Quote from MrPadre19 on December 1, 2021, 7:02 am

Not a big fan of the Pagan signing.

Dude had a bad 21'.

Seems we could replace that with a guy at minimum.

I realize $2.3 mil isn't breaking the bank....but he was not reliable.

Hope he at least doesn't see any high leverage situations unless he proves to be more dependable.

 

Quote from fenn68 on December 1, 2021, 7:30 am

Quote from MrPadre19 on December 1, 2021, 7:02 am

Not a big fan of the Pagan signing.

Dude had a bad 21'.

Seems we could replace that with a guy at minimum.

I realize $2.3 mil isn't breaking the bank....but he was not reliable.

Hope he at least doesn't see any high leverage situations unless he proves to be more dependable.

 

Yeh, he was on the bubble of a non-tender in my mind but his TB time was good and maybe the new pitching coach helps … so 2021 an aberration?

Given MLB’s shortage of RP .. at $2.3MM Pagan can still be a legit trade chip if the other Padre RP options leapfrog him. Sort of chicken and egg … don’t eliminate a legit ML RP (even though not elite) before a proven upgrade is in place.

No roster crunch at this time and still a trade option but even if in ST they DFA him (most likely claimed) but if clears, Padres only on the hook for 25-50% depending on timing of the release.

 

Quote from Randy Manese on December 1, 2021, 12:12 pm

Agreed that Pagan closed out the year looking really awful, giving up 7 of his 16 HRs in September, but he had an exceptional August and May and the rest of the months prior to September were at least MLB average for RPs.

Remember that almost the entire Padres pitching staff collapsed down the stretch and Pagan was one of those who took the ball when called upon even though he had some nagging injuries.  At $2.3MM and another controllable year, Pagan is a bargain compared to what relievers with a lesser portfolio are signing for - he would be very easy to move in trade.  With time off and a new pitching coach, he could be a solid piece of the Padres bullpen in 2022 or an attractive trading chip to another contending team,

Quote from Randy Manese on December 1, 2021, 12:15 pm

I'm hoping that the Padres can re-sign Castillo, Strahm and Wingenter to minor league contracts and stash them on the IL until healthy.  Doubt any team will take them on their 40-man given the injury history, so hope to keep them in the organization, especially Castillo.

Quote from fenn68 on December 1, 2021, 12:32 pm

Quote from Randy Manese on December 1, 2021, 12:15 pm

I'm hoping that the Padres can re-sign Castillo, Strahm and Wingenter to minor league contracts and stash them on the IL until healthy.  Doubt any team will take them on their 40-man given the injury history, so hope to keep them in the organization, especially Castillo.

That should make sense to Castillo and Wingenter in order to keep aligned with their rehab programs with the same medical staff personnel. Makes sense for the Padres (unless they have some real concerns about their injuries) since they both had plus arms and retain long control if they make it back.

Could be the same logic with Strahm but in his case he is a bit older and more success than the other two ... if the rehab on his knee seems a high probability / quick ... he may draw some interest from other organizations and position of a quicker return to the ML.

If I understand the proposed lockout rules .... none can sign a ML deal during the lockout but minor league transactions can continue. What is unclear, since all three have ML time and I guess are MLBPA members, can they even sign a minor league deal after today or do they have to wait until the new CBA.

If they can only sign after the new CBA ... some incentive to agree to something today with the Padres so they can maintain rehab. My understanding is that both sides agree that players in rehab still can have contact with their organization for treatment.

 

Quote from fenn68 on December 1, 2021, 12:37 pm

Anyone heard any rumors on the Japanese OF Suzuki? As I understood he had a 30 day window to sign or go back to Japan ... with the CBA ending and the freeze, if he does not sign today he goes back?

I have heard no rumors even of heavy interest from any team or "insiders" reports on what his status is. He was much ballyhooed when he first wast announced as coming over ... MLBTR had him in the top 50 FA ... curious.

 

Quote from Randy Manese on December 1, 2021, 2:08 pm

My understanding is that his 30 day window will be "frozen" when the CBA lapses and then re-open when the new CBA is signed.  Problem could be that since the JPL starts spring training earlier than the US, he might decide to head back to Japan if the CBA negotiations drag on and try again next year.  Also, I wonder what happened to Sugano, the RHP who was posted last year?  I know he was injured last season and did not pitch in the Olympics but I thought he has the option to try again this year per his contract in Japan.  If healthy, Sugano may be an option as a 5th starter.

Quote from fenn68 on December 1, 2021, 2:47 pm

Padres have signed RP Luis Garcia for 2 years / $7MM (don’t know the yearly allocation).

Older but finished 2021 as a pretty decent late game option for STL. Apparently he modified his pitch mix and got his FB average to over 98MPH thus improving his effectiveness.

Just adds some legit ML depth to the pen options.

Quote from sportwarrior on December 1, 2021, 2:49 pm

As far as the MiL contracts are concerned, my understanding is that anyone that did not play in the majors in 2021 is eligible to sign after the deadline.

Also, I can't help but feel like we missed an opportunity to flesh out our rotation in significant fashion. Cobb and Gray signed for a combined annual commitment of $23m. That feels extremely reasonable for those two arms. What's more, if we're sitting at $184m, it feels silly and counter productive to suddenly pinch pennies to the point where you exclude make 2-3 mid range additions that could put you over the top. If you can't sign those kinds of guys when you're playing at this level of payroll, you shouldn't be playing at this level at all.

Now word is nothing is imminent on the rotation front, which I assume would be the case regardless of the looming deadline. That, frankly, is unacceptable. I want to say I trust in Preller, but he failed spectacularly at the deadline. I think we all need to see something this offseason after the team utterly betrayed a city's faith and its own talent with such a catastrophic showing last season.