By Matthew Michaels
After a 77–85 season, the Padres’ new general manager A.J. Preller wanted to revamp his team. He made some major acquisitions this offseason, but despite the influx of big names, San Diego is only marginally better and is set up to disappoint for the foreseeable future.
Preller began by revamping the outfield. In 2014, Seth Smith, Cameron Maybin and Will Venable patrolled the grass of Petco Park. If those names strike fear in any pitcher, that pitcher should be no higher than AA ball. This woeful collection of outfielders played a key role in the 2014 Padres, becoming the worst offensive team in recent memory.
It did not help that San Diego had a relatively poor defensive outfield in a pitchers’ ballpark.
To fix the problem, Preller traded for Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers in three of many transactions for the Padres. Kemp, the 2011 MVP runner-up, left one log-jammed outfield in California to join another. Kemp is an extremely talented player, but recent injuries have plagued him and the Padres’ medical team found his hips to be arthritic. He has slowed down plenty, compiling only 26 stolen bases in the three seasons after swiping 40 in 2011. The 30 year-old Kemp is owed more than 108 million dollars over the next five years. Even though the Dodgers sent over a huge check with Kemp, he is overpaid, and the Padres will feel the burden.
Even though Upton strikes out more often than the sun rises, it is a good pickup for the Friars. Last year, he hit 29 home runs and knocked in 102 runs. He is entering the season at 27 years old and, although he will earn a big paycheck this year, he will be a free agent next offseason.
Myers won the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year award with Tampa Bay but saw a major decline in production last season. He is only 24, so he is a great candidate for a bounce-back year. However, there have been accounts of attitude problems with the young slugger and he may be a detriment to the clubhouse atmosphere.
Last season, the Padres had two of the best pitch framers calling the games. They traded away Yasmani Grandal as part of the Kemp trade and Rene Rivera in the Myers deal. They managed to add Ryan Hanigan, but immediately flipped him to the Red Sox for Will Middlebrooks. Through trades, they acquired Derek Norris and Tim Frederowicz, but neither is certain to compensate for the loss of the incumbents.
They followed up by signing one of the best pitchers on the open market, James Shields. He has thrown over 200 innings every season since 2007 and will provide veteran quality at the top of a young rotation. With late-bloomer Andrew Cashner, stalwart Tyson Ross and Ian Kennedy, the Padres lack a true ace but have seven or eight starters they should feel comfortable throwing out there.
The Padres decided to go into “win now” mode when they should have been developing. The roster is full of holes, and the pieces do not fit. San Diego is more like an 85 win team than a contender, and they dug themselves a hole for the future. This winter, they traded away five of their ten best prospects. The Padres are definitely improved, but don’t expect them to make the playoffs this year or any time soon.
