The 2019 season has come and gone – and a young Padres team has put the league on notice. We went from pretender to contender in just a season and are looking to build on that momentum. Will we stick with the current roster – allowing our players to build on their minor postseason success – or will we make the necessary moves to become the World Series favorite?
Retriements
- Padres – 3B Greg Garcia – Injury
- Yankees – SP J.A. Happ – Ability
- Yankees – SP C.C. Sabathia – Age
- Angels – 1B Albert Pujols – Age
- Cardinals – CF Dexter Fowler – Ability
- Cardinals – SP Adam Wainwright – Ability
- Dodgers – SP Rich Hill – Age
- FA – SP Bartolo Colon – Age
- FA – RF Jacoby Ellsbury – Poor Free Agent Market
- FA – RF Ichiro Suzuki – Age
Hall of Fame

No arguments here. Both players are well deserving of their place in Cooperstown.
Coaching Staff
We decided to let Andy Green go as manager with two years left on his contract. I expected him to go further in the playoffs after putting together the best roster in the league. I extended an offer to former World Series champion manager A.J. Hinch – he took the Royals job. I also offered Luis Rivera the 3rd base coach job – he accepted. After being turned down by Hinch, I offered Terry Francona the job next – he accepted. With his experience, I am hoping he can take our talent to the next level.

Exclusive Free Agent Window
Player | Age | Pos. | Ovr. | Pot. | Yrs. | Sal. | Contract |
Hector Rondon | 32 | RP | 84 | C | 1 | $3.2M | $3.2M |
Stephen Vogt | 35 | C | 70 | C | 1 | $1.7M | $1.7M |
Hector Rondon put up great numbers for me from the bullpen. I also love getting Stephen Vogt back – for me he is one of the best pinch hitters in the game – he also gives us some more time to develop Adley Rutschman in the minors.
Around The League
Player | Team | Pos. | Yrs | Contract |
Madison Bumgarner | Giants | SP | 5 | $75.48M |
Anthony Rendon | Nationals | 3B | 6 | $180.6M |
Gerrit Cole | Astros | SP | 6 | $137.4M |
Marcell Ozuna | Cardinals | LF | 4 | $52.06M |
Jameson Taillon | Pirates | SP | 6 | $9.6M |
Jonathan Schoop | Twins | 2B | 2 | $17.4M |
Rick Porcello | Red Sox | SP | 3 | $19.2M |
Nothing too shocking here. Anthony Rendon got a huge deal with the Nationals – but they are in a better place than I am with Machado – as their deal is only for six seasons. I still have Machado for nine more years.
November 7th
Target: Get Rid of Manny Machado
I know that Manny Machado is one of the best talents in baseball, but I refuse to be locked in to a player that put up 1.9 WAR in 2019 for $30M a year. I am going to go for a big move here. I am pretty limited by what I can move Machado for, I have to find a player that has an equivalent salary. My options are Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Giancarlo Stanton, Chris Sale, Zach Greinke, and…
Player | Age | Ovr. | Pot. | To | Received | Age | Pos. | Ovr. | Pot. |
Manny Machado | 27 | 94 | A | Angels | Mike Trout | 28 | CF | 99 | A |
Ender Inciarte | 29 | 83 | B |
Mike Freaking Trout. Wow. I am shocked that I was able to put together a package the Angles would consider – let alone accept. From a purely financial perspective – I trade away $35.6M for $35.8M. From a baseball perspective – I trade away what I viewed as a flawed talent with a crippling contract for the best player in the game. Inciarte become expendable because I no longer need him in center field.
Arbitration and Re-Sign Controllable Players
- Arbitration Offered: LF Joc Pederson (signed at $4M), RP Adam Conley (signed at $1.5M), SS Tim Beckham (signed at $1.4M)
Contracts offered: (all but two were accepted)
Player | Age | Pos. | Ovr. | Pot. | Yrs. | Sal. | Contract |
Matt Duffy | 29 | 3B | 75 | B | 2 | $3.4M | $6.8M |
Jonathan Holder | 26 | RP | 79 | B | 5 | $1.3M | $6.5M |
Robert Stock | 30 | RP | 80 | C | 2 | $550K | $1.1M |
Joey Lucchesi | 26 | SP | 77 | B | 5 | $2.4M | $12M |
*Andrew Toles | 27 | LF | 73 | B | 3 | $1.0M | $3M |
*Adley Rutschman | 22 | C | 72 | A | 6 | $3.2M | $19M |
Wander Franco | 19 | SS | 72 | A | 5 | $3.2M | $16M |
Jose Pirela | 30 | 1B | 71 | C | 1 | $530K | $530K |
Matt Wisler | 27 | RP | 70 | B | 1 | $530K | $530K |
Alexander Palma | 23 | RF | 69 | A | 3 | $530K | $1.5M |
Ryan Weathers | 20 | SP | 69 | A | 3 | $530K | $1.5M |
Luis Pedromo | 26 | SP | 68 | B | 4 | $400K | $2M |
Brendan McKay | 24 | SP | 68 | A | 3 | $466K | $1.4M |
Luis Patino | 20 | SP | 68 | A | 3 | $333K | $1M |
Mackenzie Gore | 21 | SP | 68 | A | 3 | $333K | $1M |
Freicer Perez | 24 | SP | 65 | B | 3 | $100K | $300K |
Mason Englert | 20 | SP | 61 | B | 3 | $100K | $300K |
*Did not accept – contract renewed at league minimum.
Free Agency: Offers
After trading away Machado for Trout I now had a hole in my infield at 3rd base. Matt Duffy was coming back – and had a solid year last year. He did play a limited role and I am unsure if he can handle full time duties at 3rd base. I prefer to have Duffy as infield depth.
Player | Age | Pos. | Ovr. | Pot. | Yrs. | Sal. | Contract |
Josh Donaldson | 34 | 3B | 79 | B | 1 | $600K | $600K |
Ben Zobrist | 38 | 3B | 79 | A | 2 | $4.6M | $9.2M |
Nelson Cruz | 39 | RF | 72 | A | 1 | $600K | $600K |
*Kevin Pillar | 31 | CF | 75 | C | 1 | $600K | $600K |
Gio Urshela | 28 | 3B | 78 | C | 1 | $1.5M | $1.5M |
Danny Santana | 29 | SS | 73 | C | 1 | $600K | $600K |
Nick Markakis | 36 | RF | 75 | B | 1 | $600K | $600K |
Zach Plesac | 24 | SP | 70 | C | 1 | $100K | $100K |
Stephen Yang | 19 | SP | 67 | D | 1 | $70K | $70K |
Lewis Roe | 20 | RP | 67 | D | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Matthew Beam | 19 | RP | 66 | C | 1 | $70K | $70K |
Joel Cabrera | 19 | RP | 62 | D | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Otis McClendon | 20 | RP | 62 | D | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Kevin Canales | 20 | RP | 61 | D | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Orlando Gonzalez | 18 | RP | 60 | D | 1 | $60K | $60K |
James Travis | 20 | C | 73 | C | 1 | $80K | $80K |
Jason Delay | 24 | C | 63 | C | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Santiago Chavez | 24 | C | 61 | C | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Aderlin Rodriguez | 28 | 1B | 60 | C | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Andres Cabrera | 18 | 2B | 68 | C | 1 | $70K | $70K |
Kyle Overstreet | 26 | 1B | 58 | C | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Jeter Downs | 21 | 2B | 64 | C | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Joel Ramirez | 18 | 3B | 62 | C | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Alan Meeks | 21 | SS | 70 | C | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Paul Hu | 18 | LF | 49 | C | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Devlin Granberg | 24 | LF | 51 | B | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Bernardo Rodriguez | 21 | CF | 70 | D | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Estevan Melendez | 19 | RF | 70 | D | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Jose Acevedo | 20 | RF | 64 | C | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Oliver Molina | 18 | RP | 60 | D | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Rickey Dubois | 20 | RP | 58 | D | 1 | $60K | $60K |
Seungwhan Oh | 37 | RP | 79 | A | 1 | $600K | $600K |
- I initially offered Donaldson $9M over two years. Zobrist accepted his offer first, so I pulled the offer from Donaldson. I was able to get both players when Donaldson was still sitting there towards the end of free agency and took a discounted deal.
- Kevin Pillar signed with the White Sox.
- Everyone else on that list signed with us.
Free Agents Around The League

Player | Team | Pos. | Yrs | Contract |
Will Smith | Cubs | CP | 6 | $33.3M |
Yasmani Grandal | Pirates | C | 6 | $57.7M |
Steve Cishek | Braves | RP | 2 | $16.1M |
Dallas Keuchel | Cubs | SP | 1 | $6.1M |
Corey Dickerson | Dodgers | LF | 3 | $18.9M |
Mike Moustakas | Pirates | 2B | 4 | $25.2M |
Nicholas Castellanos | Braves | RF | 1 | $7M |
Avisail Garcia | Brewers | LF | 3 | $14.7M |
- The Cubs grab one of the best relievers on the market in Will Smith. They also add to their rotation with Dallas Keuchel.
- The Pirates are making moves – signing the best catcher and 2B available in free agency.
Removed from 40 man
- Mason Englert
- Freicer Perez
- Luis Pedromo – Claimed by the Orioles
- Tim Beckham
- Jose Pirela
Novermber 27th
- The Yankees acquired Justin Upton from the Angels for Brandon Belt.
December 3rd
Target: Blake Snell
I want to get another top of the rotation starter – Blake Snell is one of the best in the game. He also has a team friendly deal that won’t hurt my budget.
Player | Age | Ovr. | Pot. | To | Received | Age | Pos. | Ovr. | Pot. |
Lorne Reyna | 19 | 61 | A | Rays | Blake Snell | 27 | SP | 97 | A |
Kenta Maeda | 31 | 84 | C | Lucious Fox | 22 | SS | 62 | C | |
Hunter Renfroe | 28 | 83 | A | ||||||
Ryan Heath | 19 | 69 | C | ||||||
Ken Greer | 19 | 73 | B |
*This took place over two trades in which I moved Josh Hader then got him back.
I had to give up some pretty good pieces in order to make this trade happen. The game does not allow trades of more than 3 players – so I had to do this over two trades. I give up two players from my playoff roster in Kenta Maeda and Hunter Renfroe. I also trade away two of my top prospects – Lorne Reyna – and 2019 3rd round pick – Ken Greer. I have plenty of minor league depth, I view this as a solid trade to acquire one of the best starters in the game.
December 6th
- The Cubs acquired Kirby Yates from the Yankees for Pedro Strop, Esteury Ruiz and Brendon Little.
December 11th
- The Braves acquired Whit Merrifield from the Athletics for Max Fried and Chad Sobotka.
December 12th
Rule 5 Draft
I do not intend to keep any of the players I draft today. You can trade Rule 5 picks, so my intention is to move a few for prospects.
Player | Team | Pos. | Ovr. | Age | Pot. | |
Round 1 | Derek Fisher | Astros | CF | 65 | 26 | A |
Round 2 | Hunter Harvey | Orioles | SP | 67 | 25 | A |
Round 3 | Edgar Santana | Angels | RP | 78 | 28 | C |
Corresponding Trade
Player | Age | Ovr. | Pot. | To | Received | Age | Pos. | Ovr. | Pot. |
Derek Fisher | 26 | 64 | A | Rays | Brent Honeywell | 24 | SP | 70 | B |
Hunter Harvey | 25 | 65 | A | Matthew Liberatore | 20 | SP | 69 | A | |
Lucious Fox | 22 | 62 | C |
At this point, I feel bad for the Rays. I have depleted their organization of future talent. I trade away two Rule 5 picks and grab two top tier pitching prospects. Matthew Liberatore has the highest ceiling, already at a 69 overall at just 20 years old.
December 14th
- The Dodgers acquired Jesse Winker from the Reds for Drew Jackson.
December 27th
- The Giants acquired Randall Grichuk from the Blue Jays for Evan Longoria and Jonah Tracy.
January 18th
- The White Sox acquired Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees for Steele Walker and Frank Forrest
February 26th
I decided that it was time to flip my final Rule 5 pick for another prospect.
Player | Age | Ovr. | Pot. | To | Received | Age | Pos. | Ovr. | Pot. |
Edgar Santana | 28 | 78 | B | Angels | Jeremiah Jackson | 20 | SS | 64 | B |
I am able to acquire a decent middle infield prospect from the Angels in Jeremiah Jackson. He provides me some depth at the minor league level.
February 28th
Joc Pederson is entering his final year of control. He is seeking a 5 year deal worth $55M. I am unwilling to pay that for a platoon outfielder. I will go ahead and move on from him. Andrew Toles is seeking a 5 year deal for $16M – no thanks buddy. It is time to get rid of these guys for some prospects.
Player | Age | Ovr. | Pot. | To | Received | Age | Pos. | Ovr. | Pot. |
Joc Pederson | 27 | 85 | B | Astros | Yordan Alvarez | 22 | RF | 72 | A |
Andrew Toles | 27 | 73 | B | Seth Beer | 23 | LF | 63 | B | |
Mason Englert | 20 | 59 | B |
The rich get richer. I flip two guys that I no longer want to pay – for one of the best pure hitting prospects in the game. Yordan Alvarez had unbelievable power – I just need to find a place for him on my Major League roster. Seth Beer isn’t too shabby of a prospect either.
Prospects
The best minor league system in the game somehow got better in the offseason. We now boast five of the top 25 prospects in the game, and nine of the top 45 prospects in the game.

Team Rank | Previous MLB Rank | Current MLB Rank | Name | Age | Pos. | Ovr. | Level | Pot. |
1 | 14 | 6 | Wander Samuel Franco | 19 | SS | 70 | AAA | A |
2 | NR | 7 | Yordan Alvarez | 22 | RF | 73 | AAA | A |
3 | 21 | 8 | Brenden McKay | 24 | SP | 70 | AAA | A |
4 | 8 | 10 | Adley Rutschman | 22 | C | 70 | AAA | A |
5 | 25 | 25 | Mackenzie Gore | 21 | SP | 66 | AA | A |
6 | 33 | 34 | Alexander Palma | 23 | RF | 67 | AAA | A |
7 | NR | 41 | Matthew Liberatore | 20 | SP | 69 | AAA | A |
8 | 31 | 43 | Ryan Weathers | 20 | SP | 67 | AAA | A |
9 | 30 | 45 | Luis Patino | 20 | SP | 68 | AA | A |
10 | NR | NR | Brent Honeywell | 24 | SP | 70 | AAA | B |
Financial Situation
Things are looking pretty good for the Padres from a financial perspective. Our nine most talented players are locked into team friendly deals through the 2021 season.

Roster, Lineup, and Rotation

As the offseason comes to a close – I have managed to put together the best talent in the game. Terry Francona has a lot of pressure on him this season to go deep into the playoffs.

On paper, this may be one of the best offenses in the history of the game. Aside from the superstars in this lineup – some veteran leadership was also brought to the squad in the form of Nick Markakis and Ben Zobrist.

The rotation looks pretty similar to last season – except we added Blake Snell to the top. Josh Hader anchors a strong bullpen – with the addition of veteran Seunghwan Oh.
Coming Up
We will head into the 2020 season. The Padres have the best combination of talent in baseball – the question is – can Terry Francona get this group of stars to buy-in and be successful in the playoffs?
– Buzz