Blue Jays Sign George Springer
TODAY: The Blue Jays have officially announced the signing. Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi (via Twitter) also has a full breakdown of the contract, which includes an eight-team no-trade clause. Springer receives a $10MM signing bonus, a $22MM salary in 2021, $28MM in 2022, then $22.5MM each year from 2023-26. There is also a $150K bonus if Springer wins an MVP award, as well as $50K bonuses for other achievements like a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, World Series MVP Awards, or an All-Star selection.
JANUARY 19, 9:58pm: It’s a six-year, $150MM pact, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
9:54pm: The Jays and Springer have a deal, pending a physical, Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets.
9:36pm: The Blue Jays and free-agent outfielder George Springer are closing in on an agreement, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Brendon Kuhn of Blue Jays Nation first reported the two sides had a contract in place, pending a physical. Springer is a client of Excel Sports Management.
This is a monumental pickup for the Blue Jays, who have been in on virtually every big name this offseason as they seek to improve their roster off a playoff campaign in 2020. The Jays had largely come up short until Tuesday, but that’s going to change with the addition of Springer.
It would be difficult to do much better on the open market than Springer, a three-time All-Star who thrived as a member of the Astros from 2014-20. Springer took 3,567 plate appearances as an Astro and batted .270/.361/.491 (134 wRC+) with 174 home runs. He helped the team to a pair of pennants and a World Series championship in the process. Springer was outstanding in the playoffs with the Astros, evidenced by his 19 home runs – the fourth most in the history of the postseason.
As a result of his success in Houston, MLBTR predicted when the offseason began that Springer would ink a five-year, $125MM contract in free agency. The Blue Jays and Mets seemingly showed more interest in the 31-year-old than anyone else this winter, and New York did offer around $120MM to $125MM over six years, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. However, Springer is taking the higher proposal – a record deal for the Jays – and heading north to join a burgeoning Toronto team that will have to overcome the Rays and Yankees in the American League East.
Springer figures to take over in center field for Toronto, which started Randal Grichuk for most of 2020 but has never seemed content with him at the position. The Springer pickup may help lead to the end of the Grichuk-Blue Jays union, as the team has Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez as corner outfield options, and it may not be done adding. According to both Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Heyman, another former Astro – Michael Brantley – is a possibility for the team in free agency. Brantley is friends with Springer and would provide Toronto yet another big bat. “There’s legit legs” regarding a Brantley-Toronto agreement, and the club’s “very open to it,” Scott Mitchell of TSN tweets.
The Springer signing will have draft-related ramifications for both the Blue Jays and Astros in 2021. Because Houston gave Springer an $18.9MM qualifying offer (which he rejected), the team will receive a fourth-round pick as compensation for his departure. For signing Springer, Toronto will surrender the No. 54 overall pick in next summer’s draft and $500K in international bonus pool money. The pick probably isn’t going to do much to make up for Springer’s exit for the Astros, though, and the Jays likely aren’t upset to lose the selection and pool money in exchange for one of baseball’s best outfielders.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Trevor Bauer
JAN. 22, 9:24pm: The Twins are not in the race after all, Rosenthal reports.
8:39pm: The Mets’ interest in Bauer “has become more focused” since the Blue Jays agreed to sign Springer, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Jays are “believed” to still be in the running, however, and the same goes for the Dodgers and Twins. There’s no word on whether the Angels remain a possibility.
JAN. 21: It’s “believed” that the Mets and Angels have the best chance to land Bauer, per Feinsand. Meanwhile, despite the interest the Dodgers have shown in Bauer, it “still feels like a long shot to most industry sources” that he will end up with them, Feinsand writes.
JAN. 20: It appears the Dodgers have entered the market for top free agent hurler Trevor Bauer. ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan connected the two sides (Twitter link), with Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link) adding further detail to the situation.
At the moment, all that’s known is that the L.A. ballclub has initiated contact with Bauer’s camp and that the team’s interest is in a shorter-term pact. Both of those nuggets of information fail to surprise.
It has long felt inevitable that we’d see a connection between the SoCal native and the reigning world champs. Indeed, that’s just the outcome MLBTR prognosticated would ultimately come to fruition. Among other things, Bauer has expressed an inclination to pursue shorter-term, higher-AAV contract scenarios of the sort that the Dodgers have dangled to other premium players.
That’s not to say Bauer is sure to wear Dodger blue. The other team in Los Angeles remains a factor, among quite a few others. With some truly astronomical sums potentially in play, anything could still happen.
Bauer’s willingness to entertain creative offers also helps keep the door open to a variety of organizations. It may well be possible to make a competitive pitch without committing to an uncomfortably long guarantee.
For instance, the Blue Jays have already taken on a lengthy deal this winter by signing George Springer, perhaps reducing their appetite for another. But the Toronto organization may yet attempt to lure Bauer, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand notes on Twitter. Whether or not that potential effort would be based around a shorter term isn’t clear, but it’s certainly one potential avenue.
The Springer contract has surely buoyed Bauer’s own hopes for a monster deal — whether he chooses to maximize total guarantee or his annual salary. Amid so much uncertainty, a hefty $150MM pact makes clear that teams still have serious money to commit to payroll when they so choose.
George Springer Notes: Astros, Mets, Braves
Outfielder George Springer, arguably the premier position player on this winter’s open market, came off the free-agent board when he agreed to a six-year, $150MM contract with the Blue Jays earlier this week. Unsurprisingly, though, other teams made a serious push to sign the three-time All-Star. The Astros were not one of those clubs, however, as Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle suggests they made no real attempt to re-sign Springer after he turned down their $18.9MM qualifying offer.
The Mets, who were considered one of the front-runners to ink Springer during his stay on the market, offered a six-year deal worth $120MM to $125MM, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Springer would have made for yet another significant addition under new owner Steve Cohen, who has already overseen the acquisitions of Francisco Lindor, James McCann, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor May in the past couple months.
Whether the Mets will continue shopping for a starting-caliber outfielder after falling short in the Springer derby remains to be seen, as they already have Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith as their top three right now. But Marcell Ozuna, who received interest from the Mets earlier this winter, remains available in free agency. The Mets have also discussed third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant with the Cubs, while Jackie Bradley Jr. leads the remaining class of free-agent center fielders in the wake of the Springer deal.
One of the Mets’ NL East rivals – Atlanta – also vied for Springer, who would have replaced Ozuna in its outfield. The Braves were “in on Springer until the end,” David O’Brien of The Athletic writes. Ultimately, though, the Braves were unwilling to go to the lengths the Jays did to sign Springer. Indeed, it would have been out of the norm for general manager Alex Anthopoulos to make that type of commitment to a free agent, even though the Braves could use another established star in their outfield to team with Ronald Acuna Jr.
FA Notes: Dodgers, Marwin, Mets, Tigers, BoSox, Anibal, Teheran
The Dodgers are seeking a right-handed-hitting infielder, and free-agent third baseman Justin Turner is their No. 1 choice, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. While the team has shown interest in fellow righty-hitting infielder Marcus Semien, Heyman notes it may be difficult for the team to sign both players. Turner spent 2014-20 as a Dodger and has been one of the majors’ top hitters during his Los Angeles tenure. The 36-year-old is reportedly seeking a four-year contract, however, and it’s tough to envision the Dodgers or anyone else saying yes to that.
- The Twins have expressed interest in re-signing utility player Marwin Gonzalez, Mark Feinsand and Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com report. The switch-hitting Gonzalez spent the first several years of his career in Houston, where he was particularly productive during its World Series-winning season in 2017, but has seen his numbers tumble since then. The Twins signed Gonzalez to a two-year, $21MM guarantee before 2019, but he slumped to a .248/.311/.387 line with 20 home runs in 662 plate appearances over the life of that contract. Gonzalez did play every defensive position but catcher and center field as a Twin, though, and that versatility is surely among the reasons they could re-sign the 31-year-old.
- Enrique Hernandez, another free-agent utilityman, received “pretty strong” interest from the Mets before they fired general manager Jared Porter on Tuesday, Heyman relays. It isn’t clear whether the Mets are still in on Hernandez now that Porter is out of the organization. Hernandez, 29, lined up all over the diamond with the Dodgers from 2014-20, but his offensive production has lacked over the past couple seasons. He slashed just .230/.270/.410 with five home runs in 148 plate appearances last year.
- The Tigers have interest in free-agent catcher Jason Castro, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets. As Morosi notes, Castro played under new Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch for two seasons when he was the Astros’ manager. The 33-year-old Castro would give the Tigers a credible veteran at catcher, where Grayson Greiner and Jake Rogers – who have struggled in the majors – are the only 40-man options on the roster right now. Castro, who divided last season between the Angels and Padres, looked to be nearing a reunion with Houston late last month, but things have gone silent on that front in recent weeks.
- The Red Sox “were ready to move on” two-time AL Cy Young-winning righty Corey Kluber before he agreed to a one-year, $11MM deal with the archrival Yankees last week, but they might have wanted to structure his contract differently, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. With the Red Sox unlikely to contend in 2021, Speier suggests their preference may have been to sign Kluber to a one-year pact with an option. Kluber is a Massachusetts resident, but with New York more likely to push for a World Series in 2021, he found the Yankees to be a more appealing pick than the Red Sox.
- Twenty-four teams attended the showcase for free-agent righties Anibal Sanchez and Julio Teheran on Tuesday, per Heyman, who adds that both hurlers could sign in the near future. While the 36-year-old Sanchez and Teheran, 29, have accomplished plenty in the majors, they’re looking for contracts at a less-than-ideal time after performing poorly in 2020. Sanchez could only muster a 6.62 ERA in 53 innings with the Nationals, while Teheran put up an even more disastrous 10.05 mark over 31 1/3 frames as an Angel.
Latest On George Springer, Blue Jays
8:55pm: The “sense” is that Toronto is “gaining some momentum” in its attempt to sign Springer, Heytman tweets. The Blue Jays appear to be the front-runners to reel in Springer, who Heyman notes could get upward of $125MM on his contract, but the Mets aren’t out yet.
9:58am: The Blue Jays are believed to be “making a push” to bring free-agent outfielder George Springer into the fold, Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet report. The two sides were expected to reconnect early this week, per the report. In a related note, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweeted yesterday that Springer “could” make a decision by the end of the week. While that’s certainly not the most concrete phrasing, its juxtaposition with the Sportsnet update seems to suggest that Springer’s market is heating up with under a month until Spring Training is set to begin.
Earlier this month, SNY’s Jim Duquette said in a television segment that the Jays had offered Springer a five-year deal that checked in south of his $150MM asking price. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman pegged the offer in the $115MM range yesterday (video link), noting that the Mets’ best offer has been believed to be in that same ballpark.
The Springer market has been characterized as a two-horse race for weeks now, and Toronto’s primary competition in Queens has already spent aggressively to acquire Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann and Trevor May (in addition to retaining Marcus Stroman via qualifying offer). Whether the Mets would cross the luxury-tax barrier in order to sign Springer remains to be seen. Multiple reports over the past few weeks have suggested that Springer’s preference is to play close to his home in New Britain, Conn., but Davidi and Nicholson-Smith write that Springer’s interest in the Jays is “genuine,” with geography posing a minimal obstacle.
In terms of payroll capacity, the Jays have a relatively clean slate moving forward. Toronto has just shy of $68MM committed to 10 players for the 2021 season, and they’ll of course need to round out their roster with pre-arbitration players earning somewhere in the vicinity of the league minimum. The club has just $35MM in guaranteed contracts on the books in 2022 and $36MM in 2023, with zero dollars in guarantees beginning in 2024.
The Blue Jays’ front office has spoken openly about its desire to add top-tier talent this winter as the organization continues a shift from a rebuilding mode to a win-now mindset. Last year’s signing of Hyun Jin Ryu set a precedent for acquiring high-end talent, and the Jays are known to have had interest in virtually every top free agent and trade candidate on this year’s market.
Thus far, that hasn’t resulted in much actual talent acquisition. Toronto has signed rebound candidates Robbie Ray and Tyler Chatwood, and they’re reportedly meeting with right-hander Kirby Yates today as the two sides inch closer to a potential agreement. But the Jays have also finished as a runner-up on several notable targets, including DJ LeMahieu and Lindor.
At this point, Springer appears to be the team’s priority among the market’s remaining big fish, though if he spurns their interest and lands with the Mets or an unexpected suitor, the Jays could intensify their pursuit of J.T. Realmuto and/or Trevor Bauer.
Trade/FA Notes: Santander, Profar, Bart, Yates, T. Williams
Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander has drawn trade interest this winter, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. However, as Kubatko suggests, that doesn’t necessarily mean Santander will go anywhere. The 26-year-old is coming off a highly productive season in which he batted .261/.315/.575 (130 wRC+) with 11 home runs, and he’s not scheduled to become a free agent until after 2024. Santander will earn a projected $1.7MM to $3MM in arbitration next season. All of that makes Santander an appealing trade candidate, but the Orioles could simply retain him as a building block.
- The Padres are still attempting to re-sign free-agent infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets. The switch-hitting Profar, 27, spent last season with San Diego, where he batted .278/.343/.428 (111 wRC+) with seven home runs in 202 trips to the plate. Defensively, Profar divided most of his time between left field and second base. Tommy Pham and Jake Cronenworth are among the options for the Padres at those spots, but the team seems to believe it will be able to keep fitting Profar in if it re-signs him. MLBTR predicted at the start of the offseason that Profar would land a one-year, $7MM contract in free agency.
- Clubs “routinely ask about” Giants catcher Joey Bart in trade talks, Rosenthal writes. The Giants are not actively attempting to move the 24-year-old, though, according to Rosenthal. Bart, the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, got off to a rough start in the majors last year with a .233/.288/.320 line, no home runs and 41 strikeouts against three walks in 111 plate appearances. However, Bart was dominant at the Double-A level the previous season. He or Patrick Bailey, the Giants’ first-round pick last summer, could end up as their answer at catcher when the iconic Buster Posey departs (potentially after next season).
- The Twins were among the finalists for reliever Kirby Yates before he agreed to join the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News relays. It’s not surprising the Twins were in on one of the open market’s highest-profile relievers, as their bullpen has taken hits this offseason with Trevor May, Sergio Romo and Tyler Clippard getting to free agency. May signed with the Mets, though Romo and Clippard remain without contracts.
- Former Mets general manager Jared Porter was part of negotiations for right-hander Trevor Williams before the team fired the executive Tuesday, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. It’s unclear if the Porter-less Mets will continue pursuing Williams, whom the Pirates designated for assignment in November, especially after acquiring fellow starter Joey Lucchesi from the Padres on Monday. Williams was a solid part of the Pirates’ rotation from 2017-18, but he struggled to a 5.60 ERA/5.01 SIERA in 201 innings and 37 appearances (all starts) between 2019-20.
Alderson: Mets Won’t Hire New GM This Offseason
The Mets are unexpectedly without a general manager after firing the recently installed Jared Porter on Tuesday, but they will not hire a near-term replacement, president Sandy Alderson told Bob Nightengale of USA Today and other reporters. They’ll instead wait until next offseason, per Nightengale.
“I’m very confident in the group that we have that we can move forward and move forward effectively,” Alderson said (via Tim Britton of The Athletic).
Porter was one of several candidates Alderson and the Mets interviewed for their GM job earlier this winter, and the former Red Sox, Cubs and Diamondbacks executive seemed like a logical and qualified pick at the time. However, the Mets had to let Porter go when it was revealed that he sent unsolicited, explicit message to a female reporter when he was with the Cubs in 2016.
Now that Porter is gone, Alderson will continue leading the Mets’ baseball operations for the foreseeable future. Alderson was the Mets’ GM from 2010-18. He spent 2019-20 with the A’s organization, but new Mets owner Steve Cohen placed him back at the helm of their front office earlier this offseason.
Pitching Rumors: Hand, Jeffress, Anibal, Teheran
The Dodgers have been linked to free-agent lefty Brad Hand over the past week or so, but they’re more on the “periphery” of his market, writes Fansided’s Robert Murray. The Mets are still in talks with Hand and his representatives, while both the Astros and Blue Jays are also involved to varying extents. Reports that Hand was closing in on a deal with the Mets last week proved a bit premature, although it seems they’re still squarely in the mix for the former All-Star closer. As for the Dodgers, even if they’re not major players in the Hand market at the moment, Murray suggests they’d still like to add another reliever to the bullpen.
A few more notes on the free agent pitching market as it starts to percolate…
- MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that Jeremy Jeffress is on the radar of several clubs, including the Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Nationals and Blue Jays. It’s a wide field, though the level of interest of each team surely varies. The 33-year-old Jeffress was dominant back in 2018 but hasn’t replicated that form since. He did post an aesthetically pleasing 1.54 ERA and 54.4 percent grounder rate in 23 1/3 innings with the Cubs last year, but the rest of his numbers were something of a mess. Jeffress’ 13.6 percent walk rate was his worst since establishing himself as a consistent presence in MLB bullpens, while his 19.3 percent strikeout rate was 10 percent lower than his 29.8 percent clip from that brilliant 2018 campaign. Last year also saw Jeffress post career-worsts in average fastball velocity (93.3 mph), average exit velocity (89.9 mph) and hard-hit rate (45.6 percent). If Jeffress can rediscover his ’18 form, he’d be a premium late-inning option, but last year’s ERA was propped up by a .161 average on balls in play that is miles south of his career .308 mark.
- Anibal Sanchez and Julio Teheran will be throwing in front of scouts during a showcase today, and several teams will have personnel on hand. The list of confirmed attendees includes the Rays (as per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times), Twins (SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson), Marlins (MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola), and Mets (the New York Post’s Mike Puma).
Mets Fire GM Jared Porter
12:35PM: Major League Baseball is preparing an investigation into Porter, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Pending the results of this investigation, Porter could face a suspension, and would then have to apply for reinstatement in order to again work with another MLB team.
7:17AM: Mets owner Steve Cohen announced on Twitter this morning that the organization has terminated general manager Jared Porter following last night’s revelation that he had harassed a female reporter in 2016 via a string of 60-plus unreturned text messages, which included unsolicited, explicit images.
“In my initial press conference I spoke about the importance of integrity and I meant it,” writes Cohen. “There should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior.”
Mets president Sandy Alderson said last night in statement to ESPN that Porter had acknowledged his prior actions and expressed remorse. Alderson added that the organization would “follow up as we review the facts regarding this serious issue.” Cohen and Alderson acted swiftly and decisively, and Cohen’s announcement that Porter has been “terminated” did not mince words.
Whether the Mets will hire a new general manager this winter remains to be seen. Alderson has been heading up baseball operations since Cohen purchased the club and brought him back to the organization, and the expectation was that Porter was either being groomed to eventually take over baseball operations himself eventually or that a more seasoned executive would be brought in to take over the 72-year-old Alderson’s role down the line. Alderson, of course, has decades of experience in running baseball operations departments and is more than capable of helming the ship in 2021 should the team decide to wait until next winter to look for a replacement.
Porter’s tenure lasted all of 37 days, marking the second consecutive winter in which the Mets have hired and fired a key organizational leader within mere weeks. The Mets named Carlos Beltran their manager early in the 2019-20 offseason, only to fire him just over two months later after his role in architecting the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal had come to light.
Padres Acquire Joe Musgrove In 3-Team Trade
TODAY: The trade is official. The Padres get Musgrove, the Mets get Lucchesi, and the Pirates receive the five prospects (Rodriguez, Head, Cruz, Fellows, and Bednar).
JANUARY 18, 5:47pm: This is a three-team trade, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray, who reports that the Mets will acquire Lucchesi. The Pirates will get catcher/outfielder Endy Rodriguez, per Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.
5:40pm: Pittsburgh will get five players in return, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Head and lefty Omar Cruz are among those going to the Pirates, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Southpaw Joey Lucchesi is also part of the trade, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, as are righties David Bednar and and Drake Fellows, Lin relays.
5:18pm: The Padres have agreed to acquire right-hander Joe Musgrove from the Pirates, Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets. The Pirates will receive “a large package of prospects,” potentially including outfielder Hudson Head, according to Passan.
This is the fourth significant trade for a starter in recent months for the Padres, who first acquired righty Mike Clevinger from Cleveland before last August’s deadline. Clevinger was quite effective for the Padres after the trade, but elbow issues limited him to one inning during the team’s NLDS loss to the division-rival Dodgers in October, and he won’t pitch at all in 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in November.
After losing Clevinger for the upcoming season, the Padres swung trades with the Cubs for Yu Darvish, a National League Cy Young contender in 2020, as well as with the Rays for former AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell. They’ll presumably have Darvish, Snell, Musgrove, Dinelson Lamet (if he’s healthy after dealing with bicep troubles last year) and Chris Paddack in their season-opening rotation, though prospects MacKenzie Gore, Ryan Weathers and Adrian Morejon could be among younger Pads pushing for starts in 2021.
In Musgrove, San Diego is getting a California native who owns a 4.33 ERA in 496 2/3 innings between the Astros and Pirates, but he entered the offseason as one of the majors’ most intriguing trade chips after a career-best campaign. The 28-year-old threw 39 2/3 innings and recorded a 3.86 ERA/3.50 SIERA, all while registering a personal-high 14.4 percent swinging-strike rate and placing 10th in the majors in strikeout percentage (33.1 percent). That production would have made it more difficult for the low-payroll Pirates to extend Musgrove, who’s due $4.45MM in 2021 and has one more year of arbitration control left after that.
Lucchesi could have been part of the Padres’ rotation next season, but he’ll instead go to New York and compete for the No. 5 spot in its starting group. The Mets’ staff looked terrific before this deal with Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman and David Peterson comprising their top four, but Steven Matz had been the front-runner for the fifth position after a dismal 2020. He’ll now have to go against Lucchesi, who recorded ERAs in the 4.00s in 2018 and ’19 before tossing just 5 2/3 innings in the bigs last year. Lucchesi’s not eligible to become a free agent until after 2024.
With no chance to contend in the near future, it made sense for the Pirates to move on from Musgrove in favor of a package of younger players. For Musgrove, they’re receiving at least four well-regarded prospects in Head, Cruz, Bednar and Rodriguez, whom MLB.com ranked among the top 20 farmhands in their teams’ farm systems.
Head (No. 7) went in the third round of the 2019 draft and then signed a record bonus for $3MM. The 19-year-old possesses an “extremely high” ceiling, according to MLB.com. Cruz (17) and Bednar (20) were also solid Padres prospects, with MLB.com calling Cruz a possible back-end starter and Bednar a hard thrower with promise. Fellows did not rank among the Padres’ top 30 prospects at MLB.com, and Baseball America wrote before the club drafted him that his 93 to 94 mph fastball is “often hittable because he struggles to hit his spots.” However, BA added that Fellows’ slider could at least help make him a legitimate major league reliever.
Rodriguez, 20, was the Mets’ 14th-ranked prospect at MLB.com before the trade. MLB.com writes that Rodriguez has “an advanced approach and natural bat-to-ball skills” that will be all the more valuable if he sticks at catcher, though a future in the outfield does seem like a possibility.
The main takeaway here is that the Padres remain serious about vying for a World Series – something they have never won – in the near future. Even if it doesn’t happen in the short term, though, the Padres appear to be set up to succeed for the long haul. Their MLB roster is one of the game’s best, and as BA notes on Twitter, the Padres still lead the league with seven top 100 prospects.