The Padres announced they’ve optioned JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso. They recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will go with a nine-man bullpen in the short term. Sears will spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s brought up to replace a player going on the injured list.
San Diego acquired Sears alongside Mason Miller in last week’s massive deadline deal. The 29-year-old southpaw made his team debut last night. He allowed five runs in as many innings on 10 hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Sears took the loss in a 6-2 defeat. He’d carried a 4.95 earned run average over 22 starts with the A’s. Yesterday pushed his ERA to 5.12 across 116 innings. It’s a bottom 10 mark among pitchers to log at least 100 frames. Sears had the highest home run rate among that group, offsetting his nearly league average 20.3% strikeout rate and solid 6% walk percentage.
This is the first time in two and a half years that Sears heads to the minors. He broke camp with the A’s in 2023 and has been in the majors since then. Sears has also avoided the injured list for that entire time. As a result, he’s tied for fifth in MLB with 87 starts since the beginning of the ’23 season. The durability is the big selling point, as his production (4.62 ERA/4.56 SIERA) over that stretch is that of a fifth or sixth starter.
The demotion shouldn’t have any impact on Sears’ service trajectory. He has already surpassed the three-year mark and will qualify for arbitration next winter. He’s under team control for three seasons beyond this one. While he’ll probably be back up at some point this year, it may require an injury elsewhere in the rotation.
San Diego optioned Randy Vásquez over the weekend. They currently have a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and deadline acquisition Nestor Cortes. Darvish and Cortes will get the ball for the next two outings. San Diego is off Thursday and could turn back to Pivetta and Cease on extra rest for their first two games of the weekend series against the Red Sox.
That’d point to the series finale on August 10 as Michael King’s return date. King threw 61 pitches in what is expected to be his final rehab start on Sunday (via the MLB.com injury tracker). He’d be on six days rest for his first MLB appearance since he went on the injured list in late May with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.
DFA Matsui. Eat the contract. And while you are it, why the heck is Iglesias being used and putting O’Hearn and Sheets on the bench? Glove only and designated bunter. Preller went and got hitters so we wouldn’t have to watch this guy in the lineup every other day.
Manny is DH, where to you play O’Hearn?
They used Iglesias other day as the DH. What the hell for? They probably need to dump Johnson and get RHB somewhere who can play some IF too. Ever hear of someone named. DJ?
Sears for pennies
Looks like Sears wasn’t as much of a Craftsman as they needed, the Diehard fans will understand. It would be nice to have Caminiti, but he is too old to want Kenmore.
It must have taken quite a while to catalog all those items.
Wowsers, that was fast!
Matsui isnt that bad
He’s pretty bad. He’d be in the minors if he weren’t on a guaranteed contract.
Matsui is having a disappointing season, and I prefer the best arms available rather than playing matchups if there’s a significant performance difference. Still, he’s a sunk cost at this point. God forbid Peralta or Morejon get hurt; keeping him in the fold and seeing if he can improve or at least return to last year’s performance is better. I would think this time next year, if he’s still scuffling, you pull the plug. I’m fairly certain he wouldn’t be on a playoff roster.
Hand the ball to the next man up…
Return of the King “soon”
San Diego is no place for a King. Hopefully he’ll be coming back out East in the near future. 🙏🤞
I thought JP was going to be a fixture in Pads rotation for next 4 years?
Maybe, maybe not! Not much room for him this year (health permitting), I’m glad he came with an Option available.
Yeah the back end of the rotation is far from settled. Would have been preferable if Sears be an upgrade over Vasquez, Hart, Waldron
yup; Sears is classic #4 SP. HE has had a few runs where he looked like more, but unless he figures out how to limit the long ball, he will never be a mid rotation guy
Sears was not an upgrade over Kolek, Bergerts
Vasquez etc.. Sears is depth and maybe in rotation in ’26. Would have held onto either Bergerts or Kolek and substituted another pitcher in that Fermin deal.
Preller and Padres pitching coach, Ruben Niebla, must have thought that that they can unlock better value from Sears and that pitching @ Petco Park (instead of that AAA Sutter Field in Sacramento) may also improve Sears’s numbers.
Sending Sears to AAA for a spell gives signal to all the pitchers (and players) focus and produced or we will send you down to ride the AAA bus and eat cheap food stay in lesser accommodations etc..
If Preller could have acquired Fermin for less, its certain he would have. Fermin is an upgrade over Maldonado on O and D. With how little catching is on the market he is worth a couple of #5-#6 type starters.
Sears is not an upgrade and wasn’t expected to be. He was expected to be another depth arm and maybe Niebla can turn him into a solid #5. We know he is able to take the ball every 5th day and that has real value over a long season. That is all the Padres really need. We may only see him or Vasquez once or twice more this season.
Sending Sears to AAA has nothing to do with giving a signal to the pitchers and other players. It has to do with the fact that the Padres don’t need a #5 starter until Aug 20-21 so they are stacking the pen even deeper with 9 guys until then. King will be back to start on the 10th and there are several off days between now and the Giants series so they only need 4 starters for next couple of weeks.
I would have been happy if the only trade made at the deadline was for a RH LF bat with slug (Laureano) along with keeping Cease and Suarez. Just that.
No doubt after spending time with Niebla and Joe Musgrove he will be penciled in at the 5 spot in 26. This was just to get a fresh arm because King was taking that slot next turn around.
King, Pivetta, Cease and Yu will make a formidable front 4 with Vazquez, Cortez and JP (Hart even) for a revolving door until rosters expand to keep an eye xtra BP arm.
Makes a lot of sense actually.
@longtime
Sears has made every turn in the rotation this year. He may be new to the team, but he’s far from having a “fresh” arm.
Styme – never said he was “fresh”. He was sent down to make room for another BP arm because of roster flexibility.
Between Cortez starting Wednesday, off day Thursday and King expected back Sunday, they get a 9th BP arm thru the weekend – just like it says in the post.
I was explaining why it made sense to option the guy.
a back end rotation arm with options (since i think he has never used an option year) has a lot of value. He should not be a fixture in a rotation, but he should be a #5-7 guy for most rotations. Since teams normally use close to 10 SP over a season, that means you want a guy you can yo yo up and down (so with options) in that range. When everyone is healthy he is in AAA; but i would still expect the 6th SP (that stays healthy himself) to get 20ish starts in a normal season.
if everything is perfect your top 5 are getting 32-33; but every start they miss starts the cascade down to your 6th and 7th guy. most teams will lose 1 of their top 5 for at least half a season due to a major injury, and will lose 5-8 starts from each just from minor things. A team would be happy with 30 starts from their top 3, 20 starts from their 4-6 guys, and barely seeing the 7th guy….. but that is everyone avoiding major injury- major injury shifts that all down one guy.
Styme, I believe the fresh arm LTC is talking about is that 9th reliever they added to the pen. Cortes is also a fresh arm since he has not pitched since early April.
Sears is going have to “step up his game” to stay in the Padres rotation in ’25, ’26 or whenever.
Not during a pennant race. I’m sure they got him more for the future than this season. I’m holding out hope that Niebla can work some magic.
Sears is an inning eater. He is below average but stays healthy and will go what is now considered deep into games (like 5-6 innings). Weirdly, that is still a 5-10m player in FA (where the innings eaters often end up… a husk of Kyle Gibson still got 5m before he realized he was spent and retired; but not before a team gave him a 5m contract for this year as the last of those guys left).
So long term, he was part of the Miller trade so they could pencil him in as their 5th starter next year for 5m less than they would need to spend on a FA. Insurance when one of their big name SP walks in the off season and Sears moves from teh 6th man to the 5th man in the rotation.
Not the first time things didn’t go as planned for someone named Sears
Seriously. Corporations are people too. Good ol’ Corporate Personhood.
Sears (and Roebuck) had a pretty good run actually. All good things ….
I think all the Sears in the Pacific Northwest are sitting empty. Any still around in Southern Cali ?? Grew up with that store always being a mainstay. Now you just order overnight shipping from Amazon, I guess.
Off-topic, but I bought some a quality hand cutter from them years ago. I left it in the shed and all the blades got rusty. It was my fault and I went back to the store to buy new blades. Since they no longer carried the replacement blades, they gave a brand new cutter off the shelf.
It wasn’t real expensive or anything, but I thought that was pretty cool.
that is why people shopped at sears. Every craftsman tool had this warranty. If it broke, they replaced it. IT may have been slightly overpriced without the warranty, but the warranty made it worth it.
Sears only sank due to private equity. They spun off an entity that owned all of the real estate Sears owned, and then leased back to sears itself. Wtih huge rent payments, many stores folded the first time they hit a few bad months (any recession) . IT is private equity 101- by selling the real estate holdings, they got all their money back from the take over, and then their profit is what they could squeeze out of it before it went under. Most large retailers only make sense if they own the land their store sits on (or at least get a sweetheart deal on rent- which to anchor a mall was pretty common since how many stores could anchor, and a sears was much better for the rest of the units than a gym taking the same footprint)
Your mall anchor liquidation outline plays out in my mind theater (taking pains to avoid its toxic sites) every time we pass the nearby giant, upscaled, empty Sears. It still haunts a supreme spot.
That retail paradise supplied the vast majority of our family’s durable goods. Craftsman for Life.
It was a wonderful place for rambunctious family members to run wild for hours at a time. The kids liked going there as well, and we dearly miss the joint.
Applicable to this site, fellow shoppers encountered there included HoJo, Aaron Harang and Bill Slayback. We never lucked into a 4th Baseball Legend for our Sears Baseball Mt. Rushmore – unless you count Drew Brees who in his heart is still a baseballer.
If Sears had pivoted to being the online catalog where you could either pick up your merch or have it shipped to you early in the internet era they would still be a major player in retail.
James123
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Interesting stuff. Sears was one of the case studies I had to for my MBA 25-30 years ago. They highlighted a store in Orange County. The area was urbanized, but were still selling farm equipment. And the surrounding area had become Mexican, and they had not changed their product mix to reflect the more culturally conservative population.
James123
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IRT the real estate, it reminded me of Chock Full of Nuts. The restaurants in NYC weren’t making any money, but a lot of them had 100-year leases. About 150% of the company’s value was in the leases they owned. I also knew two guys that owned dive-bars in mid-town, The bar probably cleared $150k year in profit, but the property was worth $15M.
Good times.
Brew – past prospects update tonight – our boy Marsee is doing well for himself, Gore got blown up and Bergert did well.
Gore isn’t elite as some keep suggesting. Bergert has ace stuff. Nice to hear about Marsee! E. Nuñez got hammered btw
Worried about how bad Bergert looked in recent years. Maybe he was hurt but def set back until his call up which is going well. Recall a lot of guys with the flash in the pan (Paddock / Ankiel), so I’ll keep watching all the prospects and see what time shows. I had him as a solid 4, maybe 3 but maybe out of the game in a year – who knows.
Not wishing any former SD prospect bad luck. I have fun checking their stats on milb or other teams.
Looking for the game within the game approach.
Cal didn’t look too good either.
I’d like to peek into Gore’s brain. You can’t go from that dominant to that bad without an injury or a meltdown. His first 13 starts, iirc, he had 1K/IP or better. He’s had 10 in the past four games.
Or tipping pitches. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Nats’ coaches missed it, but announcers and the like are usually pretty quick with these things.
depends on the announcers. As an Os fan, it is why i loved when Palmer was their color guy- this is exactly the thing he would pick up on before the coaches would (i mean it is Palmer after all).
It is a long season, and this is the point where a lot of guys have just thrown more innings this year than they ever have, so being gassed could also be it. Normally that shows up as a slight tick down in velo (not enough that the naked eye will see it, but 94 and 96 play different in the bigs)
Gore has a 4.18 ERA in 82 starts since the trade, slightly worse than league average. He has a 4.29 ERA this season which is well below average.
Sitting 93 mph, Bergert doesn’t throw hard enough to say he has Ace stuff, but he is above average with 3 different pitches and avoids hard contact. He could be a solid #3, maybe even a #2. .
He will; he’s an iron man. One rough start against a good offense/ballpark won’t sink a guy who hasn’t missed a start in 2 and 2/3 seasons.
Hope that’s the case straight.
Sears was always going to be just a #6 starter for the Padres. He is just not very good. Maybe with a full offseason Niebla can make enough changes to his mechanics and repertoire that he can be an effective #4 or #5, but soft tossing LHP are not TOR starters.
Even with no external additions to the rotation next season, Sears is nothing more than a back of the rotation starter.
Pivetta
Musgrove
Darvish
Morejon or Miller – one of the two will be in the rotation
Vasquez
Sears
Web – suarez opts out so I like M & M staying as 8/9 with Adam, Estrada, Hoeing, Reynolds as the leverage arms but hey, if Rueben can pull off another Lugo / King out of Miller, I’ll take it.
With the rotation where it’s expected, Joe and Yu strong but limited innings, I think a solid mid-rotation with upside is in order.
How about Gallen? D. May even (hate to picture it but we sat thru watching Clevinger rocking so, ok, on a pillow contract or options loaded.
I’d prefer King for TOR but Joe and Pivetta could make it not as important.
Even with the trades, SD should have enough 4-8 guys for depth. Not TOR depth but so long as injuries just do line 2025 and shuffle those back 4-5 guys up and down.
A few other guys are being stretched in minors – Gillespie, Reynolds a few guys like that got some good xtra innings recently for off season discussions.
Sears = Vasquez, just left-handed
JP Sears is legit one of the worst starters in the league, if not the worst. Have no clue why the Padres would want him in the trade, unless the A’s were only willing to trade Miller if they took Sears off their hands too.
A’s had been shopping Sears, so they saw the Miller deal as a way to offload him. It’s true what the article said – his strong point is durability, but that’s canceled out by his hittability. He’s basically the healthy version of Paddack.
Maybe SP depth. Just speculating. Legit starters (as you referred) have a place. Especially when they come with options. If you are going to get a throw in get one with options.
Yes; people always ignore how much these 5-6th starter types get in FA every year. If sears is non tendered (which he will not be)- he is a 29 year old whom teams will view as 160-180 below average innings. Those guys get 5-10 million per year in FA. No one builds a team around those guys, but a team with no internal options in the back of their rotation and some young guys at the top of the rotation (or injury concerns) will shell out for this to be the 4th/5th guy. A team like the Os are likely to sign one of these guys this offseason- top of the rotation is hurt right now (on inning caps next year- bradish and grayson), and the depth is not great- so they will want a 5th guy who will be able to just get through innings.
He’s an exceptionally reliable fifth starter. ~470 IP in 87 starts the last 3 seasons without missing a start with a ~4.5 SIERA. He’s unexciting, but being able to pencil in that production has value.
See what some new pitching coaches can do with him, try to convert him to a reliever, see what happens if he’s a swingman and doesn’t have to face hitters more than twice… there are options. A’s are super cheap and he was entering arbitration years, they probably got him for free.
he is more valuable as what he is vs. long releif. Maybe that make that switch, but 160 innings at 4.5 era is worth more than 100 at 4.
Frankie Montas
Paul Blackburn
Worse than Sears
In hindsight, I wished they had used all that trade capital and joined the Minnesota fire sale. Instead of the A’s deal figure out how to get Ryan and a mid level reliever.
Ryan would be better for the team, but knowing he didn’t move and every GM with a heartbeat called Minny… I think it just proves the “ask” was too high.
I don’t think DeVries alone was going to be enough to get Ryan.
honestly, I would be torn between taking De Vries OR abel AND tait….. Min were sellers, but they did not sell Duran for cheap. Jax is a weird trade (bradley) so i cannot even put that in context.
So if they wanted an elite bullpen arm, they spent about as much as the phils did for their elite arm. Most of the time, i think it is smarter to buy the teir below and have more options- basically the whole pullpen worth of guys the Os traded for basically the 2-4 best pitching prospects in various systems.
What possessed sd to trade the next tatis ?? Awful
Chandler – referring to any 18 year old in A ball as the next Tatis (or any similar player) is waaaaaay speculative.
Maybe, and I say maybe, he is the 18 year old version but seriously, the 25 year old has a long way to go.
A pennant. We went all in again. We’re due
A pennant? Sd just optioned 1 of the 2 guys they traded leo for. after 1 game . Smh
Chandler – so what. Maybe try to understand the game before you Lee making insane irrelevant comments that don’t even pretend to prove what you think.
Yankees acquired Bird and optioned him today. This is not a new thing in baseball.
I’ll give you a clue – one of the reasons they wanted Sears was that he had options – a 2.5 year track record of making every start and 3 years of control are others. His stats were skewed by playing in AAA hitters park.
It was a dumb trade for the Padres regardless. Prospects like DeVries don’t grow on trees, and they traded him for a reliever, of all things. He couldn’t stay healthy as a starter, so the whole transitioning to a starter thing will probably backfire if they ever try it.
They won’t try it, unless of course he doesn’t work out as a RP
Yep,and Miller has gotten hammered in his two innings.
Longtimecoming
Yankees acquired Bird and optioned him today.
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I was going to say the same thing because the RS did the same thing with Harrison. I’d guess there are maybe 25% of the trades where a coach/manager sees something that he thinks he can fix.
I watch the tape on DeVries, “The Mutant” his power from both the right and fhe left hand side is effortless.
Some coup for the A’s.
With padres leo woulda been an AS
On the A’s im predicting mvp
Highest ranked prospect ever traded at deadline in mlb history. In exchange for a set up guy, & back end rotation arm alredy demoted after 1 day. Delusional sd fans
Chandler, I don’t understand your point if there was one beyond just being a troll.
The Padres don’t need a 5th starter again until August 2oth or 21st, depending if Pivetta, Cease, and Darvish are given an extra day of rest. Sears was sent down so the Padres can bring in a 9th relief pitcher for that stretch, just like the article says.
If you look at the schedule, Sears could be brought up to make that start on the 21st and this gives Niebla and the rest of the staff a couple of weeks to work on Sears’ stuff and mechanics in a setting that doesn’t effect the Padres stretch run.
Or the Padres could bring Vasquez back up to make that start.
Either way, it makes perfect sense to send Sears down to El Paso.
Should’ve got red hot shea langeliers added him to mason miller. Could’ve used those prospects traded for fermin plus another pieces
Good. Guy’s a terrible pitcher. Might be a decent bench player.
So here we are. Apparently, Shildt likes Laureano and Fermin half the time. Uses Miller once in a blue moon but doesn’t really need him anyway. Sears is jettisoned to El Paso. Shildt likes Iglesias over O’hearn. Gave up two starting pitchers we could use. One just went toe to toe with Crochet. And we hope King, Cortes and Darvish can all pitch like their baseball cards say they can even though they are all coming off injuries. I think the rockstar parade can be muted for the time being.
Dan, it’s early. Match ups maybe? Also, showing clubhouse that the 100 game guys aren’t being thrown out in the trash, maybe?
With Jose, he is the only guy to play 3b to rest Manny so, if the priority is to give Manny a day off, the only solution.
I am glad you are here to explain to Dan. I would only add to tell him to take a deep breath. It has only been a few games.
not only a few games, but they paid up for some of these guys due to the years of control they got. Leurano has a 6.5m option (that he has played well enough is likely to be picked up, lets be real that is 4th OF money), Miller has several years of control, Sears has 3 more years of control. These are not strictly rental players.
Ohearn and some of the other guys are rentals, and i think they took too many positionless guys (finding time for Sheets and Ohearn is hard since both are meh 1b that really should DH)
I am fine with that lineup. Machado is 32 and needs half days off. If Darvish pitches like last start with Diaz, than Diaz can be Yu’s personal catcher.
So is this your MO, Dan? Freak out waaay too early? You did this on deadline day too.
Exactly. That’s the problem. Nothing beyond Iglesias a non-hitter to be the RHB as a DH, PH or IF replacement. Look at tonight’s lineup. Take Laureano out stick Sheets and you are looking at the lineup a week ago. A horrible 7-8. What happens late in the game and they need a big hit and Iglesias comes up? PH or take the out? Who plays 3B then if you PH? The bench is better but not balanced. I heard the clubhouse was a little upset Sheets playing time was being cut with the trade. Shildt reminding AJ who makes out the lineup?
A lot of moving parts. I think Manny comes in to 3b if necessary at end of a game. Likely never comes up in most games.
Sheets had been slumping leading up to the trade so there is that.
You get Diaz for Yu maybe. It just happened to be today. Give it a week and then gauge.
Well Jose better not get hurt or thrown out. If Machado has to come in, you lose the DH.
Def hope he doesn’t get hurt.
Later in game with that BP, the pitchers won’t bat. This lineup has the bats on bench to PH
The lack of a solid RH bat off the bench is one of two apparent weaknesses with this club. Arraez, Sheets, and O’Hearn all occupy the 1B/LF/DH archetype, and with Laureano entrenched in LF, it’s three guys for one spot with no platoon/PH path. Whoever gets left on the bench (Sheets/O’Hearn most nights, I’m guessing) will still be a valuable bat to PH late (possibly for Fermin/Diaz at the bottom of the lineup). They still have Johnson, who can bat switch and offers some speed and defense in the OF.
Having both Sheets and O’Hearn is a bit of a luxury
Yes but Sheets is as in a nose dive and O’Hearn is a rental. It’s a luxury they we don’t usually have in SD.
I hope O’Hearn is auditioning for maybe the next couple of years.
Sheets seems the odd man out rest of season, but he seems to get that. Hopefully he’s one of those guys like Solano last year that can be ready for that one AB every other day
And maybe a 2 week break causes a resurgence if they need it should O’Hearn pull a Josh Bell on us.
I think he likely sees a good fit for playing time in 26 and well, living in SD and getting paid that well isn’t a bad thing even if you are watching from the dugout!
Didn’t stay up to watch but checked box in middle of the night and was very pleased with how and AJ built team responded with a much needed win.
If status could have gotten a key hit ((saying all year the big 4-5 perform the weak spots don’t look as bad) then extras never happen. 0-6 with no results (even an RBI out) should literally never happen for a player of his caliber.
Picked up a game on both the Cubs and Mets while maintaining 3 back of LAD.
Sheets is streaky. Needs to play, but maybe he’ll contribute still as PH and occasional sub. Trading for RH bat LF with pop (Laureano) was critical, probably the most important move at the TD (for this year anyway) for the Pads (along with keeping Cease and Suarez). Adding O’Hearn replaces Sheets bat and is a smaller measure of improvement. But as you say he’s a rental and didn’t cost much. It’s just awkward for Sheets.
I like adding Fermin as well. Miller will come in handy when Suarez opts out and even Sears as a LH #5 as opposed to Waldron, etc.
Really liking Fermin as a bridge to Salas taking pressure off him.
Big key for 26 is health of Joe and Yu, resign King or someone similar.
My expectations with Fermin are tempered by his career numbers. He’s an upgrade to a 39 year, and they gave up 2 SPs (who we sure could use now) – if somehow he exceeds my expectations then I’ll certainly feel better about the deal.
Fair point. All depends on how all turn out. A 6th rounder who had been on a down slide in last couple of milb seasons and a Rule 5 pick could be trading high on a few starts for a up and coming young C with a lot of upside – a position of need for sure.
on the flip side, value in trades is also measured in terms of need. And the Padres did find themselves in dire need of an upgrade at C and Fermin is that. They overpaid IMO to fill that need and that’s where the Royals took advantage of the purely value side of the trade. They won the trade based upon value, but the Padres may have won based on need/balancing roster.
Agreed and also they can find a #4 or #5 guy easier than a young upside C on the open market in offseason.
I don’t think either of the SP would factor into 2025 assuming Yu and King stay healthy.
They would have rounded out the rotation in 26 for sure but the C (and LF) holes won’t be there so that is awesome.
Nice trade!
People freaking out over this makes me laugh. With King coming back Sears is the odd man out. Didn’t look good yesterday, but will likely be in the rotation for the next few years. He gets to rest and work on anything Niebla gives him to work on.
Sophisticated fans understand the value of a reliable optionable starter with some bottom of the rotation stats.
Same applies to relievers.
I wish Hoyer had gotten a JP Sears for the Cubs at the deadline…
I like that jp fought through yesterday’s game. The score could have been a lot worse!! Hopefully the pads get the bats going tonight.
We are exactly five games post trade and we have figured out how these guys are going to be used in the long term?
There is a great book by Johnny Sain from the late 60s or early 70s that you might be able to find. He explains baseball. Give it a look.
There are so many variables that go into lineup, defense and offense. Speaking in absolutes is insane with the sss we have since 7/31. Padres have won 3 of last 5 and outscored opponents 23-16 with JI in there. Definitely not working.
Johnny Sain is not credited as an author of any books. He is discussed in several including Cloudbuster Nine which is about the baseball players that served in WWII, Year of the Pitcher: Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, and the End of Baseball’s Golden Age, and Ball Four by Jim Bouton
OH GOD ITS BEEN 5 DAYS SINCE THE TRADE DEADLINE
PANIC MODE PANIC MODE SKY FALLING
FREAK OUT TITANIC SINKING ROANKE WENT MISSING 9/11 9/11 FAKE MOON LANDING ALIENS ARE REAL ROUND EARTH
My goodness it’s been 5 days let them figure out their new additions snd best lineups while managing guys days off.
Sears has been remarkably consistent over the last 3 years with his underlying numbers, he just pitched in a hitters park this year. He is what he is, a controllable #5 starter that never misses a start and will probably finish each season with an ERA in the 4’s. Stuff is average, but it comes out of a weird armslot, super athletic, fields his position really well. Valuable if you need innings. He’s nowhere near as bad as people on this thread are making him out to be. That profile has value to a front office as seen by this trade. Acting like the A’s were trying to throw him in to a miller deal because he had negative value just isn’t accurate
He’s a reliable #5 for a good offensive team which can be above league average (4.41) for runs/game. Sears has average 5+ innings per start since ’23 and can keep the bullpen fresh. (The Pads are at 4.10 r/g this season.)
You’re ruining everyone’s recency bias and knee jerk reactions. Not cool man.
I bet they could have gotten Springs in the deal instead of Sears but couldn’t pay the extra salary.
Springs is who I wish the Red Sox had gotten. He’s quietly been excellent for the past couple months.
If we’re being charitable, the hitter friendly environment at SHP, inadequate clubhouse (vis a vis the rest of the league), and dreadful team defense all worked against Sears this season. In other words, Fisher’s obsessive cost cutting hindered the rebuild and further ground down rotation members.
He’s probably an above average #4 starter at best, but a road K:BB ratio approaching 4 to 1 suggests he’s capable of better results. It’s probably better to get him straightened out in AAA for the rest of the season. SD’s deadline moves were as much about securing low cost replacements for several departing free agents as they were intended to bolster the team for the stretch run.
I have no idea if it’ll work but if nothing else Preller has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to delay the inevitable.
Freshly optioned JP Sears will join a rotation of:
Montgomery Ward, K Mart, Marshall Fields and Dayton Hudson.
Solid.
As founder of the JP Sears fan club I must declare my outrage and protest strongly this action
He’ll be bahk – Terminator voice
Glad to see Laureano fitting right in. Dude is a stud. 8 for 22 start
Fermin has also improved the C spot. 2 big holes filled for a stretch run. Miller will settle in. O’Hearn should offset Sheets drop off.
Last night showed what that type of BP can do to win a game even with a 4 inning start that goes extras.
Won’t need Sears in 25 if King makes it back but looking forward to an off-season with Niebela for 26-28.
Braves gave Profar 3/$45 million and tossed Laureano aside.
Laureano is the better player.
San Diego has no idea what they are doing with any part of their lineup. They don’t play the guys they just traded for and now they option a pitcher that has been durable all year. This will be the reason that even if the Padres make the playoffs they get eliminated in the first round.
Miller has pitched twice which is as much as any of the Padres relief staff has since he joined the team. Fermin has played in 4 games. Durable does not = good. Sears had absolutely no shot at making the post season roster where great bullpens and 2-3 great starters are all a team needs. The Padres don’t need a fifth starter until the Giants series Aug 21. Guess when Sears is available to return. Any other nonsense you want to add?
After pitching batting practice in his last start it makes sense that he was sent down. With the way their schedule is set, the Padres only need a 5th starter 4 more times this season. Unless Cortes is lights-out in his first start back from injury, which is not likely, I am hoping that starter is Vasquez. He earned it,
I have to give Sears and any other guy uprooted and traded the benefit of the doubt for a few appearances. A lot of stress on personal life / family so, he gets a pass for first start results. New C, new team, new park, so much going on.
The way the Padres schedule is laid out the rest of the season, they don’t need anyone in that fifth slot until in the Giants series. Sears could be that guy. I am just hoping that its Vasquez because he has contributed solid pitching at #5.
The Padres have 3 more seasons of control over Sears, so I am pretty sure we will see much more of him next season and hopefully Niebla can help him to be a solid #4-#5. If not, because he has 2 more seasons of options, he can be that #6 floater that can yo-yo from El Paso to SD whenever needed.
Prior to this season there was a lot of talk about stretching Morejon back out as a starter but Preller said didn’t feel Morejon had enough innings under his belt to do so. Miller has been vocal about his desire to going back to being a starter. I would be willing to bet that one of them stretches out to start. Of course, that may depend on if Suarez opts out or not.
Like it or hate it, unless he gets injured Suarez opts out. Now, conversations about the extensions may evolve so it may not mean he leaves.
If Miller wants the chance they should give it to him and I hope he is a solid 2/3.
If not, he gets closer nod as a consolation prize – not bad.
Cease, Suarez, and Arraez , O’ hearn are as good as gone in free agency at the end of the season.
Laureano has a 6M team option year in ’26 and Sheets can backfill for O’Hearn.
King, if healthy, is a keeper, but also could go to the free agent auction to maximize his contract. The Padres won’t get into a bidding war over King or any other player. They just need to keep building their farm system, keep finding underrated players and unlocking their full potential etc.
Miller was injured and not performing as well as a starter according to some reports.
If he can pitch like Crotchet in the Padres rotation next year, then go for it.
If not, his best value to the team could be as a closer.
They will need a closer next year and beyond, after Suarez retires. I’d like to keep the pen strong next couple years and keep both Miller and Morejon there and not mess with what has worked for those guys.. Sign a SP (maybe King?) to round out the rotation.
Mason Miller is under Padres team control until 2030.
A lot can happen between 2025-2030.
The Padres can, at some point, extend Miller and lock him down at a team friendly rate.
AND/OR, depending on the Padres team needs in 2028 and 2029, the Padres could flip Miller and get at least as much as the White Sox received from the Red Sox for Crotchet or more(If Miller stays healthy and continues to perform and put up impactful numbers for the Padres).
If Miller stays healthy, he could be one of the keys to long term Padres contention in the very competitive NL West on the Padres or on some other pitching hungry MLB ballclub,