Quote from fenn68 on December 10, 2024, 12:51 pm

Quote from Alex Tamayo on December 10, 2024, 12:37 pm

Quote from WindsorUK on November 3, 2024, 1:49 am

Anyone in on Walker Buehler?

Is there a good chance he signs a 1 year make good deal somewhere? To increase chance of big contract in '26? He's only, what, 30 now? Puts up good numbers next year, sets up well for long term deal.

Guys usually look better year 2 after TJ.

 

Wouldn't be a fan, don't see what's up with all the hype, he had two good outings after getting lit up by the Pads in game 3, besides, with the limited budget I don't think taking a chance with a guy like him should be the way to go. By the way I was looking at the commitment regarding the Hosmer situation, I ignored that the worse part is not the 12 millions that he gets paid next year, but the 17 millions that his deal impacts the CBP, that is awful.

No matter what Buehler signs for ... too much given this budget and his high risk profile.

Quote from lafnboy13 on December 11, 2024, 11:07 am

Forget about the BoSox and Cease. They just got Crochet and Teel is in the package

 

Sorry... Wrong thread

Quote from LynchMob on December 23, 2024, 7:33 pm

With thanks for LanceR (aka Positive Padre) ...

The great Joe Sheehan's take on the 2025 Padres (with plenty on the 2023 and 2024 versions as a preface):

"San Diego Padres

I won’t make the long speech again, but before we close the book, I want to remind everyone that the 2023 and 2024 Padres were pretty much the same caliber of team. They were shaped differently, but in the end the difference was that one of them went 2-12 in extra innings Calvinball, and the other went 10-2. Extra-innings outcomes have always been high variance, and nowadays, with the stupid runner on second, they’re just random.

The Padres didn’t have special one-run games skill. They were 14-18 in nine-inning one-run games. They just caught lucky in 13 extra innings scattered around a six-month season, same as they’d caught unlucky the year before.

Put all that aside now, and let’s try to figure out what the 2025 Padres are. The core returns, down Jurickson Profar’s career year, and with Joe Musgrove already out for the season. A team that shaved its tax payroll by 20% in 2024 (and cash outlay by a third) and has almost no local-TV revenue may find its hands tied. The team as currently constructed is already over the tax threshold, per Cot’s, and it has no real left fielder or DH or bench and is short at least one starting pitcher. Years of trades have thinned out the farm system at the upper levels, though the Padres have two of the top-rated prospects, both teenagers, in catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leodalis De Vries. There’s not much coming in 2025, though, and that increases the pressure to spend to fill holes.

The Padres did get under the tax threshold last year, which could make them more likely to go over it this year. The question is, by how much? Are they willing to push the payroll back towards $300 million and incur higher penalties if it means another playoff run? They’re in an awkward spot right now; spending $290 million on a playoff team may not sound like fun, but it’s better than spending $250 million on a .500 team. They have a great core in Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Dylan Cease, Manny Machado, and Michael King; they’re almost obligated to keep pushing.

The Padres, as currently constructed, are more wild-card contender than anything else, and they could be passed in that group as other NL teams make moves this winter."

Quote from fenn68 on December 24, 2024, 3:25 am

Need to keep in focus that the Padres won 93 games in 2024 with a team that had some major negatives.

First the losses of Profar (played almost a full season and topped the team in OPS) and Higashioka who stabilized the catching (but only for 84 games) will hurt. However, consider that although Musgrove is out … he only pitched in 19 games (just over a half a season. Darvish only pitched in 15 games. A full season of Darvish offsets the loss of a half a season of Musgrove looking at 2024 results. Padres had to use as starters Waldron (26 starts / 4.91 ERA) and Vasquez (20 starts / 4.87 ERA) … thinking they can’t get worse. Losing Scott out of the pen hurts BUT he was only with the Padres for Aug-Sep and the current pen should cover his loss. Could argue that the current roster’s pitching is no worse when Darvish is back for a full season.

On offense in games played: Tatis (102); Arraez (117 after trade and played injured); Kim (121); Bogaerts (111 and played injured) … yes, the loss of Kim is an issue but full seasons out of the others while healthy should make the core offense stronger. Plus don’t forget Machado played the start of the season recovering from the elbow surgery and played poorly in Apr/May (below .700 OPS) and should be stronger for a full season.

Padres made the playoffs with 93 wins with significant “holes” in the roster over the course of 2024 … most should be self correcting for 2025 and new ones from the FA will emerge. However the core should be strong … and playoff quality … with a TBD on filling the new holes with low cost options.

If they sign Sasaki they actually will have a stronger starting staff to pair with a healthy stronger offense … so hard to be too negative yet. Now, who they trade to make payroll (and who they get in return) clearly has impact … maybe a minus but maybe just neutral or even a positive given the needs of the full roster.

 

Quote from Randy Manese on January 3, 2025, 11:22 pm

The player I'm looking forward to seeing for an entire healthy season is Fernando Tatis, Jr.  You may recall that when he first came up, he had a problem with his shoulders - occasionally popping them out of their sockets but easily popping them back in.  Don't know if that looseness in his shoulders allowed him to attack the ball with unbelievable force yet have a great barrel rate but he was doing things someone at his age shouldn't be able to do.

After his motorcycle accident, wrist injury and PED suspension (I still don't believe he intentionally was on PEDs) he hasn't got close to what he did with his Hard Hit rate and his Barrel rate was in 2020 and 2021 - until the last 30 PA in the post season last year.  Could it be that recovering from post-surgical adhesions in his shoulder(s) and possibly re-gaining more flexibility in his wrist may have been the reason for this?

Tatis did not play winter ball this year and at age 26 (still theoretically several years away from his peak performance years) I think he's ready to be that force we know he can be.  40+ HRs are not out of the question and he may even steal 30+ bases depending upon the composition of our line-up in 2025.  If somehow we can get Profar (LF), Kim (ss) and Diaz (c) to rejoin the team, I thinking we have a real shot to be in the playoffs based on our offensive firepower carrying a weakened SP group.  Just have to get a lead and let a strong bullpen put the game away.   Fun to dream in the off-season!

Quote from MrPadre19 on March 5, 2025, 7:36 am

I saw a picture of Yu Darvish's son who is now pitching in High School...his first name is Shohei.

Thought was interesting

Obviously not named after Ohtani....still interesting

 

 

Quote from WindsorUK on March 10, 2025, 9:10 am

Now with Iglesias in the picture, does AJ ramp up discussions on moving Cronenworth? Would he settle for less than he would have prior to the Iglesias signing?

Bogaerts is a 1 year stop gap back at SS( I'd move Xander back to 2B today but I don't think he'd be too impressed!) and if they're considering re-signing Arraez, Jake really becomes odd man out( especially with his inability of hitting lefty's).

Does a Suarez/Cronenworth package make sense to any team out there?

Quote from MrPadre19 on March 10, 2025, 3:09 pm

Do the Yankees call AJ again now that Cole is out for the season?

Do they have enough to even get AJ interested?

With how much they’ve lost already this off season,Gil also banged up….would they trade Jones & Warren,both with years of control,for Cease to try and stay competitive in the tough Al East?

Is that enough…..to much?

I don’t want to trade Cease at all….but if the Yanks are desperate.

My guess is they call Miami first about Alcantara.

Quote from BoosterSD on March 10, 2025, 4:43 pm

Quote from MrPadre19 on March 10, 2025, 3:09 pm

Do the Yankees call AJ again now that Cole is out for the season?

Do they have enough to even get AJ interested?

With how much they’ve lost already this off season,Gil also banged up….would they trade Jones & Warren,both with years of control,for Cease to try and stay competitive in the tough Al East?

Is that enough…..to much?

I don’t want to trade Cease at all….but if the Yanks are desperate.

My guess is they call Miami first about Alcantara.

Alcantara has his own health concerns, and NYY could end up right in the same boat as with Cole.

I do think that if NYY overwhelms Preller, we could see Cease dealt prior to the start of the season.