Quote from Henry Silvestre on December 15, 2022, 5:12 pm

Cheaper than most thought.. So far 3 of the best SP vs Padres in the Division are Gone.. Rodon..Anderson and Haney...

Eovaldi last man standing with QO P wise

3/57? 2/40?... need at least 2 yrs to give up 2 picks and $1mil Intl $$ in my opinion

Other wise go down to the next cluster of guys

Wacha/Kubler

Then Lugo (as SP) think Martinez like 2022.. or Davies eats innings..

Quote from fenn68 on December 15, 2022, 5:23 pm

Quote from Henry Silvestre on December 15, 2022, 5:12 pm

Cheaper than most thought.. So far 3 of the best SP vs Padres in the Division are Gone.. Rodon..Anderson and Haney...

Eovaldi last man standing with QO P wise

3/57? 2/40?... need at least 2 yrs to give up 2 picks and $1mil Intl $$ in my opinion

Pass on Eovaldi … in the past 6 years only one season (2021) did he pitch the full season … usually a 2/3 of a season pitcher. Just a lot of injuries. At 33 don’t expect sudden health. At that only an upper 3 lower 4 ERA type … good but not elite or reliable.

Padres need someone who has a better health profile to give them most of his starts even if it is in the mid-4s (big offense can cover) but less confident in a replacement for Eovaldi when he is on the IL.

Quote from sportwarrior on December 15, 2022, 5:54 pm

Quote from fenn68 on December 15, 2022, 5:23 pm

Quote from Henry Silvestre on December 15, 2022, 5:12 pm

Cheaper than most thought.. So far 3 of the best SP vs Padres in the Division are Gone.. Rodon..Anderson and Haney...

Eovaldi last man standing with QO P wise

3/57? 2/40?... need at least 2 yrs to give up 2 picks and $1mil Intl $$ in my opinion

Pass on Eovaldi … in the past 6 years only one season (2021) did he pitch the full season … usually a 2/3 of a season pitcher. Just a lot of injuries. At 33 don’t expect sudden health. At that only an upper 3 lower 4 ERA type … good but not elite or reliable.

Padres need someone who has a better health profile to give them most of his starts even if it is in the mid-4s (big offense can cover) but less confident in a replacement for Eovaldi when he is on the IL.

This. Of all of the "top" FA SP, Eovaldi is the least appealing. I'd much rather go trade/low tier FA route.

Quote from Henry Silvestre on December 15, 2022, 6:23 pm

Quote from sportwarrior on December 15, 2022, 5:54 pm

Quote from fenn68 on December 15, 2022, 5:23 pm

Quote from Henry Silvestre on December 15, 2022, 5:12 pm

Cheaper than most thought.. So far 3 of the best SP vs Padres in the Division are Gone.. Rodon..Anderson and Haney...

Eovaldi last man standing with QO P wise

3/57? 2/40?... need at least 2 yrs to give up 2 picks and $1mil Intl $$ in my opinion

Pass on Eovaldi … in the past 6 years only one season (2021) did he pitch the full season … usually a 2/3 of a season pitcher. Just a lot of injuries. At 33 don’t expect sudden health. At that only an upper 3 lower 4 ERA type … good but not elite or reliable.

Padres need someone who has a better health profile to give them most of his starts even if it is in the mid-4s (big offense can cover) but less confident in a replacement for Eovaldi when he is on the IL.

This. Of all of the "top" FA SP, Eovaldi is the least appealing. I'd much rather go trade/low tier FA route.

Yeah ideally a trade for one of the Marlin SP is the way to go.. young controllable and relatively cheap... But likely cost us Merrill with perhaps a bat coming to SD as well

Quote from Henry Silvestre on December 15, 2022, 6:29 pm

Luzardo (lefty) would be a great get... Pablo Lopez would be ok too... but that type of move will require Merrill more than likely.. with a Win Now mentality and a controlled SP (win now and win later) and Merrill "blocked" maybe bite the bullet and go get that young SP...

Quote from fenn68 on December 15, 2022, 7:02 pm

Quote from Henry Silvestre on December 15, 2022, 6:29 pm

Luzardo (lefty) would be a great get... Pablo Lopez would be ok too... but that type of move will require Merrill more than likely.. with a Win Now mentality and a controlled SP (win now and win later) and Merrill "blocked" maybe bite the bullet and go get that young SP...

Not sure Merrill will be “blocked” when he arrives … Kim (2 years) and Cronenworth (3 years) would likely be traded to make room for a talent such as Merrill who most likely will be 2 years more in the minors. Then maybe sooner if Machado opts out and does not return.

I will skip the trade route NOW and opt for one of Kluber / Wacha / Cueto to start 2023 … buy time to see if any Morejon or the AAA gang prove worthy then decide on a move at the trade deadline.

Quote from BoosterSD on December 15, 2022, 7:38 pm

Quote from fenn68 on December 15, 2022, 7:02 pm

Not sure Merrill will be “blocked” when he arrives … Kim (2 years) and Cronenworth (3 years) would likely be traded to make room for a talent such as Merrill who most likely will be 2 years more in the minors. Then maybe sooner if Machado opts out and does not return.

I will skip the trade route NOW and opt for one of Kluber / Wacha / Cueto to start 2023 … buy time to see if any Morejon or the AAA gang prove worthy then decide on a move at the trade deadline.

In 2 years, Bogaerts will need to move off SS and slide to 2B, Tatis can move back to SS, youve stated many times now, Seidler wont get out bid for resigning Machado, and we will sign Devers for 1B next season ;-). So yes, I can see Merrill being "blocked".

And with the all in this season, maybe getting a young stud SP for the full season might be a good idea.

Quote from Henry Silvestre on December 15, 2022, 7:49 pm

https://twitter.com/tombaseball29/status/1603592547036975104?t=tM5cVOlCeoVkMWS1KI5uUw&s=19

Nice insurance ... Tucker has some pop just can't hit lefties at all.. career .733 OPS vs RHP.. not terrible.. 22 HRs in 600 ABS ... should provide AAA insurance

Older  Brother of Kyle Tucker

Quote from fenn68 on December 16, 2022, 3:32 am

Quote from BoosterSD on December 15, 2022, 7:38 pm

Quote from fenn68 on December 15, 2022, 7:02 pm

Not sure Merrill will be “blocked” when he arrives … Kim (2 years) and Cronenworth (3 years) would likely be traded to make room for a talent such as Merrill who most likely will be 2 years more in the minors. Then maybe sooner if Machado opts out and does not return.

I will skip the trade route NOW and opt for one of Kluber / Wacha / Cueto to start 2023 … buy time to see if any Morejon or the AAA gang prove worthy then decide on a move at the trade deadline.

In 2 years, Bogaerts will need to move off SS and slide to 2B, Tatis can move back to SS, youve stated many times now, Seidler wont get out bid for resigning Machado, and we will sign Devers for 1B next season ;-). So yes, I can see Merrill being "blocked".

And with the all in this season, maybe getting a young stud SP for the full season might be a good idea.

Can create scenario to block Merrill … point is they don’t exist today. Planning on the Padres signing Devers … re-signing Soto … adding a better long term bat for the 9th hitter along with retaining Kim (in 2 years) and Cronenworth / Grisham (3 years) … all that with no other internal hitters near Merrill coming in that 2-3 year timeframe just not going to happen.

Agree that a high probability Machado is extended but don’t see Tatis ever returning to SS … more likely CF if moved off a corner. Move Tatis out of the OF and in 2025 the OF is likely to be like Death Valley with no life.

I see the more likely scenario is Kim moving on after 2024 to accommodate Bogaerts to 2B and Merrill at SS. Kim, as a FA plus SS, will be up for a very good long term deal (given his age) and at the same time dealing with trying deal with the Soto FA. Alternatively, Padres do re-sign Kim but move Cronenworth (in his 30s) and send Bogaerts to 1B.

Being money focused … re-signing Darvish / Snell after 2023 and Soto / Kim after 2024 while upgrading the bottom of the rotation / 9th hitter … or find an equivalent replacements is going to be backbreaking expensive already necessitating internal players to take slots at league minimum …internal players that don’t exist except for Merrill in the short run. Then after 2025 having to re-sign or replace Grisham / Cronenworth just compounds the problem.

Since I think the Padres are already built to secure a playoff slot (better if they sign one a Kluber type SP and a Gamel type hitter) … would not make move until the trade deadline when I have a better idea what the greatest need is to propel the club to WS quality … rentals can be very good at a bargain price for an organization that has minimal prospect trade chips.

Side: in isolation I normally go for the elite position player over an elite pitcher since lesser chance of injury and a better chance of longevity. Seems as though Preller is operating the same way considering the money deployed to Bogaerts, Machado, Tatis, Soto (prospects in trade) but not so much for pitchers except for the extension for Musgrove.