The past couple weeks have not been kind to the Padres. They now have a season-high five-game losing streak after being swept in today's matinee series finale in Philadelphia. It's their third four-plus game skid of the season and second in as many weeks, as they've dropped nine of ten.
Six of those have come at the hands of the Phillies, who have turned their season around after a brutal April and managerial change. Philadelphia obviously deserves credit for that, but San Diego's recent results have magnified the issues that existed even when they were winning games. They won 18 of 25 games in April despite an underperforming lineup and one of the weakest on-paper rotations in the National League. The roster deficiencies have begun to catch up.
San Diego's early-season success means they're still in playoff position. They're 32-29 and right in the thick of the Wild Card race. Two-thirds of the National League is above .500, so a team's placement in the standings can move quickly.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote about the Padres' struggles this morning, observing that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has never shied away from big swings at the deadline. Unless they go into a freefall over the next two months, they'll likely be tied to a number of big names on the trade market. The needs are stacking up.
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I know let’s just keep running the same bums out there every day with the same ineffective coaching staff, what’s the worst that can happen?
Stammen proving why you don’t see many teams hiring former middle relievers to manage the team. Between SD and SF’s choices of managers last winter it’s tough to say either one has staying power.
I can at least Tony Vitello having another year or two. I’m not sure about Stammen, though
In all fairness to Stammen, Tatis has 1 hr and 18 rbis, Machado is hitting .174, Merrill .207, Fermin .126 and they’ve lost Musgrove, Darvish and Pivetta. The fact that they’re in contention for any wildcard slot is shocking.
Wait.. this isn’t an Angel’s article…
The Padres roster construction is not good. Preller somehow built a team whose talent seems to have crested before the salary loads. Jake Cronenworth is done. Bogaerts was never worth that much and Preller was bidding that contract up against himself, like a left and right hand at an auction not knowing that the bid paddle belonged to the same person. Machado is in old man mode; late on anything above 95mph and hoping for a cement mixer slider to hang over the plate. Tatis needs to go back to right field and be dropped to the middle of the order so he’ll ditch the table setter mentality for base cleaner. The starting pitching is duct tape and paper clips at this point; just hoping to get thru 5 innings so the bullpen can take over from there.
I say this as a Padres fan – I think some very hard times are coming for the Pads. Those Machado and Xander contracts are turning into huge albatrosses (as we knew they would even before the ink was even dry) and they have very questionable starting pitching. Plus, Preller’s unrelenting need to have to get the shiniest toy in the store window (Kemp, Myers, Soto, Miller and now maybe Skubal) at the expense of the team’s future is killing this them. I understand that hindsight is 20/20, but how nice would it be to have Abrams and Wood, for instance, right now (and Trea Turner before them).
I expect machado to be better. He’s not this bad. But if he’s starting a sharp decline they’re in a tough spot.
The bogey deal is and always was terrible. Machado opting out should’ve been a gift but they re-upped to another massive deal trying to win now. Definitely not a rosy long term outlook. Musgrove and Pivetta could save things but you’re asking those guys to pitch close to their ceilings. I expect Vasquez’s numbers will continue to slide back to the back of the rotation starter he truly is.
If nothing else Preller will probably put together another great draft next month though.
They don’t have the prospects to get Skubal. I dont think Abrams and Wood would perform as well playing 81 games at Petco. I have my fingers crossed that the new ownership group will maybe eat some of the money owed to Cronenworth in order to get something in return for him. I’d really like to see them allow propsects to come up and make a contribution rather just use them all in the “win-now” trade mode we’ve been in….
I doubt they can get Skubal. Especially since the tigers have a young catcher that they like. A Salas type prospect would need to go back in return. Too many teams will be interested. Can’t imagine that guys like Kash Mayfield and Bradgely Rodriguez wouldn’t be topped elsewhere.
That Xander contract seemed ridiculous at the time and it still does but when Machado said he was gonna opt out the Padres should’ve just let him opt out and leave. I know they extended him before he could actually opt out but they should’ve let him walk. Did anybody think that that contract was gonna work out?
I like Arraez reunion and addtiion of Ward who has expiring deal. Those 2 should cost less trade capital than Abrams
Not only do I think the Giants would not trade Luis Arraez within the division, especially to the Pads, but as a Giants fan I hope they re-sign Luis to a 2-3 year contract. Probably won’t happen because he’ll be worth quite a bit to a contender at the deadline (and the Giants will get a player of value too). But either way, most Giants fans want Luis back. And how he got a bad rep at 2b is beyond us—he’s playing Gold Glove 2b for us.
Just wait until those long term contracts have a bunch of old guys making a fortune and all hitting .220.
The Padres have defied gravity for weeks, but this works only so well and for so long. Then, plop.