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Off Season Thread
#321 · December 8, 2020, 11:12 am
As always Preller is “interested” but with a $25MM / 2 year and a $5MM posting fee (probably a minimum deal) might be too rich for the Padres with their other needs. Assuming the posting fee is upfront ... $17MM cash in 2021 might clean out the available money.
Obviously the player determines where he wants to go, but PADRES hold up a lot better as a FA destination vs. ANGELS than they would have a year ago.
I admit I was "compartmentalizing" the posting fee and "setting it aside" in my mind, when really it's effectively a "pay now" signing bonus. Does really damage Pads chances... BUT maybe THIS is where you look to the salary deferral from Machado & others: Gives team a better chance to win now AND in future. "NEED" the $ for the posting fee from MM now, pay it back to him later. Keep the "accounting" for Sugano's salary separate. Probably need more than the $3-8 MM remaining, but adding Sugano would unlock Lucchesi or Baez in a Stammen trade & free up that $ too.
#322 · December 8, 2020, 11:13 am
Quote from Brian Connelly on December 8, 2020, 10:58 amStating the obvious, but Eaton is a really good comp to Pham. Similar Bad 2020. Very similar High BA/OBP; less power & probably SP ability than Pham now. LH vs RH. Makes me feel even better about tendering Pham despite the tough year.
Good comp .... if CWS decline Eaton's option it is a one year / $8MM deal ... a match for Pham's.
#323 · December 8, 2020, 11:21 am
Not really a Padre consideration but what happened to the tight financial outlook consider a non-contender like KC just:
Royals To Sign Carlos Santana
The Royals have agreed to a two-year, $17MM deal with free agent first baseman Carlos Santana, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter).
#324 · December 8, 2020, 3:39 pm
I don't get this:
Padres Sign Brian O’Grady To Major League Contract
The Padres announced that they have signed outfielder Brian O’Grady to a major league contract. O’Grady cleared waivers with the Rays a couple weeks back and became a free agent.
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That fills the 40 man roster. O'Grady will be 29 in May ... LHH who can play CF ... but only 47 ML AB (not good AB) and a minor league career that was not all that impressive until 2019.
I could see him on a minor league contract but a ML deal?
For what it is worth he has two minor league option years and 6 years control ... so AAA in 2021 as insurance of a sort?
#325 · December 8, 2020, 3:45 pm
Full 40 man means any FA/trade adds must be immediately offset by a current player removed ... at least until ST.
#326 · December 8, 2020, 3:50 pm
Brian O’Grady Scouting Report
Position: 1B/OF | B/T: L/L
Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 215 lb | Drafted: 8th Round, 2014
Born: May 17, 1992
Hitting | It’s a below-average hit-tool, but his speed helps him get a few extra hits along the way.
Power | He’s got above-average power.
Speed | He’s an above-average runner.
Defense | There’s plenty of flexibility on the defensive side. He can handle center field, though he’s probably a little stretched there if he’s playing there every day. The corners work well and he’s fine at first base as well.
Arm | His arm is solid and plays anywhere in the outfield.
It’s been a big turn around for Brian O’Grady over the last two seasons. In 2017 he hit .185/.313/.347 as a 25-year-old. But he’s gone out and crushed the baseball in the two years since then and all of the work paid off as he reached the Majors in 2019. He’s certainly one of the oldest players to ever make the prospect list, but there’s value with what O’Grady brings to the table.
He probably isn’t going to be an every day player at one spot on the field. But he’s got the ability to play four spots – including the weird combination of first base AND center field. The defensive spectrum of positions he can play, along with the speed and power he brings could keep him around for a while on a big league roster. There’s some swing-and-miss to his offensive profile. He’s not likely to hit for a high average because of that, but the power is real. And while he won’t be confused with Billy Hamilton or Byron Buxton with his speed – he’s fast and can run the bases well. It’s not a normal utility profile, but that’s not a bad thing in this case.
#327 · December 8, 2020, 5:49 pm
He was top 10 in Intl League in: 2B, HR, & RBI in 2019.... the year some guy named Jake Cronenworth won the IL batting title.
Career .252 / .354 in Minors, but 2018 & 2019 .280 / .359 with power both years big samples.
Say "Hello" to our: Mitch Moreland / Greg Garcia / (Jason Vosler) for 2020? Like that he can be optioned. But he might be one of those guys as 40-man rosters fill up that gets DFA and you hope to keep him.
He looks/sounds better than any of my Rule 5 ideas...
#328 · December 8, 2020, 7:53 pm
Let us hope the scouts did their job in evaluation. Given the current roster, he looks to be the LHH PH with versatility for all three OF and 1B.
We will see if he is the next Nick Martini (remember him) or the next Mike Yastrzemski who had a similar route to the ML at age 29.
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Still need a RHH PH / INF option. Wonder given the “league minimum’ profile for O’Grady they don’t try to replicate that for the INF option. Not great for the bench ... but saves money which in turn could be deployed for pitching.
Gamble, but the starting 8 are ticketed for full time duty which does not leave much work for the bench ... so why spend on them?
If you buy the $15MM to be deployed .... and only focus on pitching ... might end up with some quality for SP/RP.
#329 · December 8, 2020, 8:42 pm
Brian O'Grady sounds like this years version of Jurickson Profar......can play all three outfield spots and MLB reported he plays 1B and 3B, Left Handed hitter and has wheels so he can run and get you a bag if needed.
Sounds like AJ and staff found a very real possibility to replace Profar and Garcia in one felled swoop. They must have seen something that the Rays didn't
#330 · December 9, 2020, 5:30 am
Quote from 3fingersplit on December 8, 2020, 8:42 pmBrian O'Grady sounds like this years version of Jurickson Profar......can play all three outfield spots and MLB reported he plays 1B and 3B, Left Handed hitter and has wheels so he can run and get you a bag if needed.
Sounds like AJ and staff found a very real possibility to replace Profar and Garcia in one felled swoop. They must have seen something that the Rays didn't
When I saw the comment about playing 3B / 1B ... checked his history and think he has only a 9 appearances at 3B over his college / minor league decade of playing.
Wouldn’t get too ahead of the game in thinking O’Grady is the answer to the bench need. In November, 2019 (after his breakout seasons in the minors) he was DFA by CINN (ended up being dealt to TB off waivers). A year later, he is DFA by TB ... clears waivers even with 6 years control at league minimum.
Guessing the Padres are still looking for more alternatives for those bench roles ... O’Grady is that insurance policy / bridge to that end.
Just don’t know how his agent got a ML contract out of the Padres when every team passed on him on waivers.