signing a deal with free agent left-hander Yuki Matsui, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Earlier, Jon Morosi of MLB.com (X links) reported that the Friars had offered Matsui a contract and also relayed a Japanese-language report from Sankei Sports. The Google translation of that report says that the southpaw has already undergone a medical check, though it seems nothing is official quite yet. Morosi relays that it will be a multi-year deal, though the financial are not yet known at this time.
Matsui, 28, is a left-handed reliever that has 10 years of experience in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, having debuted back in 2014. He has an earned run average of 2.40 in his 501 career games, tossing 659 2/3 innings. He has 236 saves in that time, including at least 24 in each of the past three campaigns. He’s coming off a strong 2023 season as well, with a tiny ERA of 1.57 while recording 39 saves. He struck out 32.4% of batters faced this year while walking just 5.9%.
In addition to his excellent results, Matsui is notable for his size, listed at just 5’8″ and 167 pounds. That unusual frame didn’t stop MLB clubs from having interest, with the Cardinals having recently hosted Matsui in St. Louis, though the Padres will apparently be the one to seal the deal.
Beyond his skills, Matsui surely intrigued clubs due to the fact that he reached proper free agency by reaching nine years of service time. Unlike some other pitchers coming over from Japan, such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Matsui isn’t currently connected to any NPB club. That means the MLB club that signs him won’t be subject to a posting fee on top of the contract itself.
Matsui has consistently featured on MLBTR’s NPB Players to Watch series this year, with Dai Takegami Podziewski reporting on Matsui’s four-pitch mix, featuring a fastball, splitter, slider and curveball. The southpaw reportedly had some trouble adapting to the ball in the World Baseball Classic, which is closer to the one used in MLB. There’s always some uncertainty with foreign players since they are unproven in North America, and while Matsui’s size and issues with the WBC ball perhaps add to that, clubs are often intrigued by the possibility of unearthing a hidden gem.
That’s especially true of the Padres, for whom the budget has been a focus all year. Due to the ongoing bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, the club’s broadcast rights reverted to MLB during the year. It was later reported that the Friars took out a loan to cover expenses and all recent reporting has pointed to a drop in payroll relative to recent years, likely resulting in them staying under the competitive balance tax in 2024.
Their offseason moves to this point have mostly been about clearing out payroll space. The Padres sent outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the Yankees for five players, then sent lefty Ray Kerr to Atlanta as a means to get some of Matt Carpenter’s contract off the books.
Roster Resource currently pegs the club CBT number at $205MM for next year, with the base threshold to be $237MM. That gives the club a bit of room to work with but they still have some things to do. They likely want to find two outfielders to replace Soto and Grisham while also perhaps looking for a designated hitter and some more starting pitching.
But the bullpen is also an issue, with Josh Hader, Nick Martinez, Luis García and Tim Hill now free agents. That means the club will have work to do just to get back to 2023 levels, when their relievers posted a collective ERA of 3.80, the tenth-best mark in the league.
No one is going to expect Matsui to replace Hader as one of the best relievers in the league, but he can certainly bolster the club’s southpaw relief mix, which currently consists of Tom Cosgrove and Adrián Morejón. The former had a solid season in 2023 but still has less than a year of major league experience, while the latter has had ongoing injury issues and is coming off a poor showing this year. Perhaps this is the first of many moves as the Padres pivot from subtracting salary to adding it, looking to fill out the roster for 2024.
Yuki > Mahle to start the season
Noooo!
Are they not trying to shed payroll? What in the world are the Padres doing?
They still need players lol
Fair enough haha
They were shedding payroll in order to be able to fill out their roster and contend in 2024. The Padres are not broke. The Padres are not rebuilding. But they couldn’t fill all their holes with the money they had so they traded Soto.
Ah, they had to take a $50M loan in August this year to make payroll, so let’s hold off on the “not broke” comments for now.
many Padre fans have addressed this ($50M loan) multiple times. We’re not making this stuff up. Educate yourself. Tired of repeating the reasons and facts behind that loan, trading Soto and the cutback in 2024 spending. The Padres are in excellent financial shape, and are spending according to plan and long term budgets.
Really, because they’re pulling back their spend by approximately $50M in 2024. Generally 1 + 1 equals 2, or in this case $50M – $50M brings you back to break even.
Facts are facts bud. They draw the third highest attendance in baseball during the 2023 season ($3.3M), have the 7th most merchandise sales in the MLB and still need to cut back expenses?! Looks like revenues should be good enough to sustain the payroll, but apparently it’s not.
PS, not a Padres fan, just a fan of baseball as a whole.
@greg. None of really know where their finances are. But the team said that the $250+M payroll last year was higher than they wanted it to be and would need to bring it down a bit to a sustainable level. But FO says (post Seidler), that they intend to have one of the higher payrolls in MLB. If that’s $200M, we’ll see.
It’s simple they want to stay under the luxury tax this year to reset it
Fair, wait and see.
When did anyone that is actually part of the team say that last years payroll was higher than they wanted? If they did, it was not said publicly. All we have seen on this site, from the UT, and on the Athletic is unnamed sources and “people briefed on the Padres thinking”.
So far the FO and ownership have only said that they will “continue to field a championship level team” and are “committed to fulfill [Peter Seidler’s] legacy”.
TV revenue is the major source of income for most teams, but not the Padres. When you lose that, you are hurting.
The Padres traded Soto. They aren’t rebuilding they are still trying to win. Now why would they trade Soto if they had plenty of money?
I don’t know why Padres fans get so defensive about the teams payroll. The 2023 payroll was never ever sustainable anyone with eyes could see that.
Don’t listen to what they say , watch what they do
@web. I appreciate you noting my error. I have not seen a direct quote from FO saying that, there hasn’t been one that I know of.. But there is overwhelming reporting (note just Acee, but Lin, etc…) saying that’s what they prefer to do. Can all those insiders simply be bsing us?
I don’t think it adds up that they’d trade Soto just to restructure the team, and then maintain a payroll in the $250M-$260M like last year. Especially given that they received in return. The Soto trade to me looked more like an action a team would take needing to reduce payroll overall. But I don’t know. We’ll see.
@greg1
Unplanned changes & impacts to the balance sheet:
1) Missing playoff revenue (-??)
2) Lost Broadcasting revenue (-$50M, also a question, because MLB made some of that up)
3) MLB Luxury tax penalties (can’t call the amount I read, something like $30M or close to $40M for 2023, to be assessed at start of 2023, if memory serves).
4) $20M+ invested into the ballpark, and pending expansion of neighboring properties.
There’s a lot going on financially, not all related to the salary (bottom line or lux tax level), or roster construction (i.e. FA’s, lost pitching, etc.).. There are questions in all of the above, of which no one has answers outside the Padres front office, because their finances are privately held.
Moreover, as I have posted previously, the Padres (Preller, and the CEO) has said at the TIME of the original Soto trade, that extending him was a “priority”, and if it couldn’t be done, they had “options”. The trade this year was one of those PLANNED options, because Soto and his agent refused to negotation (yeah, that’s speculative, but if you read between the lines, that’s pretty much the case.).
Yes, facts are facts, bud, but your simple math doesn’t reflect the facts. And, I appreciate the fact that your a baseball fan. We need more, not fewer of those. Merry Christmas!
@Joel P
“Now why would they trade Soto if they had plenty of money?”
Reasonable question, two reasonable answers.
1) Because the business is dynamic, i.e. things change, unplanned events occur, and the franchise must adjust to those things.
2) Because there was never a guarantee that Soto would extend, though there was always a possibility. That option was frequently discussed, though Pads Front Office always finished with “…. we will explore an extension with … ” Soto and Boras. Maybe Soto WOULD have extended, if the Pads had not underachieved in 2023. Maybe the Pads idea of what it woud cost to land Soto, vs what he was worth on the roster, changed due to Soto’s performance..
No, you don’t have to accept those answers, but we don’t have to accept your premise, either. Responding to “facts” and conclusions that fans consider inaccurate or biased,doesn’t mean the Padre fans are “defensive”. Some are just trying ever-so-hard to provide more rational “facts” about the team they support, in the spirit of great sportsmanship.
Guess we can agree to disagree, no? Merry Christmas!
@teddy1
Bingo!! Spot on!
Yup, we could argue all day about this, with it just being fun banter between baseball fans. Merry Christmas to you as well.
By unplanned events you mean the death of the owner?
The FACT is the Padres traded Soto. They would not have traded him if they weren’t going to drop payroll that’s a fact. You can pretend otherwise but that’s a fact.
Again why do fans get do defensive about a team’s payroll? It’s tacky. It’s lame.
Why do you act like you understand how much money the team has to spend just because you are a fan?
And why are you here telling everyone? That’s weird.
@Joel P
Because, I AM A FINANCIAL wizard.
Versus you, who are just a fan.
(start laugh track now, and show “head exploding” emoji for Joel.
A financial wizard?
Ok then……
Which random poster on the internet has the actual insider information on the Padres financial situation? I’m going to guess…none of you.
He got likes! Joel I think you need to complain to the hall monitor of the elementary school
@JoelP
You do realize that you are one of the random posters I was talking about, right?
Can all those insiders simply be bsing us?
====================
For me, it is a combination of actions that look like a payroll reduction, added to the fact that no one on the Padres bothers to deny the continuing rumors and stories.
I completely understand a GM or owner claiming to have a big budget, to inspire ticker buyers, but I cannot imagine a team having a big budget, but not letting anyone know.
What have I said about the payroll besides facts?
They lost TV revenue? Not according to the people I read. They are still on all the same cable carriers. COX, Spectrum, ATT, DIRECTV, and even FUBO. Plus they got to sell the no blackout, local MLB.tv deals
Even Boras said they were not making less in TV revenue. That is guy is tied in close with most of the teams. It why he is the best agent
Isn’t Lin just repeating what Acee said just like everyone else? Most even link to his original article.
i may be wrong, but I thought they had denied the rumors and said it was basically more of the same. The new control guy Kutsenda, Tom Seidler, who is one of the owners, and Preller in the Shildt press conference.
That’s not what Boras said. He said they have their tv deal in their pocket and it opens up more possible viewers. Nothing about how much they are or will be making from it.
What did the Padres lose? You can find them on the same cable, satellite, and streaming platforms that they were on with DSG and they expanded their market by 2 million TV households. They also were the 1st team to sell MLB.TV local packages without the blackout. By the end of the season they were making $4 million per month from that source alone.
MLB said in the DSG bankruptcy proceedings that they had to make just one payment to the Padres for 80% of the May payment that DSG defaulted on. That they never had to make another payment indicates that the Padres replaced all of their DSG revenue or MLB would have paid them 80% of any lost income.
The Padres lost no TV revenue and may have gained some.
MLB said in the previous Winter Meetings that they would pay 80% of any lost revenue from RSN bankruptcies or defaults. According to the briefs they filed in the DSG bankruptcy, they had to make one payment to the Padres for 80% of the $8.67 million payment that was due to the Padres in May that DSG defaulted on.
No other payments were made to the Padres. That would indicate that even though DSG was not paying them anymore, the Padres didn’t lose any TV revenue after that.
They were scaling back to get under the cap. But they still have 40 million a year to spend, they are not shedding payroll.
Mayhe you should stop making declarations about how much the Padres have to spend and just wait and see.
NOT trying to shed payroll.
They have at a minimum $40 million to spend. Possibly much more if they go over the CBT as Dennis Lin indicated in the last article referenced on this site that they might.
People need to stop thinking that a “people briefed on the club’s thinking” means a member of the FO or ownership. No one from the Padres has ever said they were cutting payroll.
Not shedding because the fur has already fallen off (Soto)
Pads fans you swore Soto wouldn’t be traded. And then he was traded. It’s weird how you ignore that and act like you know what you are talking about now.
This isn’t complicating. The Padres are still trying to contend but they are doing so with an actual budget instead of what they have been doing the last couple years. That’s why they traded Soto because they needed money to fill out the rotation and bullpen.
wasn’t the reason they went all out like that was because of seidler? i could be wrong but i remember hearing something about it like that
I admit I was one of those that said Soto wouldn’t be traded. It was probably more hope and disgust with national writers salivating at the prospect of him to go to the Yankees than reality. Looking objectively it does make sense and the Padres could be set up in a good position pitching wise. But make no mistake, they will have to figure something out in the outfield.
In reality it did free up some money to spend. I don’t expect them to spend what they would have with Soto. Preller will have to work with a budget and that will be interesting to see how creative he gets. I can see a number of minor leaguers getting a shot as well. He usually trades them away so now we might be able to see some of them in the MLB.
The more he is proven wrong, the more hostile he gets.
Like you said, this isn’t complicated. While things could always change, right now it appears they are simply resetting the payroll cap.
Nothing wrong with that, and that is how most teams operate.
Never swore he wouln’t be traded. Said the Padres first priority was to extend him. They tried. Offered 2nd largest contract in MLB history behind Ohtani. He declined. I also said that to get him would take a huge package of players coming back. The Padres included a low value and relatively highly paid 4th OF that lowered the return and still got 4 MLB players and a top 100 prospect.
Pretty much anyone on here knows more than you do and you keep proving you are willing to spin or defend BTV to try to be right even once.
NO ONE knows what the Padres will do except the ownership and FO and they are not talking.
Even the most recent article by Lin said “people briefed on the Padres thinking”, “PREFER”, and “MIGHT” try to stay under the CBT. He didn’t say the PADRES said they are cutting payroll. Actually READ the articles and keep your eye on the ball.
shedding payroll = de-furing
@Pads Fans “Offered 2nd largest contract in MLB history behind Ohtani. He declined.”
What’s the cite on this? You said Gwynn and Chris said it. Why am I not seeing articles on it? This would be big news.
I gave you the benefit of the doubt at first. I am afraid, given the lack of anything in print to corroborate this, that benefit has elapsed. What gives? Why does all the reporting indicate Padre management read the tea leaves on Soto’s desire to play out the last year of his contract, and did not tender him an offer?
This doesn’t make any sense. Grisham could have been non-tendered by the Padres at no cost a few weeks ago, but they offered him arbitration knowing he’d come in at around 4.9M for 2024. And that’s a very fair rate to pay for him.
He wasn’t included in the deal as a salary dump that lessened the return. If the Padres didn’t think he was worth his expected arb salary they wouldn’t have tendered him. He was included in the deal because the Yankees wanted him.
Disappeared? I am right here. Keep on trolling.
When MLB says what it actually is, then you can say I was wrong. As of now they have not said anything. They will though. They always do.
Looking objectively it does make sens
================
That’s exactly it. A few Padre fans go apoplectic when any poster says almost anything negative about the Padres, almost like they are members of the AJP fan club.
But this could easily be something as simple as a one-year reset of the luxury tax, and maybe something as simple as low-balling things until the estate settles and new executives are chosen.
Even with some bad contracts, they might be okay in 2024, and are still in pretty decent shape for 2025.
EVERY Padre fan swore Soto wouldn’t be traded?
Gotta love how ONE person says something and it’s suddenly “Padre fans said”.
Most knowledgeable Padre fans said Soto didn’t HAVE to be traded…..not that we wouldn’t be.Which is evidenced by the fact they are going to spend the $ they saved by moving him.It was just smart business to get some young controllable players and take his $30+ mil and put it elsewhere when he is clearly going to free agency anyway.
Listen to Joel P guys…he is never wrong.
Yeah I follow the padres daily and the only thing about a Soto extension was preller saying they never offered him one
Exactly mr padre
MrPadre19 nailed it on the head.
Padres fans said Soto wouldn’t be traded….unless they got their asking price.
Initial reports said Yankees weren’t willing to include king and Thorpe.
Padres fans said ok well Soto won’t be traded if Yankees aren’t willing to meet the price tag
Yankees met the price tag and Soto was traded.
Very few Padres fans said Soto won’t be traded at all no matter what.
Every non-Padre fan trolls every Padre article and seems to be saying every padre fan feels the same about everything. Dizzying.
@Pads Fans personally I’m happy he said no. I was fairly stoked when they traded for him as Gore was looking to be a disappointment (blister issues leading to command issues). But Soto is no superstar playing at Petco it’s better for both sides, he wouldn’t be successful here long term.
I can’t anymore. He is such an insufferable troll that I muted him.
Yes, but there was a MLB statement that they were concerned about the Padres debt ratio. If you ignore that completely, these alternative theories make perfect sense. That these moves coincided with that statement is simply a fluke, and no connection should be made.
Doesn’t really matter right…
Why does he have to wait, while you spoke when MLB has not confirmed what you said? If you have a source, other than your imagination, please share.
But Soto is no superstar
=======================
Them use to be brawling words for “some:” Padre fans. I tried to tell them that he was a very good player at a pretty expensive price. They wouldn’t listen.
@JoeBrady way to take a statement out of context. His splits are awful. So bad if I were him I would prefer to play anywhere else besides petco. But yeah chop up my statement to get people all worked up.
@Jimbo_Jones
Soto did not say no. The Pads never offered him a contract. All the reporting indicates as such.
Now, if you want to say Soto gave them a pre-emptive “no” by indicating his desire to play through the last year of his contract, that is fair. But Soto had no specific contractual offer to decline. Pads Fan is claiming he heard otherwise on San Diego sports radio, but he is the only person claiming to have heard such a thing.
@ISD yeah whispers in the hall are fun but people on here really litigate these comments like they have skin in the game
@Informed. I haven’t heard of a contract offer to Soto by the Padres, and so it’s fair to question that claim by Pads Fans. I also have no knowledge that they didn’t have a specific contractual offer for Soto to decline, but your comment above suggests you something more definitive. Maybe there was negotiations, maybe there wasn’t, either way the public might not be privileged to know?
“When MLB says what it actually is, then you can say I was wrong. As of now they have not said anything. They will though. They always do.”
MLB doesn’t comment on contract matters like this. They absolutely are not going to come out and discuss the financial breakdown of Ohtani’s contract – you know this.
Fortunately, there are a number of people well versed in the CBA to figure out his AAV and other things – work which has already been done. You presented yourself as someone who knew a lot, cited parts of the CBA to back up your view, and absolutely blistered anyone who disagreed with you. Turns out, you don’t know the CBA well enough, there was a lot more to it than what you could get your head around, and you’re too arrogant to acknowledge it.
You get a lot of heat on here because of the way you act – it’s highly unlike that everyone else is the problem instead of you.
@Brew88 The San Diego UT reported the Pads never made a contract offer. AJ Preller was quoted as having “understood what was important to Soto”, i.e. playing through his platform year “to kinda use as a springboard into free agency”. So they made the move to trade him as a result, i.e. they did not bother with a contract offer they knew would be turned down.
I linked it in another comment.
I am genuinely looking for direct evidence to FO on what they offered or didn’t to Soto. Those UT quotes from AJ (which I was familiar with) are just his usual dancing around a subject I suspect, don’t really give us much about what actually transpired.
@Brew88 It’s not in this thread.
Well, now it is.
The Pads all but came out and said they never made a contract offer. There is zero reporting anywhere to suggest otherwise.
sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2023-…
——-
It did not take any special reading glasses to glean between the lines of what Preller said in confirming the sides never discussed the particulars of an extension.
“I think we had a general sense, in terms of … things that were important to Juan,” Preller said Wednesday.
In discussions with Boras, the most powerful agent in the business and notorious for taking his highest-profile (highest-earning) clients to free agency, it was clear Soto was comfortable playing his final season under team control before testing the market.
“I think we understood kind of the dynamic,” Preller said. “A lot of players like to get to free agency, like to use that last year (of arbitration eligibility) kind of usually use it as a springboard to free agency. So, you know, ultimately, we kind of weighed all of that out and decided to make the deal.”
Yeah I read all the Acee UT stuff. It’s revealing to also go back and read/hear the reporting and FO quotes in 2022 just after they traded for Soto (from Nats), and stand those alongside the messaging (scant as it has been) that we got from Preller these last two months. Strategic planning vs going for it, there were clearly unforeseens
Yeah, I mean it’s clear they didn’t plan for the Bally Sports deal blowing up.
Not that I’d really expect them to, but it’s clear that situation has hampered their ability to sign free agents now in a way they did not anticipate a year ago.
I listen to them sometimes. Mostly to hear Tony Jr. They are on Audacy. I am sure you can find that interview. What day was it?
Do you have a link on that. I can’t find one. I listened to the press conference announcing the Soto trade and he didn’t say that then.
Does Preller even do interviews? Last one I saw was during the Winter Meetings by that hack Russo on MLB Network.
Ask Pads Fan. He “heard” something that didn’t happen.
I literally just posted the link.
Stymee, the only thing I can find is MLB saying there were 23 teams that were in violation of the debt service ratio rule after 2020. Nothing about any teams being in violation now or in 2023.
It makes no sense for MLB to allow them to take a huge loan if they were in violation. And highly unlikely that a team that moved into the highest level of revenue teams, the revenue sharing payers, would be in violation when they don’t have a new stadium or anything that would put them in violation.
See, none of those rumors make any sense financially. What does make sense is borrowing money to renovate the ballpark and start that new $1.5 billion development at Tailgate Park.
Soto had a 5.5 WAR. That is a superstar. I would REALLY like to see Arte sign him in FA next offseason. .900 OPS LHB are rare.
Cam, He is right about one thing, MLB always reports what the CBT numbers are at the end of the year. When the season is over we will all know what his CBT hit really is.until then it’s all speculation.
Acee? I think you know from every one of these Padres fans on here how much stock you can put in Acee.
Some have said on here that Preller said that, but he didn’t in the press conference announcing the trade and I can’t find that coming out of his mouth. Can you?
See that is the thing, he never said they didn’t make an offer. He didn’t say they did make an offer.
You can try to assume something from what he said, but you know what assume means.
Everything else in that article is the writer’s opinion, not fact.
Just so you know, you can listen to that press conference in its totality and not just the quotes that Acee cut out of it. That way you are not relying on the writer’s narrative and can make your own decisions based on what all that Preller said. .
@OLF Whoa. I hear pets make great companions
I’m not playing this game. The quote is in print. Take it up with Acee if you think he’s lying. I’m pretty sure Preller would demand a correction if he had been misquoted.
The Padres never offered Soto a contract. End of story.
Or I can stop playing these games with you. I like that option better.
Informed apparently didn’t like my responses because he muted me. You never posted a link that supported your assertion that Preller had said they didn’t make an offer. That press conference talked all around it in both directions and never said anything concrete.
You can’t assume he did or didn’t when he didn’t say whether he did or didn’t make an offer. That is just not being informed or smart for that matter.
You can keep saying there is a quote in print, but there just isn’t. Muting someone that is not trolling you is chickenbleep. To me that shows you know that you were in the wrong.
To each his own.
WAY too much coffee today. Have a huge project coming up in San Diego and had meetings for 12 hours. This is how I wind down. Sorry.
@OLF that will do it. I’m more concerned about your blood pressure.
@outinleftfield I did post the link. All available evidence indicates they didn’t make an offer.
Preller is good at GM speak. You, for some reason, are expecting him to have said “WE DID NOT MAKE A CONTRACTUAL OFFER TO THE PLAYER NAMED JUAN SOTO WHO IS REPRESENTED BY SCOTT BORAS”. That’s not what Peller does.
He said they looked at what Soto was likely to do, i.e. what was “important” to him, i.e. playing through his platform year, and decided to trade him based on that, i.e. NOT make the offer. That is as much of an admission of “we didn’t make an offer” as you will ever get out of AJ Preller. I don’t know what more you want.
Moreover, if the Pads had made an offer, it would have leaked and it would be big news all over the place. Acting like there are other tea leaves to read into it is absurd, i.e. playing a stupid game.
An organization that leaks all over the place would not be able to contain the leak that they made an offer to Soto, if indeed they had. The fact no leak emerged, and AJ Preller’s clear statements on the matter if people aren’t trying to be cute, all tell the story.
Boras also said Soto would not be traded and he is his agent. Things change. Rejecting a huge extension offer will change things too.
You posted a link to an article where Preller didn’t say they didn’t make Soto an offer. He also didn’t say they DID make Soto an offer.
So, to say he said they didn’t make an offer when he said nothing of the sort and get mad at another poster because they read the same article and didn’t see that is a little odd.
If you would like to listen to the actual press conference, its available on 97.3 FM. Go take a listen. While you are there, listen to the Gwynn and Chris show. Will take you some time to FF through the segments, but you will hear them talk about the offer the Padres reportedly made.
As to it being here if they did, the 4/21 for Matsui has not been reported here at all even though it’s been on the local TV sportscasts and in the UT already.
You didn’t see anything here about the Padres meeting with the Marlins even though multiple other outlets reported it.
The media seems very anti-Padres right now. Acee especially. After Preller dogged Acee in that interview with Ben and Woods last year, it’s gotten worse. Or maybe it’s the fact that the SDUT got sold to venture capital vulture’s that have no vested interest in the truth, only in you visiting their website. I am not sure which. I just know that if Acee says it, it’s probably wrong.
The Padres rarely leak. In 2021 we found out about two or the 3 major trades only after they were announced by the team. The Soto trade was NOT happening in 2022 until it was complete. And there is the aforementioned Matsui agreement this season.
They were shedding payroll because they lost 4 starting pitchers and a closer to free agency and they had no way to fill out a pitching staff while staying under the CBT.
This isn’t a fire sale/tear down, they’re still trying to improve their roster they just had no money to do it without offloading some salary first. If you look at the return on the Soto deal it’s mostly players who will likely pitch in the MLB this year as opposed to prospects so this is in line with their plan to still field a competitive team.
I just said that CNichols. That’s exactly what I just said.
To be fair, that’s about what 95% of the posters in here are saying, including some Padre fans.
Thats not true.
I just said EXACTLY what Cnichols said. Almost word for word. If you don’t have any original thoughts and simply agree with someone else the correct protocol is to use the like button not repeat the same thing.
Joel
Imitation is the greatest form of flatterry. Me thinks thou do protest too much.
Relax Joel, definitely don’t take it so personally. CNichols probably doesn’t read all your posts.
Are you serious?
I can stop reading your posts if you want. There are a couple decent Padres fans around but you aren’t one of them. You are one of those guys just like Pads fan who swore Soto wouldn’t be traded the literal day before it happened. My guess is you are still mad about that.
Welcome to mute. It’s been real……
No, This is what you said.
“This isn’t complicating. The Padres are still trying to contend but they are doing so with an actual budget instead of what they have been doing the last couple years. That’s why they traded Soto because they needed money to fill out the rotation and bullpen.”
Why do you care what I said Pads fans?
Another one muted. Peace.
Because you lied … again.
I’m not really sure what all the hate is about here. There’s nothing in your post about the CBT and the Padres losing 5 key pitchers that need to be replaced. Also nothing about the Soto return. You’re saying these posts are “exactly” the same comment and they’re just clearly different. My comment is more about the need to move position players to replace pitching but apologies if I didn’t convey that as well as I could have.
I do agree with your overall point about the Padres cutting salary in some areas to fill out their roster. That’s a sentiment a lot of people would agree with because it’s the reality of the situation.
Nichols some of these guys are mad from the day before the Soto trade when they were saying Soto wouldn’t be dealt. Why some others chimed in I don’t know.
You seem like a good guy. It’s not that big of a deal. Pads fans is nuts I should have muted him a long time ago.
Its not that big of a deal. Not sure why others are trying to make it one you would have to ask them.
offended because CNichols doesn’t read all your posts? Man are you 9 years old?
I’m not mad, just think you’re overreacting (often).
Lol, mute?!
Hey, no guts, no glory. You can mute folks all day long, and then take yourself out of the conversation.
(Geez!)
Are you 4?
Thinking about their pitching changes and I was trying to line it up in my mind. Tell me if I got it all on the pitching side
Snell $16 million, Wacha $7.5 , Lugo $7.5 – all starters that left in FA
Martinez $10 million and Hader $14 – big FA pieces of the pen
Rich Hill a FA. Don’t know what they paid of his salary
Tim Hill $2.4 million, Garcia $4, Pomeranz $10, non-tendered or FA out of the pen
Barlow $7.1 million traded for De Los Santos $1.2
If I have my math right that’s about $90 million less they are spending on pitching right there.
Just pitching.
King will make about $2.6 million, Vasquez and Brito the minimum for several more seasons.
3 losses in rotation and 1 addition in King
5 losses in bullpen and 2 additions in Vasquez and Brito.
Now an addition in Matsui to the bullpen if that is true
So they still need two starters and 2 bullpen guys.
They had a couple of guys that made starts in Avila and Waldron that could also figure in at the back of their rotation or as injury replacements. Avila would probably be in the pen if not a starter and Waldron in AAA.
Pretty sure they are expecting Sean Reynolds that they picked up in the trade of Weathers to Miami to figure in their bullpen. Guy throws 100+ but has a hard time finding the plate.
I think they also picked up Kolek that was with the Mariners organization last season.
I seem to remember a kid named Alek Jacob they were high on last season too, but then he disappeared. Injured?
Some Rule 5 guy too, but those usually end up getting sent back.
I miss anything?
Still seems to me they need at least one solid #2 or #3. They have been rumored to be trying to trade for Burnes, Luzardo, and Cease. That would fit their needs and they have the prospects to do it. I think Luzardo has the most team control, but not certain of that. They also were rumored to be in on the Cuban kid Rodriguez. He worked out for them and the Red Sox at the Padres DR camp I believe. He might be a good #4 or #5 or at the least a setup man.
After Matsui it seems like they still need a couple pieces in the pen.
That was fun to look at. Not much fun in looking at the Angels, so I like this exercise much better.
So Padres fans, what did I miss? Who else do they need to add on pitching side.
Assuming $40 million to spend and $8 million spent on Matsui, who else do they spend on an how much?
I know they still need a couple outfielders and a DH, but that is another discussion.
Wow! Try some decaf OILF.
Letting go expensive older pitchers and signing cheaper younger guys.
Help me out – who is this guy?
A decent Japanese RP
much needed LH for bullpen.
Looks to be a decent, high leverage reliever. He’s had era’s in the 1’s and saves in the 30’s the last several seasons in Japan.
@FirstRoundAdiosMets
… AND, a lefty to balance the pen. He checks a lot of boxes that the Pads need to fill in the pen. Of course, everyone and anyone new to the MLB, including Japanese Vets, are suspects just like prospects, until we see how they handle MLB hitters/pitchers/equipment/stadium/pressure/home-sickness (just to cover the full spectrum of possibilities on sub-par performance, but I’m sure I missed a few).
There is a link in the article to a breakdown of him.
mlbtraderumors.com/2023/09/npb-players-to-watch-se…
Basically a 5’8″ LH closer that is 28 years old.
baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mat…
Last 3 seasons – 1.42 ERA. 12.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9
If the Padres wanted to sign a guy who was 5’8 and keep payroll down, I was always available
How short can you shrink?
How cold is it?
So is Marcus Stroman.
Way to go Preller – finding those late inning RP’s from overseas!
Yuki Matsui, 28, 5’8″, 167lb lefty closer. 2023 stats 2-3 39 saves, 1.57 ERA in NPB.in 57.1 IP. 0.89 WHIP, 11.3 K/9.
AJ Preller has done a good job filling out the bullpen with foreign players. This is likely the value FA pitcher posted from Japan this year.
Matsui is another sleeper RP like Robert Suarez signing was before 2022.
I wouldn’t call him a sleeper. He was one of the most highly sought-after FA RPs on the market this winter. A lot of teams were in on him, and there was serious bidding and press. Good signing, but definitely not a sleeper.
I’m surprised this article doesn’t mention Suarez at all. Isn’t he supposed to be their primary closer this year?
@mostlytoasty
… injury history hasn’t been good over the past year or so. He’s good, but still a question mark. Plus, he’s over age 30, so regression could be his natural age related track.
He will be
I’m surprised this article doesn’t mention Suarez at all.
==========================
“Some” Padre fans swore that he’d be the closer when I mentioned this over the summer. I said he had one career save at age 32
@JoeBrady
Doesn’t Suarez veteran track record in Japan mean anything? He was an experienced, successful closer before he joined the Padres. He was living up to that record, before injury. The main question with Suarez is his health (and age). He’s clearly (as in, provably) got the stuff to close, so a Padres fan claiming that he would eventually become the closer, isn’t just wishful thinking.
I’ll agree, though, when they signed him for $50+M, I was thinking “Oh no, Pomeranz II”. (A) Bullpens are volital. (B) Pitching is a crap shoot. (C) If I were a wealthy owner, I’d probably bet on Vegas craps before I’d invest $50M in a pitcher. Pro Baseball is a high risk, mediocre return financial investment, IMHO.
Suarez pitched 5 seasons in Japan. He was quite good, especially the last 2 seasons with the Hanshin Tigers. He had an ERA under 2.00 and 67 or 68 saves in those 2 NPB seasons.
And Pierce Johnson before suarez. Johnson was a very useful pen piece for years after coming over from Japan.
dudes numbers are poppin’!
Thought for sure the Cards might be in on him!
Spud, you might put too much stock in the rumor aspect of this site (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)
Wanted him. Good catch for the Padres
Cards were defnitely in on him. They obviously just didn’t have the most attractive offer. West Coast definitely has more pull for these guys, but also likely SD offered him more. I’m guessing he had quite a few offers/high interest from a lot of teams. Cards met with him and talked with his agent on multiple occasions, so they were definitely in on him.
Yeah, I saw he visited. I was mostly being catty cuz I had just listened to a Worst Fans in Baseball cast and they were slagging on the site ( ◠‿◠ )
Eventually you need to sign/trade for current MLB Japanese players to make your team a more attractive potential landing spot for future Japanese players. The Cardinals should have signed a guy like Kenta Maeda instead of 1 of Kyle Gibson or Lance Lynn.
The Padres have Yu Darvish and Korean SS Ha-Seong Kim. They have shown foreign asian players that they have the potential to succeed in San Diego.
They’d stay in Japan if playing with Japanese players was more important than the money.
I guess you have never applied for a job at a company that a friend or family member recommended?
Of course they want to play in MLB. But they aren’t choosing St Louis for some reason.
Yes I have considered jobs recommend by friends and family. I then took the best offer I had on the table.
Numbers are so good but his (lack of) size is normally pretty concerning. It’s going to be pretty interesting to see what he can do.
Size is not as big an issue for relievers as it is for starters. He’s not going to be expected to hold up for 150+ innings per year. Billy Wagner and Tom Gordon were elite relievers, and they weren’t big at all.
It really wasn’t an issue for starters either until baseball decided it was a thing about 25 years ago. Before that pitchers his size were effective and common.
I think Marcus Stroman is only 5′ 7″. Whitey Ford, Pedro Martinez, Tim Lincecum, Greg Maddux, Billy Wagner, Ron Guidry, Randy Jones were all under 6 ft.
Yeah back when they threw 88 mph lol
Its not that they threw 88 mph. If you research it, you’d find that changes in the mechanisms to measure pitch speed over time have changed. If you used the old Juggs gun on today’s pitchers, it would give them a slower result. Yes, they do throw harder today, on average, but the main difference is they used to pitch, not throw. Today’s players wouldn’t throw as hard if they were taught to pitch. Can’t watch a true pitchers duel today because both starters were out of the game by the 6th inning.
@top jimmy
I think Jake Peavy was 5’8″, too. So, size isn’t entirely determinant of success as a MLB pitcher (but hey, those long arms, legs, and the acres of muscle they’re carrying, can’t hurt a guys fastball, either).
Peavy was 6’1″.
“Peavy” sounds short though
Or angry.
baseball-reference.com/players/s/stromma01.shtml
Never seemed to have an effect on him.
IMHO, the height issue is more related to the length of the contract. If I have a guy for 2-3, and he is currently healthy, the risk is low.
If he is tiny, with a 10-year contract, I’d be betting on injuries at some point.
@ joeb
Whether tiny or large, if he’s a pitcher with a 10 year contract, he’s getting injured. Vegas won’t take your bet.
Matsui is a 5’8”, 167lb reliever who will pitch probably 50-70 innings for around $8 million per year. Yamamoto, this year’s probable $300 million man is 5’10”, 176 and will be expected to pitch well over 100 innings per year for 10 years. Both are midgets for pitchers. Which is a bigger risk?
I’m guessing it’s at least a 2-3 year deal for a reasonable dollar amount 3-5 million per year.
I bet it is closer to $8M/yr. When the Padres want someone, they pay for them!
Guess they didn’t want Soto, Snell, etc.
Vtadave Why would they? One had a mega contract and has already state He will not re-sign, and the other is coming off A huge year and will be given a huge contract, Even though in a non contract year, he is plainly average. both of those Would have been a stupid waste of money.
projected 2/16
With Preller don’t forget the options! I wish he would learn the deferral method!
Is that what MLBTR projected in their 50 Top Free Agents article?
No way it’s that low.
There were a lot of teams in on him. No way did he go for $3-5 mil/yr. I’d agree with something closer to $8 mil on a multi-year deal though.
I’m betting 3-25
If we can get him for 8 million YEN even better…
good get AJ!
Guy’s the counter to the Ohtani signing.
His height is a little concerning sure, but he’s got the numbers, and age. Hopefully it translates well into MLB pitching.
Why is his height so bothersome? Because some random person said it needed to be. If the guy is effective what does it matter?
Because extension and perceived velo matter. You trolling?
As long as he measures up.
It’s more about attitude…have you ever heard about “short man syndrome?” They tend to have a chip on their shoulder.
I was hoping that the Padres would try and sign once he posted!
Not posted. He’s a free agent.
My mistake. Even better with no posting fee!
I don’t believe the posting fees make much if any difference to the player’s cost. His team in Japan gets a cut of what the MLB team is willing to pay him.
The posting fee is in addition, not a cut of. But he doesn’t have one.
Any relation to Hideki?
If he were related to Hideki, maybe he would have signed with the Yankees, but not sure if they ever kicked the tires on him.
Are Lee Smith and Ozzie Smith related?
No, but they are related to both Will Smiths.
That’s a slap in the face.
Blue, when I see a post that hilarious I really wish we could use emojis. That was perfect. Thanks.
Ba, da, cha! Nice big Willy styles pull on this one.
:0
MannybeingMVP
Bravo!
They’re keeping payroll, and the average height of the team, down.
They once had a roster with a much lower payroll that was much shorter = 1987: Position players under 6ft: Bip Roberts, John Kruk, Tony Gwynn, Steve Garvey, Tim Flannery, Gary Templeton, Kevin McReynolds, Craig Nettles
Remember the year that they had all of those 6’8” and taller pitchers? I think there were 4 of them.
No it was just 6’10” Randy Johnson and he was four times more intimidating than soft tossers like Maddux. (Just kidding)
Adam Russell, Chris Young and I’d swear a couple of others – maybe 10-12 years ago.
Mat Latos, Ryan Webb, Jon Grland 6’6”; Mike Adams 6’5” – with Adam Russell 6’8”
2010 Padres Roster.
Back then 6’6” in mlb for pitcher was an oddity of sorts and that roster had a bunch.
If I wasn’t a Padres fan I wouldn’t have remembered or paid attention to this oddity.
How tall was Chris Young, the guy that is the GM in Texas now?
Chris is listed at 6’10” but I think he came the year after that or he may have been injured in 2010 – at some point he was hit in the face by come backer – maybe Pujols – and was out for a long time with facial fractures / serious stuff. So, he actually may have been there too.
Post of the thread.
Next they will sign Stroman and trade for Altuve.
But wait!!!! The Padres are broke. They won’t sign any FA.
Matsui is not expected to be the closer for the Padres, at least not initially.
Feinsand was not the first to report it as far as I can tell. This account seems to be the 1st one. twitter.com/YamadaSANSPO/status/173716401533847177…
The Padres broadcast rights did not revert to MLB, they reverted to the PADRES. MLB is just handling the technical broadcast PRODUCTION. Please get this stuff correct.
The loan the Padres took out was provided by Ascendant Capital and it was for expenses related to Cisterra.com/tailgatepark
Notice who the lending partner is for that project.
STOP spreading innuendo when the facts are available.
I heard on an unverifiable program (where I refuse to disclose the date) that Ascendant offered the Padres the second largest loan in the hsitory of baseball, but that all of the proceeds would be deferred until at least after Ohtani wins a World series.
Lmao
$100 million may be the largest loan in the history of baseball.
If it’s deferred until Ohtani wins a WS that could be an eternal loan.
@ Pads Fans
re: “The Padres broadcast rights did not revert to MLB”
kinda sorta ….
Rights reverted to the Pads, but MLB backstopped the team with some cash (not sure how much, not the entire deficit/default from Bally), and keeping their games on the air (MLB.tv). The Pads (and I think, three other teams in a similar situation) are kind of pioneering a new broadcast model for MLB. All pro sports franchises recognize that the old “push” broadcasting model originally on network TV, then cable, is short for this world. Streaming/podcasting are the future, and the Padres will working on a way to produce their own content (probably with mlb.tv acting as a sub-contractor), and market it (maybe with MLB, maybe on their own, haven’t read any updates on their new business model yet).
When one recognizes the enormous size and challenge of the Padres task, and the impact it will eventually have on the rest of the league, worrying about a $50M loan, MLB lux penalties, and cutting back to get under the MLB lux tax, are all just side shows to the main funding issues. What the Padres are facing in 2024 is coming to another MLB team near you, as these long term broadcast rights contracts expire.
DSG made the 1st two payments and then defaulted on the 3rd.
MLB paid them 80% of that one payment missed. After that one that is on record in the bankruptcy proceedings there is no record of other payments from MLB, which makes sense since they were back on the air with contracts directly with the individual cable and satellite companies the next day.
I think what the Padres and to a lesser extent the Diamondbacks have done has shown that baseball doesn’t need the RSN’s to grow their TV revenue.
MLB paid the Padres 80% of that missed payment?
Yes.
Hideki?
we wish but we can’t
This is kind of like when the Colorado Rockies traded Nolan arenado because they were crying poor and then soon afterwards they signed Kris Bryant the $180 million deal
Give or take 160 million dollars, but otherwise a very apt comparison.
Close, but no cigar Mo.
AGAIN!!
Wow, I finally got one right in the FA contest that wasn’t a layup.
It’s hilarious that when some hulking huge guy does well, everyone wants big guys. When a little guy does well? The next little guy is still questionable.
Sure, that’s the way it is with every sport. The guys with higher velocity always get more chances. The FB players with the 4.3 40 get more chances. The 6’3″ QBs get more chances than the 5’10” QBs.
As many have said, you can’t teach a fastball. The problem is they have lost the ability to teach other pitches.
Another Akinori Otsuka for the Padres
Breaking news, the Padres are falling apart at the seams
Um, no…..
I’m waiting to see what he cost to decide if it’s a good signing.
The Padres wanted Ahsoka Tano, but they ran out of Imperial credits.
That’s okay. If they ever have to face her they can always order 66 her.
Tiny Tim Collins and Stroman are 5’7” guys who have had success, so Matsui turning out ok isn’t out of the realm of possibility. That said, no financial terms are known yet, so it’s hard to judge whether this is a good deal or not for the Pads. If the deal is for three years with an AAV of $7M or less, it looks like a decent gamble. Any more than that though and they likely could have brought in/brought back a better known commodity.
Padres found their Tiny Tim replacement. It’s a Christmas miracle
His stat line looks good. That will be my scouting report.
MLBTR is asleep at the wheel. The 4 year, 21M sea was reported hours ago on other sites…what’s up?
if he gets a save he will have to stay on the mound in order to be able to high five his teammates
Japanese pitcher influx. Maybe the Japanese are more intelligent than the average US citizen. Discuss.
More like an still largely untapped pool of ballplayers, vis-a-vis the USA. Preller will be out huntin’ Eskimos and Andes Indians if it nets him a ballplayer nugget (and so will every other big league scouting staff).
Why pitching vs position players, propering from Japan? Not sure, but I’m thinking that maybe as far as perfecting the craft of baseball, developing pitchers from throwers is easier than teaching hand/eye/baseball contact information to hitters. Baseball’s a highly technical sport. The Japanese may be the next best, to the USA and D.R. in producing baseball talent. The Japanese are culturally very adept at teaching form and maintaining uniformity (re: training), which puts Baseball right up their alley.. But as the adage goes, no one can teach a fastball, and the same applies to developing elite hitters.
They drill them and drill them in Japan. It’s not all about the radar gun. They learn how to pitch, not throw. Command is better.
It’s a different skill set to succeed there. In the US they think they can teach command to a kid throwing upper 90s. That is not always the case.
Don’t count the Padres out of the Wild Card race in 2024 just yet. Still have Manny, Tatis Jr, Bogaerts, Ha-Seong Kim and some decent fill in type players.
On the pitching side, if Darvish and Musgrove round into form along with the pitching additions from the Juan Soto deal, they should be solid. This closer looks legit.
I was really hoping the Cardinals would sign him. I wonder if Mo even offered him a contract?
Any comments about the actual player????? I love bagging on the Poordres as much as anybody, but who has seen Matsui pitch? Seems like it could be interesting considering the lefty-heavy lineup in L.A.
Just because a team is lowering payroll doesn’t mean they can’t sign players to better their team. We will have to see the financials but I like this move for the Padres. I’m curious to see if they stretch him out to be a starter or more than likely see him as a potential late inning weapon out of the bullpen and a possible Josh Hader replacement.
Looks like its really happening 4 years, $21 million
twitter.com/yakyucosmo/status/1737594501852791229
Holy Shitaki only 21mil over 4 years. Did he low ball himself that much?
Was just about to post that. That is a much lower AAV than I expected. I was thinking $8 million
I like cheap closers. Now trade for sluggers and Jesus and Dylan
Brew the “and” would cost too much of that 2025
Group in my opinion.
Trade for Burnes then he won’t affect 2025
Let’s beat the Dodgers THIS year, shock the world
Im too slow. Already posted. Is that less than you thought it would be?
That’s a great signing, at $21 million over 4 years! I was rather expecting the Cardinals to sign him since they’d been looking at him for a while. At that price, they should have been in. Wonder if geography is playing an overarching factor?
Padres surpass a billion on a contract! Japanese article translates to: “Hiroki Matsui reaches basic agreement with Padres for 4 years and 3 billion yen.” haha
That is a good one. Really, based on prior contracts – Pomeranz; Garcia and Suarez types, this deal seems like a steal.
Padres are attempting to sign Matsui, another starting pitcher, a CF and LF that both preferably hit left handed with 30 million. Good luck Preller. You’re going to need it.