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A.J. Preller Returns From Suspension

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Padres general manager A.J. Preller returned from his unpaid 30-day suspension for failing to disclose medical information to the Red Sox in the Drew Pomeranz trade, writes Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (links to Twitter) that following the dismissal of Padres CEO Mike Dee, Preller will now report directly to ownership (which Lin specifies further, listing Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler). According to Rosenthal, that arrangement will remain in place even after the Padres hire a replacement for Dee, as the team’s next president will only oversee the business side of operations. Furthermore, Rosenthal adds that the Padres plan to make at least one hire, if not two, that will ensure compliance with medical regulations.

Preller offered a short comment to Lin upon his return: “It’s obviously been a busy day catching up on phone calls, getting started, looking toward the off-season with the front-office group, getting back and talking to (Padres manager Andy Green). Obviously, we’ve got a lot of work in front of us, today has been busy catching up on everything, and looking forward to getting back on the job.”

Lin adds that despite recent speculation on the matter, Major League Baseball’s investigation into the scandal is complete. As commissioner Rob Manfred said earlier this month (link via the Boston Herald’s Evan Drellich), the Red Sox were asked whether they wanted to rescind the Pomeranz-for-Anderson Espinoza swap when it came to light that the Padres had withheld information, but the team elected to hang onto Pomeranz because the trade deadline had already come and gone (the implication being that they wouldn’t be able to acquire further rotation help). The team will not hire a president of baseball operations to oversee Preller, Lin continues, nor will Preller’s decision-making power diminish in the wake of the scandal.

Rule 5 Roundup

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We’re just a few months away from this winter’s Rule 5 draft, so it makes sense to take a look back and see how things shook out from the 2015 selections. Several organizations found useful players, even if the most recent class didn’t include an Odubel Herrera-esque breakout sensation. Some of the most recent draftees have probably locked up MLB jobs again for 2017, though others who stuck on a major league roster all year may head back to the minors for further development. (Once a player’s permanent control rights have been secured, his new organization is free to utilize optional assignments as usual for future years.)

Here’s a roundup of the 2015 draft class with the 2016 season in the books:

Keepers

  • Tyler Goeddel, OF, kept by Phillies from Rays: The 23-year-old struggled with the aggressive move to the big leagues, carrying a .192/.258/.291 batting line in 234 trips to the plate, but showed enough for the rebuilding Phillies to hold onto him all year long.
  • Luis Perdomo, RHP, kept by Padres (via Rockies) from Cardinals: It didn’t look good early for Perdomo, but he showed better after moving to the rotation and ended with a rather promising 4.85 ERA over twenty starts. Though he struggled to contain the long ball, and only struck out 6.4 per nine, Perdomo sported a nifty 59.0% groundball rate on the year.
  • Joey Rickard, OF, kept by Orioles from Rays: After opening the year with a bang, Rickard faded to a .268/.319/.377 batting line on the year but held his roster spot in Baltimore. He ended the season on the DL with a thumb injury, though, and may end up at Triple-A for some added seasoning.
  • Joe Biagini, RHP, kept by Blue Jays from Giants: The only Rule 5 pick to appear in the postseason, Biagini was a great find for Toronto. He ended with 67 2/3 innings of 3.06 ERA pitching, with 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, and now looks like a potential fixture in the Jays’ relief corps.
  • Matthew Bowman, RHP, kept by Cardinals from Mets: Bowman rounds out a trio of impressive relievers. He contributed 67 2/3 innings with a 3.46 ERA and 6.9 BB/9 against 2.7 BB/9 to go with a monster 61.7% groundball rate.

Retained By Other Means

  • Deolis Guerra, RHP, re-signed by Angels (who selected him from Pirates) after being outrighted: Guerra was in an unusual spot since he had previously been outrighted off of the Bucs’ 40-man roster when he was selected, meaning he didn’t need to be offered back. Los Angeles removed him from the major league roster and then brought him back on a minor league deal, ultimately selecting his contract. Though he was later designated and outrighted by the Halos, Guerra again returned and largely thrived at the major league level, contributing 53 1/3 much-needed pen frames with a 3.21 ERA on the back of 6.1 K/9 against just 1.2 BB/9.
  • Jabari Blash, OF, acquired by Padres (who acquired Rule 5 rights from Athletics) from Mariners: Blash’s intriguing tools weren’t quite ready for the majors, but San Diego struck a deal to hold onto him and was surely impressed with his showing at Triple-A. In his 229 plate appearances there, Blash swatted 11 home runs but — more importantly — carried a .415 OBP with a much-improved 66:41 K/BB ratio.
  • Ji-Man Choi, 1B, outrighted by Angels after Orioles declined return: The 25-year-old scuffled in the bigs but was rather impressive at the highest level of the minors, where he walked nearly as often as he struck out and put up a .346/.434/.527 slash with five home runs in 227 plate appearances.

Returned

  • Jake Cave, OF, returned from Reds to Yankees: After failing to crack Cinci’s roster out of camp, Cave impressed at Double-A but slowed at the highest level of the minors (.261/.323/.401 in 354 plate appearances) upon his return to the New York organization.
  • Evan Rutckyj, LHP, returned from Braves to Yankees: Sent back late in camp, the 24-year-old struggled in limited action on the Yanks’ farm after missing most of the season with elbow issues.
  • Josh Martin, RHP, returned from Padres to Indians: In his first attempt at Triple-A, Martin posted 66 frames of 3.55 ERA pitching with 8.2 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9.
  • Daniel Stumpf, LHP, returned from Phillies to Royals: Slowed by a PED suspension, Stumpf was bombed in a brief MLB stint with the Phils but dominated at Double-A upon his return to K.C., posting a 2.11 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings.
  • Chris O’Grady, LHP, returned from Reds to Angels: Sent back in late March, O’Grady compiled a 3.48 ERA over 95 2/3 innings in the upper minors, though he performed much better as a Double-A starter than he did as a Triple-A reliever.
  • Zack Jones, RHP, returned from Brewers to Twins: The 25-year-old was out with a shoulder injury for most of the year, and ended up being sent back to Minnesota in late June, but has shown swing-and-miss stuff when healthy.
  • Blake Smith, RHP, returned from Padres to White Sox: Smith ended up making a brief MLB debut upon his return to Chicago, but spend most of the year pitching well at Triple-A Charlotte, where he ran up a 3.53 ERA in 71 1/3 innings with 9.5 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9.
  • Colin Walsh, INF, returned from Brewers to Athletics: After struggling badly in his major league stint with the Brewers, Walsh went to Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate and put up a .259/.384/.388 bating line over 245 plate appearances.

Padres Wanted To Take Francisco Lindor In 2011

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Heading into the 2011 draft, the Cubs were set on Javier Baez with the ninth overall pick, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes. Rosenthal reports of a pre-draft conversation between then-Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken (now a special assistant with the Diamondbacks) and Padres exec Jason McLeod (now with the Cubs). The Padres wanted to take Francisco Lindor with the tenth overall pick and were curious about whether the Cubs would be selecting him. Wilken told McLeod that Baez was a “no-doubter” if he was still on the board when the Cubs picked. McLeod wasn’t as convinced: “I remember calling Jed after the game and saying, ‘This guy may be Manny Ramirez, or he might never get out of Double A!’ We weren’t convicted on the hit tool at the time and probably could have done a better job getting to know him personally.” In fairness to McLeod, Baez has struggled to control the strike zone in his young career, although he’s made up for that with defense and power. Either pick would have turned out just fine, of course, as both are now emerging young players who have already made noise in this year’s playoffs. The Indians ultimately took Lindor with the eighth pick; the Cubs took Baez at No. 9, as promised, and the Padres selected Cory Spangenberg at No. 10. Here’s more out of Chicago.

Tyson Ross Undergoes Thoracic Outlet Surgery

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OCT. 13: Lin tweets that Dr. Thompson told Green he was pleased with the operation, indicating that no complications arose and no additional damage was found in Ross’ shoulder. Ross had one of his ribs removed to alleviate some pressure, as is common in TOS operations.

OCT. 12: Padres right-hander Tyson Ross, who made only one appearance during the 2016 season due to persistent shoulder troubles, will undergo surgery to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome, manager Andy Green tells Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The surgery comes with a projected recovery timeline of four to six months, leaving the Friars hopeful that Ross will be ready for Spring Training. Lin adds that Dr. Robert Thompson, who is considered the nation’s leading expert on thoracic outlet syndrome, will perform the surgery on Thursday.

While not as prevalent as the dreaded Tommy John surgery, thoracic outlet surgery (TOS) isn’t uncommon. Just this season, Mets right-hander Matt Harvey and Twins right-hander Phil Hughes have undergone the procedure, which alleviates a compression of blood vessels and nerves near the shoulder — often by removing a rib from the patient. Lin notes that Ross’ teammate, Clayton Richard, underwent the surgery in 2014, as did former Padres right-hander Chris Young. Other recent TOS patients include Cardinals lefty Jaime Garcia, former NL Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter and former big league reliever Mike Adams, to name a few.

Ross, 29, was an oft-speculated trade candidate both at the 2015 non-waiver deadline and in the 2015-16 offseason, but the Padres hung onto their top starter rather than deal him for what one can only assume would have been a strong package of prospects. Acquired in a what looked to be a fairly forgettable trade back in November 2012 (Oakland sent Ross and A.J. Kirby-Jones to San Diego in exchange for infielder Andy Parrino and left-hander Andrew Werner), Ross broke out with a terrific 2013 season in San Diego. From 2013-15, the former second-round pick pitched to a 3.07 ERA with 9.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a hefty 58.2 percent ground-ball rate across 516 2/3 innings — including a pair of 195+ inning seasons in 2014-15.

That performance netted Ross a notable $9.625MM salary for the 2016 campaign, but he managed just 5 1/3 innings this season — all of which came on Opening Day for the Padres. His lost season obviously won’t result in any type of raise in arbitration, so San Diego figures to control him for the same amount in 2017 as well. If Ross is able to demonstrate his health and return to his previous levels of excellence, he could yet become an appealing trade asset for the Padres next July. Of course, he’ll be a pure rental at that point, as Ross is slated to hit free agency following the 2017 season. That fact makes the success of this surgery and a return to form next year all the more important for Ross, as a rebound would position him for a nice payday as he enters the open market on the brink of his age-31 season.

Jarred Cosart To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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Padres right-hander Jarred Cosart will undergo elbow surgery to “remove loose bodies,” per a team announcement. San Diego acquired Cosart in the summer trade that sent Andrew Cashner to the Marlins.

There is no indication as of yet as to whether the operation will impact his offseason timeline in any appreciable way. But this sort of procedure isn’t all that unusual; prior suggestions were that Cosart was dealing with a bone spur, which is the kind of issue that is frequently addressed at this time of year.

Regardless, there’s uncertainty any time a pitcher goes under the knife. In this case, though, it likely won’t have much of an impact on the Pads’ offseason plans. Cosart wasn’t able to reach three full years of major league service because he was optioned for part of the year, and it doesn’t appear that he’ll qualify for Super Two status after entering the season with two years and twenty days of service already in the bank. Cosart’s 2016 campaign was split roughly evenly between the big leagues and minors.

San Diego likely has already baked plenty of question marks into its assessment of Cosart anyway. The 26-year-old has always been seen as a talented pitcher, and logged excellent results for stretches earlier in his career. Though his strikeout-to-walk ratio has never impressed — it stands at 6.2 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9 for his career — Cosart generates quite a few groundballs and has successfully tamped down on home runs when at his best.

Ultimately, there still seems to be quite a lot of work to do for the Padres to get value out of Cosart, though there’s also minimal risk since the organization isn’t expected to contend in 2017 and he’ll seemingly play at the league minimum. His 57 major league frames this year weren’t terribly inspiring, as he walked more batters than he retired via strikeout and allowed an even six earned runs per nine innings. Cosart also sported a career-low 92.3 mph average fastball. On the bright side, he did top his annual best with a 60.9% groundball rate.

Erik Johnson Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Padres right-hander Erik Johnson underwent Tommy John surgery today, reports Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). The 26-year-old was acquired by San Diego alongside Fernando Tatis Jr. in the trade that sent James Shields to the White Sox. He’ll miss the entire 2017 season as he recovers from the operation.

Johnson pitched just 19 2/3 innings with the Friars following the trade, surrendering 20 earned runs on 32 hits and and five walks with 10 strikeouts. The 2011 second-round pick once rated as one of the Top 100 prospects in the game according to Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus but has seen his stock dip precipitously over the past three seasons since debuting in 2014. Johnson has a 5.28 earned run average in 117 2/3 innings between the ChiSox and the Padres, and he’s averaged 6.7 K/9 while allowing 4.1 BB/9 and recording a 38.6 percent ground-ball rate.

While Johnson certainly wasn’t going to be penciled into the 2017 rotation in San Diego, news of his Tommy John surgery further depletes a Padres depth chart that is lacking in the way of quality pitching at the upper levels of the minor leagues. Opening Day proved to be the only appearance of the season for Tyson Ross, who is now weighing shoulder surgery. The team’s other internal options for next year’s rotation include Christian Friedrich, Luis Perdomo and Paul Clemens. Right-hander Edwin Jackson and lefty Clayton Richard finished out the season in the Padres’ rotation, but each veteran is eligible for free agency this winter.

Suffice it to say, pitching figures to be a prime target for the Padres’ front office, even if the team doesn’t have an eye on contending next season. Simply adding depth in the form of starters that can take the ball every fifth day will be paramount, and it seems logical to expect the Padres to target pitching help in any trade talks that might arise over the duration of the offseason.

Padres' Lineup Wide Open For 2017

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  • Wil Myers and Yangervis Solarte are the only Padres guaranteed starting spots in 2017, manager Andy Green tells MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. The Padres have had other position players who did well in 2016, such as second baseman Ryan Schimpf and outfielder Travis Jankowski, but it appears they’ll all have to fight, at least to some degree, for starting spots. “I can’t look at another position on the field and say, ’That guy’s going to start at second base,’ or, ’That guy’s going to start at shortstop,’ or, ’That guy’s going to start in center field,'” says Green. “Some guys have made some strong cases — Schimpf has, Jankowski has. But we’ll let it play out in Spring Training.” Cassavell suggests the team could look outside the organization for rotation, relief and shortstop help this winter.

Rob Manfred On A.J. Preller’s Suspension: “I Know Where A.J. Is”

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Major League Baseball has had to deal with a number of situations recently in which it’s had to punish teams or front offices, rather than players. Those include the Padres’ failure to disclose some medical information in trades, which led to the suspension of GM A.J. Preller; the Red Sox’ manipulation of international signing practices; and hacking of the Astros’ database by a Cardinals front office employee. Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald explores those issues an excellent article that includes new tidbits from commissioner Rob Manfred. (We also highlighted some of Manfred’s other thoughts on the Preller matter yesterday.)

Some throughout the game have wondered whether Preller’s 30-day suspension is enforceable. He would, surely, only need his phone and computer to continue to influence over the Padres’ decision-making. Manfred, though, says that the league has mechanisms in place to ensure Preller stays away.

“I know where A.J. is,” Manfred says. “We’ve also told the Padres that we will be making investigatory undertakings to verify that there has been no contact. They’re very, very explicit rules about what he can and can’t do. I think given the circumstances, I am comfortable we can enforce the penalty.”

The Red Sox, of course, were victims of Preller’s handling of medical information, having been deprived of relevant records in the Drew Pomeranz / Anderson Espinoza swap. The Sox could have rescinded the deal in either July or August, Drellich reports. When the Red Sox learned that the Padres had withheld information, they informed the league, but took the position that they wanted to keep Pomeranz, even after receiving the results of an MRI that increased their frustration with the situation. (The exact results of the MRI are not publicly known, although Pomeranz is currently struggling with left forearm soreness.)

“For a very, very long time, there has been a rule in baseball that if something happens in terms of lack of complete information or disclosure with respect to the trade that the remedy is to rescind the trade, and you saw that baseball rule operate,” Manfred says, referring to the partially-rescinded trade between the Padres and Marlins involving now-injured Colin Rea. (Rea originally headed from the Padres to the Marlins with Andrew Cashner and Tayron Guerrero for Carter Capps, Jarred Cosart, Josh Naylor and Luis Castillo, then headed back to the Padres for Castillo alone.) “Once that happens the rule in baseball has always been that we do not reconfigure trades. Figuring out exactly what happened when is extraordinarily difficult if not impossible. And even if we can figure that out, we are not institutionally capable of deciding who would have traded what for what.”

Manfred On CBA, Red Sox-Padres Trade, Preller, Ortiz

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Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in December, but commissioner Rob Manfred said Sunday that he expects a new CBA in place by the end of the postseason, according to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). “Both parties still have significant issues on the table,” added Manfred, but he doesn’t believe those concerns are enough for either side to rip up the agreement and start negotiations from scratch (via Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, on Twitter).

Manfred, who’s in Boston on Sunday for Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz’s final regular-season game, also addressed several other important topics:

  • After acquiring left-hander Drew Pomeranz from the Padres for top pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza in July, questions arose in August over whether San Diego was completely honest about Pomeranz’s medical information. It turned out the Padres didn’t reveal that Pomeranz was taking anti-inflammatory medication for his elbow at the time of the deal. Then, when MLB handed Padres general manager A.J. Preller a 30-day suspension in September, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner expressed displeasure with the commissioner’s office, saying, “We felt that some wrong was committed and that it’s important to have a level playing field. The Padres didn’t play on it.” Interestingly, the league gave the Red Sox the opportunity to undo the trade in early August, Manfred revealed, but the non-waiver deadline had already passed by then. Moreover, there was no way for the league to compensate the Red Sox, the commissioner stated. As a result, Boston turned down the offer and kept Pomeranz (Twitter links via MacPherson and Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe). The 27-year-old has scuffled since the trade and is currently dealing with left forearm soreness.
  • Whether the Padres fire Preller for his questionable practices is up to them, not the league, according to Manfred (via Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune). “I felt that that Mr. Preller behaved inappropriately in the situation. He behaved inappropriately to the detriment of two clubs,” said Manfred. “And I thought that a publicly announced suspension of 30 days, which is the longest suspension of a front-office person in 70 years, was a firm statement of our view on how he had behaved or, in this case, misbehaved.” As of Sept. 17, the Padres’ front office was reportedly split on Preller, who, in addition to crossing the Red Sox, didn’t disclose all available medical information in a July trade with the Marlins. As a result, the Preller-led Padres reversed part of what was a large transaction that centered on Andrew Cashner. Ultimately, the Padres re-acquired right-hander Colin Rea from Miami and sent pitching prospect Luis Castillo back to the Marlins. That came after Rea left his sole Marlins start with an elbow injury. Rea is now attempting to stave off Tommy John surgery.
  • Ortiz was among 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing substances in 2003, but Manfred downplayed that. The list didn’t distinguish therapeutic use exemptions from PEDs, per Manfred, who called it “unfair” and “wrong” that the positive test might negatively affect Ortiz’s legacy (Twitter links via MacPherson and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe).

Padres, Clayton Richard Interested In New Deal

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Shortly after the Cubs designated left-hander Clayton Richard for assignment July 26, the 33-year-old rejoined the Padres, with whom he spent parts of five seasons from 2009-13. Richard fared respectably in his second stint in San Diego, which began Aug. 6, and he and manager Andy Green confirmed Saturday that there’s mutual interest in a new deal for the impending free agent, reports Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).

In a disastrous final start of the season on Saturday, Richard allowed seven runs (four earned) on six hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings of a 9-5 loss to Arizona. But that outing wasn’t enough to sully the run-prevention numbers Richard posted with the Padres in just under two months. Overall, Richard threw 53 2/3 innings with the Friars and recorded a terrific 2.52 ERA, though he struck out only 34 hitters and issued 24 walks. Richard also logged below-average strikeout numbers in his first go-around with the Padres, yet he helped his cause with a 50.3 percent ground-ball rate and managed a usable 4.16 ERA across 636 2/3 innings. Richard’s trend of inducing grounders has continued since, as he registered a career-best 65.1 percent rate in 67 2/3 frames with the Cubs and Padres this season.

If the Padres do re-sign Richard, who made $2MM this year, he’ll likely factor into their rotation plans again in 2017. Richard was almost exclusively a reliever as a member of the Cubs, with whom he came out of the bullpen in 45 of 48 appearances, but has otherwise worked mostly as a starter since debuting with the White Sox in 2008. Notably, the rebuilding Padres aren’t exactly loaded with quality rotation options going into next year, and their best starter, Tyson Ross, could face surgery after missing nearly all of this season with shoulder issues. Christian Friedrich and Luis Perdomo look likely to take rotation spots in 2017 after combining for 43 starts this year, while Jarred Cosart and Paul Clemens represent a pair of other possibilities under team control.

Aside from a healthy version of Ross – something no one has seen since 2015 – that group inspires little confidence, which explains why the Padres’ rotation is among the league’s worst this year. That instability could lead the Padres to bring back Richard on a cheap deal to take the ball every fifth day and, if he continues producing decent results, perhaps turn into a trade chip around next summer’s deadline.

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