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2024-25 Offseason Talk
#431 · January 28, 2025, 8:16 pm
Quote from ultratvfan on January 28, 2025, 6:45 pmDuring his introductory news conference, he said the No. 1 thing that stood out about his new team was "the stability of the front office."
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Some saw that as an indirect dig at the Padres and their situation. Former Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar said things more explicitly after leaving the team for a three-year, $42 million deal with the Atlanta Braves, calling out the team's ownership "issue" as a reason why a return to San Diego would have been difficult.For full article: https://sports.yahoo.com/padres-ownership-fight-seidler-brothers-call-peters-widow-sheel-reckless-for-suing-while-team-pursued-roki-sasaki-003812146.html
This dispute over ownership is causing a huge inpact on acquiring and re-signing players in the off season. No wnder we lost Profar and a chance a Roki.
Might have been a factor in Sasaki but doubt the key ... think he really wanted to go with the elite team with Ohtani and Yamamoto. As for Profar doubt that was an issue at all ... 3 years / $40MM was and no way Padres were near bathing that.
As for any FA ... seems pretty clear that the Padres are not going up in payroll from where they are ... actually probably going a bit down. So, not carelessly signing FA and Preller is probably more focused on trades leading to a reduce payroll. FA maybe after the trades.
Remember Preller is never in a hurry to make moves so nothing until ST in pretty normal ... even late is ST ... even after the season starts.
#432 · January 29, 2025, 7:14 pm
Kim signs with Rays for 2 years $29 million.
#433 · January 30, 2025, 2:12 am
There must be a no hit, good glove SS on the FA market, yes? Any of them be any use here?
Cronenworth has far more value( to everyone!) at 2B, far better than Bogaerts. Xander needs to be moved to 1B. If he's at SS, and Arraez at 1B, we're not very good defensively.
#434 · January 30, 2025, 5:18 am
Quote from WindsorUK on January 30, 2025, 2:12 amThere must be a no hit, good glove SS on the FA market, yes? Any of them be any use here?
Cronenworth has far more value( to everyone!) at 2B, far better than Bogaerts. Xander needs to be moved to 1B. If he's at SS, and Arraez at 1B, we're not very good defensively.
Not sure spending whatever it costs to land a defensive improvement over Bogaerts even with a no hit SS ... nothing great out there that I would consider a full season starter at SS (Ahmed, DeJong?) ... adds more value to the team than using that money to add an upgrade at 1B or DH or LF or SP.
Overall, really no available upgrade for SS (unless it is via trade) ... and not likely they would spend (money they may not have at this point) to sign a "fringe" SS over other needs.
Maybe via trade for a league minimum / long control quality prospect type ... possible but not probable ... and for any desirable SS expect the Padres would have to trade King or Cease. Padres would be worse off in their quest for the playoffs.
Hard to see any alternative to Bogaerts at SS in 2025 ... just not seeing the good options out there.
#435 · January 30, 2025, 7:41 am
With the signing of Diaz and Maldonado ... and the limited options for DH, is it possible that it time for the Padres to deploy Campusano as the primary DH?
Campusano's calling card even as he was coming up in the minors was his bat ... defense at catcher was always a challenge ... he has shown he can hit at the ML level at various times but seems to get derailed by injuries (cause by being a catcher?). Plus his hitting style when on is contact hitting to all fields and that fits with the approach hitting coach V. Rodriguez promotes.
So, with no incumbent DH ... shifting a good hit / bad defense catcher to DH and going with two light hitting plus defensive catchers without committing new money might prove to upgrade both positions (if considering both offense and defense). If money is available target the "bigger need" for a bottom of the rotation SP or LF. I guess could also "test" if Campusano can handle 1B ... at least better than Arraez.
#436 · January 30, 2025, 1:38 pm
There are talks of the Padres trading Cease bewteen the Cubs. I don't see how the Padres can afford to lose Cease right now. Maybe at the trade deadline.
#437 · January 30, 2025, 2:49 pm
Quote from ultratvfan on January 30, 2025, 1:38 pmThere are talks of the Padres trading Cease bewteen the Cubs. I don't see how the Padres can afford to lose Cease right now. Maybe at the trade deadline.
Saw that ... don't expect anything to come of it.
Think the logic was trading Cease for an elite prospect who steps in to the Padre line-up and then take the saved $13.8MM and sign Flaherty to a multi-year deal in that same range.
Flaherty not as good as Cease but Cease is gone after 2025 (no chance to re-sign him at the money Boras will demand) so is getting multi-years of Flaherty plus a low cost, elite prospect to fill a current need net a better result short term and long term? Faults in that logic are that the Cubs will give up that "elite ML ready" prospect (probably not) and Flaherty will sign that cheaply (probably not but pretty sure Preller has that scoped out already).
Hard to see them dealing either Cease or King unless they have something in the weeds with a "bargain" signing of Flaherty AND would get a quaintly ML ready SP prospect as part of the return along with a need position player prospect.
Sort of a plus 3 being better than the minus 1 ... all netting at the same to the payroll. Plus the added benefit of setting up 2026.
#438 · January 30, 2025, 2:56 pm
Wonder if not coming to agreement with King to avoid arbitration before exchanging figures ... and heading to arbitration (something Preller has always avoided) ... makes Preller even less optimistic about an extension down the road and, maybe, puts King more viable for a trade? I would bet to some teams he is viewed better than Cease and is cheaper by $5MM (or more).
Thinking at team like BALT that is always on a tight budget but with a ton of position player elite prospects ML ready might push for King.
#439 · January 30, 2025, 4:36 pm
40-year old Scherzer to Blue Jays for 1 year $15.5 million.
#440 · January 30, 2025, 5:20 pm
Quote from ultratvfan on January 30, 2025, 4:36 pm40-year old Scherzer to Blue Jays for 1 year $15.5 million.
That just makes Cease and his contract look that much better.