Fixing The Franchise: The San Diego Padres – The 2019-2020 Offseason

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

Fixing The Franchise: The San Diego Padres – The 2019 Postseason

Wild Card Game

We did it. We made it to the postseason. The Padres turned into a contender in less than a season. Does the team have what it takes to beat a perennial postseason disappointment – The Washington Nationals – in the Wild Card Game? Let’s find out.

The Nationals jumped to an early lead thanks to a leadoff single and stolen base from Trea Turner. Juan Soto was able to drive him in with one out to put the Nats up 1-0.

After that inning, Noah Syndergaard settled down and shut down the Nationals offense. With the help of Machado’s glove – Syndergaard only allowed one hit through the next four innings.

In the midst of our pitcher’s duel – the Padres got their first hit off the bat of Ender Inciarte in the bottom of the 5th innings.

The bats came alive for the Padres in the 7th inning. Manny Machado and Christian Yelich started things off with back to back singles. Josh Bell was up next and loaded up the bases with a single of his own. Gary Sanchez rolled over into a double play on the next at bat – but the run scored – tying the game at 1-1.

Hector Rondon came in for Syndergaard in the 9th and shut down the Nats in order.

In the bottom of the inning – Machado reached on a single. Yelich followed that with a grounder to the shortstop – one in which the Nats made and errant throw on allowing both runners to reach base safely. Josh Bell was up next and flew out to left field. With two on a two outs – Gary Sanchez drove the ball off the wall in right field. Machado scored and the Padres won the game 2-1.

Noah Syndergaard was a stud on the mound. He lasted 8 innings – allowing just 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 8 batters.

NLDS

For the Division Series we had to take on our N.L. West rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Game 1

The Padres come into this series in the midst of an 8 game winning streak.

The Padres were able to put a threat together in the top of the first. Manny Machado and Christian Yelich were both able to single, but Gary Sanchez and Josh Bell were unable to capitalize.

With two outs in the bottom of the second A.J. Pollock started the scoring for the Dodgers, hitting a solo shot to left field just over a leaping Hunter Renfroe at the wall.

Mike Clevenger and Jeff McNeil led off the top of the 3rd with back to back singles. Machado rolled over into a double play and Yelich struck out, ending the threat.

With two outs in the bottom of the 4th the Dodgers had Justin Turner on 3rd with two outs. Clevenger challenged Pollock inside – and Pollock launched his second homerun of the game – putting the Dodgers up 3-0.

The Padres came out swinging in the top of the 5th. Ender Inciarte and Fernando Tatis Jr. started off the inning with back to back singles. Clevenger then bunted – moving Inciarte to 3rd and beating out the throw to first on a potential double play. McNeil stepped in and drove the ball to center field – scoring Inciarte from 3rd.

The Dodgers decided to leave Kershaw in after a brief mound visit from Rick Honeycutt. Machado was up next and finally started to earn some of that $30M salary – he drove the ball off the wall in left-center field, scoring both runners and tying the game at 3-3.

The Dodgers got their lead back the following half of the inning. Corey Seager hit a ground rule double with two outs. Shane Peterson drove him in with the dinkiest little slow roller up the middle to grab the 4-3 lead.

In the bottom of the 6th the Dodgers knocked Clevenger from the game. After a leadoff walk to Cody Bellinger, Clevenger left a slider over the middle of the plate, and Max Muncy drove it over the left field wall to extend the Dodger lead to 6-3.

• Clevenger allowed 7H and 6R through 5IP – with 8K and 1BB.

The Padres started the 7th off with a leadoff double from Tatis Jr. Matt Duffy – who pinch hit for the pitcher – and McNeil both lined out to Bellinger in right field. Machado then rolled over, ending the inning.

The Dodgers brought in Adam Liberatore to pitch the 8th. This was a mistake. Yelich led off the inning with a single. Gary Sanchez then drove the ball into the hitter’s eye in dead center field to bring the score to 6-5.

Max Muncy started off the Dodgers half of the 8th with his second homerun of the game – extending their lead to 7-5.

Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the 9th for the Dodgers. He retired the first three batters he faced to seal the victory and grab the 1-0 series lead.

Game 2

The Padres bounced back and defeated the Dodgers 10-1. Jeff McNeil led the offense, going 4/5 with 5 RBI and falling a triple short of the cycle. Ender Inciarte also collected four hits on the day. Marcus Stroman went 7.1 IP allowing just 4H and 1ER while striking out 7.

Game 3

The Dodgers took home the victory 5-1. They were able to secure the win with the help of homeruns from Justin Turner, A.J. Pollock and Austin Barnes. Ryu went 8 scoreless innings on the mound for the Dodgers. Chris Paddack struggled for the Padres, giving up 5 ER in just 4 innings of work. Manny Machado led the Padres with 3 hits.

Game 4

The Padres decided to give Noah Syndergaard the start over Kenta Maeda in game four of the series. Unfortunately, the Dodgers still took home the 4-1 victory and won the series 3-1.

Notable Padre Playoff Performances

• Manny Machado – .524 AVG, 1.381 OPS, 5 2B in 21 AB
• Noah Syndergaard – 13 IP, 2.77 ERA, 15K
• Marcus Stroman – 7.1 IP, 1.23 ERA, 7K

Division Series Results

• The Braves defeated the Cubs 3-1
• The Dodgers defeated the Padres 3-1
• The Indians swept the Mariners 3-0
• The Yankees swept the Red Sox 3-0

Championship Series Results

• The Yankees defeated the Indians 4-1
• The Dodgers defeated the Braves 4-3

World Series Results

• The Dodgers defeated the Yankees 4-2
• World Series MVP – Cody Bellinger – .273 AVG, 4 HR, 6 RBI
• N.L. Postseason MVP – Max Muncy – .283 AVG, 5HR, 15 RBI
• A.L. Postseason MVP – Giancarlo Stanton – .327 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI

Coming Up

We will head into the offseason. We put together a solid squad – but it wasn’t enough to reach postseason glory. How different will the roster look in 2020?

– Buzz

Fixing The Franchise: The San Diego Padres – The Second Half of 2019

Following the 2019 First Year Player Draft – we are now ready to see how the Padres perform through the rest of the season. Will any more trades be necessary for this squad as they make a playoff push?

As of June 6th, we are 7.5 games out of the lead in the N.L. West with a 36-26 record. At this point we are tied with the Rockies for a Wild Card spot.

June 2nd

• The Marlins acquired Gavin Lux from the Dodgers for Anfernee Seymour.

June 6th

Target: Kenta Maeda

I took a look at the trade block – and for some reason the Dodgers had Kenta Maeda there. He is 30 years old – and has five years left on his deal. I am not too concerned with that because it is only $3.1M per season. This will give me an opportunity to build my pitching depth and add a veteran as I continue to seek a playoff spot.

Player	Age	Ovr.	Pot.	To	Received	Pos.	Age	Ovr.	Pot.
Luis Gil	20	61	B	Dodgers	Kenta Maeda	SP	30	84	C
Peter Van Gansen	25	66	C
Ivan Castillo	23	61	C

Of the prospects I moved in this deal – Luis Gil has the most potential. I have plenty of minor league pitching depth. This move also allows me to move Chris Paddack to AAA – he needs some more time to develop and has a 4+ ERA at the moment.

June 25th

Texas League All Star Game

• Tim Tebow – DH – 0/4 K
• Jasson Dominguez – CF – 1/3
• Kyle Overstreet – 1B – 0/1
• Aderlin Rodriguez – 1B – DNP

June 28th

• The Angels acquired Hunter Dozier from the Royals for Jo Adell.

June Results

• The Padres were 16-10 through the month and sit in third in the N.L. West. We are 7.5 games back of the first place Dodgers, and currently hold the second position in the N.L. Wild Card standings behind the Rockies.
• SP Mackenzie Gore (AAA) 3.19 ERA, 29 K, 31 IP.
• SP Jesse Scholtens (AA) 3.23 ERA, 29 K, 30.2 IP.
• 1B Jose Pirela (AAA) .354 AVG, 14 RBI, 82 AB.
• LF Tim Tebow (AA) .341 AVG, 19 RBI, 82 AB.
• *SP Ryan Weathers (AAA) 5.24 ERA, 13 BB, 22.1 IP.
• *SP Freicer Perez (AA) 4.71 ERA, 10 BB, 28.2 IP.

July 2nd

• The Giants acquired D.J. LeMahieu from the Yankees for Reyes Moronta and Brandon Belt.

July 4th

• The Brewers acquired Craig Stammen from the Mets for Braden Webb and Brice Turang.

July 7th

Futures Game

• Brenden McKay – SP – 2IP, 2H, 1R, 1 ER, 2BB, 2K
• Adley Rutschman – C – 0/4
• Robert Puason – SS – DNP

July 9th

All Star Game

• Jose Alvarado – CP – DNP
• Christian Yelich – RF – 0/3 BB
• Gary Sanchez – C – 1/3 2RBI, HR, BB
• Hector Rondon – RP – DNP

July 10th

AAA All Star Game

• Jose Pirela – 1B – 0/4
• Alexander Palma – RF – 1/3 2B, BB

July 14th

With the Padres down a run in the bottom of the 9th – Gary Sanchez stepped up with one on and one out. He turned on a hanging cutter and drove it over the left field wall for his third homerun of the game and the 8-7 win.

July 15th

Our organization took the opportunity to reward some of our players for the seasons they were having. We also saw this as a great time to extend some of our young talent.

Name	Age	Pos.	Ovr.	Pot.	Yrs.	Sal.	Contract
Gary Sanchez	26	C	89	B	3	$5.7M	$17M
Marcus Stroman	27	SP	87	B	3	$8.3M	$25M
Fernando Tatis Jr.	20	SS	80	A	5	$7M	$35M
Chris Paddack	23	SP	77	A	3	$1.7M	$5M

July 21st

• The Angels acquired James Paxton from the Yankees for Hunter Dozier and Trevor Cahill.

• The Rockies acquired Billy Hamilton from the Royals for Ryan Rolison and Dom Nunez.

July 21st

Target: Josh Hader

Jose Alvarado has been struggling as our closer lately – even though he was an All-Star. He has a 5.00 ERA with 5 BS this season. He just is not ready for the 9th inning. The Brewers are 5 games out of the wild card race and have decided to sell. Josh Hader has a 2.57 ERA and is just the guy I need for our playoff push.

Player	Age	Ovr.	Pot.	To	Received	Pos.	Age	Ovr.	Pot
Jasson Dominguez	18	62	B	Brewers	Josh Hader	CP	24	90	A
Jose Castillo	23	80	B
Austin Hedges	26	76	C

Jose Castillo has not been performing well this year – he has a 6.99 ERA and 1.94 WHIP. The same can be said for Austin Hedges – who has a .144 AVG and .216 OBP. Jasson Dominguez is a young prospect – but I am OK including him to get this deal done.

• Stephen Vogt is called up from AAA to backup Gary Sanchez.

Contract Extensions

Name	Age	Pos.	Ovr.	Pot.	Yrs.	Sal.	Contract
Josh Hader	24	CP	88	A	4	$5M	$20M
Zach Wheeler	28	SP	81	B	2	$9.3M	$18.6M

Josh Hader is an exciting young talent with high upside. I locked him down for four more season. Zach Wheeler is an impending free agent and I do not want to lose him for nothing. While the salary is high I maintain control of him for two more years.

July 29th

We had another walk off opportunity – and this time Josh Bell was at the plate. The game was tied 7-7 and Will Smith was in to pitch for the Giants. Josh Bell stepped up and drove the ball over the fence to give the Padres a 9-7 victory. This extended the Padres winning streak to six games.

Target: Dump Zach Wheeler

Wheeler is really pissing me off. I negotiated an extension with him – that he accepted. Somehow he still has a bad attitude around the clubhouse and his morale is low. Rather than carry that salary I am going to call up Chris Paddack to take his spot in the rotation. I am going to move Wheeler for a prospect.

Player	Age	Ovr.	Pot.	To	Received	Pos.	Age	Ovr.	Pot
Zach Wheeler	28	83	B	Rays	Wander Franco	SS	18	68	A
Robert Puason	18	63	A

This is huge! The move does not really impact my starting rotation at all, I shed a huge chunk of future salary, and snag Wander Samuel Franco. Wow.

July 29th

• The Athletics acquired Whit Merrifield from the Royals for Franklin Barreto and Grant Holmes.

July 30th

• The Cubs acquired Starlin Castro from the Marlins for Brennen Davis.
• The Braves acquired Chris Archer from the Pirates for A.J. Minter and Allen Cordoba.
• The Astros acquired Edwin Diaz from the Mets for Lance McCullers Jr. and Juan Pineda.
• The Rangers acquired Martin Maldonado from the Royals for Christopher Seise.
• The Mariners acquired Adalberto Mondesi from the Royals for Jarred Kelenic and David McKay.

• The Royals have made a ton of moves this year. They traded away Hunter Dozier, Billy Hamilton, Whit Merrifield, and Adalberto Mondesi. In return they have received Jo Adell (#4/#1), Franklin Barreto, Grant Holmes (NR/#14), Ryan Rolison (#89/#2), Dom Nunez (NR/NR), Jarred Kelenic (#24/#1) and David McKay (NR/#28).
• Real world prospect rankings in parenthesis (MLB Rank/Organization Rank)

July Results

• The Padres were 16-9 in July and are third in the N.L West, 9.5 games back of the Dodgers. We are currently holding the second Wild Card spot behind the Rockies.
• SP Mason Englert (AA) 2.40 ERA, 42 K, 30 IP.
• 3B Jason Vosler (AAA) .306 AVG, 7 RBI, 72 AB.
• *RP Aaron Loup (AAA) 4.15 ERA, 13 IP.

August 25th

• Ender Inciarte sprained his MCL – out 2 weeks.

August Results

• This was a terrible month for the ball club. The Padres were 11-17 in August. We ended the month with an 8 game losing streak. We are third in the N.L West, 11.5 games back of the Dodgers. We are currently out of the second Wild Card spot by 2 games behind the Rockies and Nationals.

Prospects

*As of September 1st 2019

Team Rank	Previous MLB Rank	Current MLB Rank	Name	Age	Pos.	Ovr.	Level	Pot.
1	12	8	Adley Rutschman	21	C	71	AAA	A
2	NR	14	Wander Samuel Franco	18	SS	69	AAA	A
3	32	21	Brendan McKay	23	SP	72	AAA	A
4	22	25	Mackenzie Gore	20	SP	68	AAA	A
5	47	30	Luis Patino	19	SP	67	AAA	A
6	45	31	Ryan Weathers	19	SP	69	AAA	A
7	26	33	Alexander Palma	22	RF	69	AAA	A
8	NR	NR	Freicer Perez	23	SP	63	AA	B
9	NR	NR	Joey Lucchesi	25	SP	77	AAA	B
10	NR	NR	Mason Englert	19	SP	61	AA	B

We continue to have one of the best – if not the best – farm systems in baseball. The Padres have seven of the top 35 prospects in the game.

• Luis Urias was traded to the Mets. He is their everyday second baseman. He is batting .250/.318/.372 with 11 HR and 47 RBI through 524 AB.
• Xavier Edwards, who was traded to the Orioles, is the #26 prospect in baseball.
• Michael Baez, who was traded to the Rays, is currently not ranked.

September Results

• What a month for the Friars. With an 18-9 record in September – including a 7 game winnings streak to end the season – the Padres clinched the top Wild Card spot and will host the Nationals for the right to play the Dodgers in the NLDS.

Awards

Our organization did not come away with any of the notable regular season awards this year. Mike Clevenger (P) was our lone Gold Glove recipient and we came away with two Silver Sluggers – Gary Sanchez (C) and Christian Yelich (OF).

Award	Player	Team	Stats
N.L. MVP	Nolan Arenado	Rockies	.310 AVG, 40 HR, 116 RBI
N.L. Cy Young	Clayton Kershaw	Dodgers	17-5, 2.83 ERA, 204 K
N.L. Rookie of the Year	Austin Riley	Braves	.279 AVG, 23 HR, 92 RBI
A.L. MVP	Mike Trout	Angels	.330 AVG, 34 HR, 106 RBI
A.L. Cy Young	Chris Sale	Red Sox	19-9, 3.00 ERA, 249 K
A.L. Rookie of the Year	Yusei Kikuchi	Mariners	19-5, 2.51 ERA, 183 K

Player Performance Through The Regular Season

Player	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG.	OBP.	SLG.
Jeff McNeil	156	560	82	174	19	77	.311	.376	.475
Manny Machado	155	607	77	152	18	65	.250	.331	.399
Christian Yelich	160	567	108	175	32	101	.309	.407	.557
Josh Bell	148	534	77	157	31	102	.294	.391	.522
Gary Sanchez	126	493	76	135	34	97	.274	.360	.523
Ender Inciarte	146	560	55	154	6	45	.275	.339	.363
Fernando Tatis Jr.	140	487	58	105	12	44	.216	.302	.355
Hunter Renfroe	91	297	32	67	16	45	.226	.279	.438
Franchy Cordero	98	277	50	74	14	41	.267	.349	.484
Matt Duffy	138	320	43	104	5	40	.325	.392	.462
Stephen Vogt	30	78	10	13	4	12	.167	.292	.397
Andrew Toles	63	152	17	29	4	17	.191	.241	.342
Tim Beckham	54	108	10	27	2	6	.250	.325	.333

• Christian Yelich was the heart and soul of this offense all year. He put up great numbers and proved to be an awesome acquisition. Josh Bell and Gary Sanchez were not too far behind him – establishing a murderers row in the middle of our lineup.
• Manny Machado had a disappointing season. Especially when you compare him and his $30M salary to someone like Matt Duffy, who led the team in batting average off the bench.

Player	G	W	L	SV	IP	ERA	WHIP
Noah Sydergaard	33	14	10	0	196	3.58	1.25
Marcus Stroman	33	13	9	0	198.2	3.44	1.21
Chris Paddack	23	7	8	0	130.1	3.94	1.30
Mike Clevenger	32	11	6	0	192.2	3.36	1.28
Kenta Maeda	31	11	7	0	165.1	3.27	1.23
Robert Stock	57	7	3	0	60.1	2.39	1.28
Hector Rondon	93	3	2	0	97.1	2.68	1.15
Diego Castillo	71	5	1	0	74.1	3.75	1.39
Jose Alvarado	67	5	1	23	64	2.81	1.25
Adam Conley	64	3	0	7	92	2.54	1.16
Jonathan Holder	73	4	8	0	74	4.01	1.38
Josh Hader	63	2	3	43	57	2.84	1.33

• It is awesome to see that all of our starting pitchers ended the season with ERAs under 4.00.
• The bullpen was incredibly reliable all season. Robert Stock was a nice surprise in middle relief for us this year.
• Jose Alvarado was much more successful after making the move away from the Closer’s spot.

Playoff Picture

	Matchup
N.L. Wild Card	Nationals @ Padres
NLDS	Cubs vs Braves
NLDS	Wild Card vs Dodgers
A.L. Wild Card	Astros @ Yankees
ALDS	Indians vs Mariners
ALDS	Wild Card vs Red Sox

Coming Up

It is time for playoff baseball! Can our beloved San Diego Padres take down Max Scherzer in the Wild Card game? How would the Padres fare against their division rival Los Angeles Dodgers in a best of five series?

– Buzz

Fixing The Franchise: The San Diego Padres – Early Regular Season 2019

Opening Day

We have finally made it to Opening Day of the 2019 MLB season. The Padres have a completely changed team and are ready to take on their division rivals at home.

This is a solid offense with a number of all-stars throughout the lineup. Manny Machado and Christian Yelich are the obvious marquee names – but the added power of Josh Bell in the five spot can’t be ignored.

The bats were quiet through the first few innings of action on Opening Day. After cruising through the Giants lineup while only allowing one hit, Noah Syndergaard made his first mistake of the game.

With a full count against Madison Bumgarner, Syndergaard hung a pitch over the plate, and Bumgarner drove it 391ft off the Western Metal Supply building.

In the bottom of the seventh the Padres were finally able to get things even. With two outs in the inning, Hunter Renfroe stepped up and drove a cutter over the center field fence for a solo shot.

With two outs in the 8th – after allowing a hit and walk – Noah Syndergaard’s day was done. Kirby Yates came in to pitch, along with Matt Duffy at first in the double switch (Josh Bell was the last out of the inning).

After beaning Kevin Pillar with his first pitch, Yates was able to strike out Steven Duggar to end the inning.

The Giants brought Derek Holland in to pitch the 8th. Ender Inciarte and Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the bottom of the 8th with back to back singles.

After an Austin Hedges strikeout – Matt Duffy was up. He came up clutch in his first AB for the Padres – he drove the ball down the left field line for a double – scoring both runners.

Jose Alvarado came in for the Padres in the 9th and tossed a flawless inning – striking out all three batters he faced.

March 29th

With two outs in the bottom of the 9th – the Padres were tied with the Giants 2-2. Franchy Cordero was on third and Stephen Vogt came up to pinch hit with the game on the line. With an 0-1 count, Vogt drove the ball down the line to drive in the game winning run.

*Joc Pederson tore his achilles tendon and will be out for 6 months. He was placed on the 60 day IL.

Losing Pederson this early on really puts a wrench into my plan for platooning in LF. I know it is early – but I want to make sure I can replace the power that Pederson provides from the left side of the box.

Target: Kyle Schwarber

This guy is the definition of power from the left side of the box. I know fielding will be an issue – but this plan is just to get me through the year. I have Pederson locked down for the near future.

Player	Age	Ovr.	Pot.	To	Received	Pos.	Age	Ovr.	Pot.
Eric Laurer	23	70	B	Cubs	Kyle Schwarber	LF	26	82	B
Tyler White	28	68	B
Esteury Ruiz	20	65	C

I lose a good arm in Eric Lauer – but I also have five minor league arms ahead of him. Tyler White was nice to have on the bench, but I can replace him pretty easily.

Free Agent Signing

I decided to fill the void in the roster that was left by Tyler White with a pitcher rather than a position player. There was a good lefty arm on the market, so I went out and grabbed him rather than give up more prospects.

Name	Age	Pos	Ovr.	Pot.	Yrs.	Sal.	Contract
Adam Liberatore	31	RP	79	B	1	$1.8M	$1.8M

April 13th

*Greg Garcia (AAA) tore his ACL – will be out 6 months. Placed on 60 day IL.

April 16th

The score was tied against the Rockies 2-2. With runners on first and second and one out – Austin Hedges came in to pinch hit in the pitcher’s spot. He drove the ball to the left center field gap to score Fernando Tatis Jr. from second base to end the ballgame.

April 27th

The Blue Jays traded Bo Bichette to the Tigers for Casey Mize.

April Results

• The Padres are 18-12 through the month and sit in second in the N.L. West. We are 4 games back of the first place Dodgers, and currently hold the top position in the N.L. Wild Card standing.
• SP Ryan Weathers (AAA) 2.86 ERA, 20 K, 28.1 IP.
• RP Chris Rowley (AA) 0.00 ERA, 12 K, 15.2 IP.
• 1B Jose Pirela (AAA) .363 AVG, 17 RBI, 91 AB.
• 1B Kyle Overstreet (AA) .307 AVG, 9 RBI, 88 AB.
• *SP Mackenzie Gore (AAA) 8.44 ERA, 12 BB, 21.1 IP.
• *RP Tyler Higgins (AA) 4.76 ERA, 5.2 IP.
• *SS Ruddy Giron (AAA) .114 AVG, 35 AB.

May 2nd

The Red Sox acquired Jose Urena from Miami for prospects

May 3rd

With one out in the bottom of the 9th, Fernando Tatis Jr. stepped up to face Kenley Jensen with the Padres down 5-4. There was a runner on second. Tatis Jr. lined the ball to left field – just under the glove of a diving Chris Taylor. The ball rolled to the wall – scoring one and putting Tatis Jr. on 3rd.

In the bottom of the 10th the game was still tied. Josh Bell stepped up with one out and the bases loaded. He lined the ball to left field – deep enough for Jeff McNeil to score and end the game.

May 12th

Down 2-1 against the Pirates in the bottom of the 9th, Manny Machado stepped up to the plate. With a runner on second and a 1-2 count, Machado drove the ball through the 6 hole to tie the game. In the bottom of the 10th with one out, Franchy Cordero did his part, driving the ball into the right center gap to score the winning run from second.

May 14th

The Rays acquired Matthew Boyd from the Tigers for Gabriel Arias.

May 16th

The Angels acquired Jedd Gyorko from the Cardinals for Tommy La Stella.

May 18th

The Red Sox acquired Joey Gallo from the Rangers for Michael Chavis.

May 20th

The Astros acquired Matt Harvey from the Angels for Joe Smith.

May Results

• The Padres were 13-13 in May and are third in the N.L West, 7.5 games back of the Dodgers. We are tied with the Rockies and Nationals for a Wild Card spot.
• SP Ryan Weathers (AAA) 1.41 ERA, 37 K, 38.1 IP.
• RP Bryan Mitchell (AA) 2.49 ERA, 17 K, 21.2 IP.
• 3B Ivan Castillo (AA) .320 AVG, 23 RBI, 100 AB.
• *SP Jesse Scholtens (AA) 5.68 ERA, 31.2 IP.

Player Performance Through The First Few Months

Player	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG.	OBP.	SLG.
Jeff McNeil	53	193	23	55	7	22	.285	.346	.451
Manny Machado	53	209	23	49	6	22	.234	.314	.373
Christian Yelich	57	196	40	60	11	39	.306	.414	.571
Josh Bell	54	184	25	50	9	28	.272	.390	.457
Kyle Schwarber	44	152	19	26	10	24	.171	.300	.388
Ender Inciarte	55	211	17	53	0	16	.251	.312	.327
Fernando Tatis Jr.	52	186	18	39	3	14	.210	.258	.349
Austin Hedges	45	158	16	24	7	19	.152	.216	.304
Hunter Renfroe	39	119	14	23	10	23	.193	.262	.487
Franchy Cordero	23	26	7	8	1	8	.308	.455	.538
Matt Duffy	48	109	19	40	0	10	.367	.469	.495
Stephen Vogt	18	40	3	5	0	3	.125	.308	.225
Tim Beckham	27	48	8	13	1	2	.271	.340	.354

• Jeff McNeil, Christian Yelich, and Josh Bell are doing exactly what I brought them to San Diego for.
• Manny Machado has struggled in his first two full months as a Padre – but I know he will come around.
• The Kyle Schwarber plan has failed greatly – I may move on from him if I can get a solid return of prospects. Franchy Cordero is putting up better numbers as a left-handed hitter.
• Fernando Tatis Jr. struggled early on – he is starting to heat up.
• There is a hole in my lineup coming from the Catcher’s spot. If I can find some offense there we will be unstoppable.
• Matt Duffy is producing from the bench and has proven to be a solid utility player.

Player	G	W	L	SV	IP	ERA	WHIP
Noah Sydergaard	12	5	3	0	75.2	4.04	1.23
Marcus Stroman	12	4	6	0	75	3.24	1.21
Chris Paddack	11	3	4	0	61.1	4.40	1.47
Mike Clevenger	11	3	1	0	71.1	2.40	1.05
Zach Wheeler	11	2	5	0	63.1	4.97	1.48
Robert Stock	20	3	0	0	19.2	4.12	1.63
Hector Rondon	36	1	0	0	38.2	2.56	1.06
Adam Liberatore	19	1	2	0	16.0	4.50	1.56
Jose Castillo	28	1	0	0	27	4.33	1.59
Kirby Yates	21	2	4	1	14	10.93	2.00
Diego Castillo	29	5	0	0	34.1	2.62	1.11
Jose Alvarado	21	1	1	15	18.2	2.89	1.02

• Mike Clevenger stands out as the lone starter that is having a great season so far. Marcus Stroman is doing what I was hoping he would do this season. I honestly expected more from Noah Syndergaard and Zach Wheeler.
• Hector Rondon, Deigo Castillo, and Jose Alvarado are studs out of the pen through two months.
• Kirby Yates was initially in the set up role – and that has failed miserably. Even though he has thrown just 14 innings he has given up 17 runs this year. I am going to move him if I can before I try to send him down to AAA.

Trades

June 1st

Target: Gary Sanchez

Player	Age	Ovr.	Pot.	To	Received	Pos.	Age	Ovr.	Pot
Kirby Yates	32	85	B	Yankees	Gary Sanchez	C	26	84	B
Kyle Schwarber	26	82	B		Jonathan Holder	RP	25	74	B
Dietrich Enns	27	48	B

I trade away two players that are struggling with my franchise for a better offensive catcher. The Yankees used this move to build their bullpen, and add Kyle Schwarber’s power to their lineup. They are a righty heavy team – they can use Schwarber’s bat to attack that short porch in right field. He is also better suited for the A.L. with the DH position. I save about $6M with this deal on the 2019 season.

Target: Fast Left Handed Outfielder

I need to add another outfielder to my squad – and I am looking for speed. I currently have three catchers on my major league roster so one of them will be moving down to AAA.

Player	Age	Ovr.	Pot.	To	Received	Pos.	Age	Ovr.	Pot
Adam Liberatore	31	82	B	Dodgers	Andrew Toles	LF	26	71	B
Buddy Reed	23	61	B
Webster Rivas	28	66	C

Andrew Toles is a good fit for my roster. I was able to make this trade with my division rival because they have an abundance of outfielders – Toles was sitting in AAA. I give up Adam Liberatore, a RP that has not impressed me since we singed him a few months ago.

Target: Relief Pitcher

Player	Age	Ovr.	Pot.	To	Received	Pos.	Age	Ovr.	Pot
Luis Torrens	22	62	C	Marlins	Adam Conley	RP	28	76	C

The Marlins placed Adam Conley on the block – and he is dominating this season. Through 37 IP he has a 0.96 ERA. Seems like a great fit for my pen.

Updated Roster

*Stats reflect games played through June 6th.

The Pitching staff remains pretty much the same as it was to start the season. Adam Conley and Jonathan Holder are new additions to the bullpen.

*Stats reflect games played through June 6th.

This lineup is even better than it was to start the season. We now have the big bat of Gary Sanchez in the middle of the order. Franchy Cordero is now the platoon partner with Hunter Renfroe in left field.

Prospects

We continue to have one of the best – if not the best – farm systems in baseball. The Padres have five of the top 25 prospects in the game.

Team Rank	Previous MLB Rank	Current MLB Rank	Name	Age	Pos.	Ovr.	Level	Pot.
1	19	12	Adley Rutschman	21	C	69	AAA	A
2	22	18	Mackenzie Gore	20	SP	66	AAA	A
3	32	24	Brendan McKay	23	SP	69	AAA	A
4	45	25	Ryan Weathers	19	SP	67	AAA	A
5	NR	26	Alexander Palma	22	RF	66	AAA	A
6	47	50	Luis Patino	19	SP	65	AA	A
7	NR	NR	Jasson Dominguez	18	CF	61	AA	A
8	NR	NR	Robert Puason	18	SS	61	AA	A
9	NR	NR	Joey Lucchesi	25	SP	75	AAA	B
10	NR	NR	Matt Wisler	26	RP	66	AAA	B

• Luis Urias was traded to the Mets. He is their everyday second baseman. He is batting .242/.315/.357 with 5 HR and 20 RBI through 227 AB.
• Xavier Edwards, who was traded to the Orioles, is the #42 prospect in baseball.
• Michael Baez, who was traded to the Rays, is the #47 prospect in baseball.

Coming Up

We will head into the 2019 First Year Player Draft. The Padres have the 6th overall pick. What position should we focus on as we look to build upon the best farm system in baseball?

– Buzz