Quote from Stergios on July 31, 2023, 1:22 pm

Quote from Jeremy Hill on July 30, 2023, 10:23 am

My problem with Soto is that he has fallen off against lefties and is not a good defensive outfielder. His numbers against right handers are right in line with his career numbers. He's at .290/.445/.567 in 2023 vs .295/.447/.559 for his career. Against lefties he's only at .212/.357/.354 vs .261/.373/.451 for his career. His numbers last year were also very similar. His average and slugging are way down and his K rate is up. The overall picture is still a top 10 bat, but with the poor defense he's looked more like an elite platoon player than an everyday star.

The poor defense also makes me think he's destined to be a primary DH before too long. With a 31 year old Manny and a soon to be 31 year old Xander likely also needing to shift down the defensive spectrum during the life of their contracts I'm not sure I would want to commit huge money to Soto.

He’s definitely looked uncomfortable against certain lefties over the last few days.  In fact, he was made to look downright foolish a couple of times.

I don’t think his defence is bad though.  He had a rough couple of games in Philly, but I can’t say that I find him to be a liability out there.

Quote from Stergios on July 31, 2023, 1:37 pm

Quote from Jeremy Hill on July 30, 2023, 10:51 am

Quote from fenn68 on July 30, 2023, 8:54 am

Quote from Jeremy Hill on July 30, 2023, 7:38 am

Quote from Stergios on July 30, 2023, 7:14 am

Quote from Jeremy Hill on July 29, 2023, 11:03 pm

With how good the starting pitching has generally been, Suarez back to stabilize the pen and the offense picking it up a little you can understand why AJ is hesitant to sell. It's been kind of a rollercoaster all season long though. We look really good for a couple games like these last 2 then we follow it up with a dud. They're going to have to be good a lot more consistently to climb out of the hole they've put themselves into. If they're going to buy (and I'm starting to feel like they are going to again) they need to be smart about it. Focus on controllable pieces. I don't want to give up anything significant for rentals.

Any controllable player we acquire though will cost us a or multiple top prospects.  Whom are you ready to part with?  Merrill?  Salas?  Lesko?

There are controllable guys who could help who won't cost anything close to that. Someone like Mark Canha as an example, who has a club option for next season could give us a versatile bat and should not be to costly to acquire.

Canha is a good example of balancing the issues ... yes should be "easy" to trade for with a so-so prospect but maybe only with the idea of helping in 2023 ... his about league average wRC+ is clearly an upgrade at DH in 2023 however the club option for 2024 is $11-12MM for a 35 year old. Can that money in 2024 be used for a more critical need (SP) while getting similar DH performance out of a much loser cost option?

So, if you want him ... is he "priced" as only a 2023 add (therefore give less trade capital) with the intent of not taking the club option? If that is the logic would ... for the same price ... be better off going for Preller favorite and FA to be Tommy Pham from the Mets ... out hitting Canha this year?

The point is if we're going to buy it should be with a focus beyond this year. With the position we're in it's going to take a lot going right to make the playoffs. If it doesn't any prospect capital used on rentals was wasted. Canha was just an example of someone who would have a chance to help beyond this year. There's a good chance that even with significant adds this team comes up short this year. Giving up anything of significance for a rental would be irresponsible in my opinion.

Agree 100%.

Quote from Stergios on July 31, 2023, 1:47 pm

Quote from fenn68 on July 31, 2023, 12:18 pm

Next three days may alter the wild card picture a lot. Padres (54 losses) are playing the lowly Rockies ... and really need to win all three to set the rest in motion. Consider those teams just ahead of the Padres are going head to head (someone has to lose!).

1. Cubs (52 losses) vs CINN (49 losses) ...
2. AZ (50 losses) vs SF (48 losses) ...
3. PHIL (49 losses) vs MIA (49 losses)

Since three teams make the Wild Card (note MILW is also in the mix in neck and neck with CINN for NL Central) ... is it better for three teams sweeping knocking the other three way down the race and easier for the Padres to pass OR have some sort of split series and Padres again a little on everyone?

Which of those teams have the best chance to stay strong for the remainder of the season (therefore harder to catch) and which team seem likely to keep falling and take themselves out.

Since PHIL seems poised to stay strong ... and take WC #1 ... maybe the should take out the slumping MIA and drop them down to 52 losses.

AZ is slumping and maybe their youth is fading in a long season ... so if SF sweeps AZ, AZ also drops to 52 losses but maybe sets of SF to the #2 wild card.

So ... a dangerous approach but #3 wild card becomes the target. Padres would be only 2 games behind AZ and MIA (well possible to cover). So, Cubs vs CINN ... I guess we should want the Cubs sweep ... they would still stay at 52 losses and Padres only two behind but CINN would drop to  ... you got it 52 losses.

So net would have the Padres two games behind CINN, CUBS, AZ, and MIA for that 3rd wild card ... and that would be the best they can hope for on August 3.

I say don’t look at the WC picture.  Just know that we’re five out of a playoff spot, meaning we need to win 5 more games than a few other team between now and the end of the season.

Let’s just focus on taking 2 out of 3 from Colorado (forget the sweep; in fact, considering our record vs. teams with a low winning %, the last thing that we should take for granted is that we’ll sweep this series).  Actually, scratch that, let’s only focus on tonight’s game!

Quote from MrPadre19 on July 31, 2023, 1:54 pm

I've stopped checking the standings altogether.

Until we go on a 15-5 type run there's little point.

July was a good start

Quote from MrPadre19 on August 1, 2023, 12:02 pm

The August schedule after this series in Col. is just downright brutal!

Playoff teams the rest of the way.

On the positive side...if we can just pick up a little ground in August it gets much easier in September.

11 of our last 14 games are against non playoff teams.

But,then again,we seem to have more trouble with the Pirates and Rockies than we do with the good teams.

So who knows?

 

Quote from BoosterSD on August 1, 2023, 12:58 pm

As a follow up to other posts, I was listening to XM with CJ Nitkowski and Ryan Spilborghs today at lunch. They were conducting an interview with Jim Duquette (former ML GM), and they touched on the Padres. The ironic thing of it is, Nitkowski is the color guy for the Rangers and Spilborghs is on the Rocks broadcast team, so the team we just played and the team we are playing. All 3 guys on the radio basically said the same thing....

The Padres are a bunch of soft, superstars that have no grit or redass (redtail as said by Spilborghs). They all basically agreed that the reason SD is doing so poorly in 1 run games and/or extra inning games is they lack someone on the team that is that "grinder", that someone that is always a little angry/kinda of a d@*k on the field when its time to play.

 

Quote from MrPadre19 on August 1, 2023, 1:07 pm

But,to hear the rest of the league talk Manny Machado is enough of a “Di*k” for everyone.

Who was this person last year when we made it to the NLCS?

I can’t get behind half of the reasons or excuses the experts have given on why we’ve been disappointing.

I guess because our hitting with RISP is the answer and everyone should know this but they gotta make something to talk about.

It has to be Preller!

Bob Melvin has to go!

This team has no chemistry!

They all got paid so now they don’t care!

🙄

Our lack of clutch hitting explains the 1 run losses and the Extra Inning losses and our record and why we can’t win with great pitching and defense and….

It’s ignoring the obvious for sake of the controversial in its finest form.

 

Quote from MrPadre19 on August 1, 2023, 1:31 pm

In 2021 a pretty average Giants team won 107 games….by basically doing the opposite of what we’re doing this year.

They just weren’t that good  but won a crap ton of games.

It’s baseball….and PADRES baseball at that!

 

Quote from BoosterSD on August 1, 2023, 1:47 pm

Quote from MrPadre19 on August 1, 2023, 1:07 pm

But,to hear the rest of the league talk Manny Machado is enough of a “Di*k” for everyone.

Who was this person last year when we made it to the NLCS?

I guess because our hitting with RISP is the answer and everyone should know this but they gotta make something to talk about.

Yes, hitting with RISP is definitely the problem, but sometimes that has to do with attitude. A guy that is in the clubhouse that calls out Tatis after a bad at bat last night with the bases loaded.

I just know now that I have I heard on two different broadcasts XM and MLB Network and 5 different people have said the same thing, no grit/grind (redass) in this team. So, its not just me, although I see it too.

Who was it last year?........Could have been Profar, Alfaro, maybe Dixon during the stretch and playoffs. Maybe it was Manny, and now that Tatis is back, there is a different dynamic that stills needs to be worked out?

Not sure since I am not in the clubhouse, but whoever it was, it is missing this year for sure.