When pitchers and catchers report on February 18 for the Reds, Indians, Phillies, Pirates, and Giants, baseball will reawaken to a 2015 season full of possibilities. Many trades, both surprising and tactical, and a willingness to spend on free agents have many teams sitting in a competitive seat come April.
Padres Possibilities for 2015
When the Padres report for their first full squad workout on February 25 in Peoria, Arizona, only first base and second base hold carry-over starters from last year’s team in Yonder Alonso and Jedd Gyorko. The Padres reinventing of their roster makes them a favorite to overcome their last four losing seasons. New General Manager A.J. Preller has made a compelling story out of San Diego, using prospects and young players to net big returns in a “win now” fashion.
The major pick-up via free agency for the re-tooled Padres was starter James Shields, who figures to be number one in the rotation after singing a $75 million, four-year contract with a club option for a fifth season. “Big Game James” helped lead the Royals to quite an eventful season in 2014, and the Padres hope he can repeat the success he had last season, this time in the National League for the first time. Many consider this a great step for Shields, who, along with Jon Lester, switched from the American League to the National League to compete for better numbers. Shields is only an exclamation point in the off-season of the trade.
It mainly started on December 5: Shortstop Clint Barmes was signed to a one-year contract to add a stable presence in the infield. He was set to compete with Alexi Amarista for the shortstop position. A little over a week later, the Padres signed Brandon Morrow to a one-year contract to compete for a rotation spot after he missed a chunk of 2014 with hand and finger injuries. At the end of that week, San Diego went on a mission to overhaul their roster, acquiring All-Star catcher Derek Norris and minor league pitcher Seth Streich for pitchers Jesse Hahn and R.J. Alvarez on December 18. Acquiring Norris gave San Diego some leeway on both their catchers, Yasmani Grandal and Rene Rivera. Later that day, San Diego shipped Grandal, reliever Joe Wieland and minor league prospect Zach Eflin to the Dodgers for Matt Kemp, catcher Tim Federowicz and cash to cover Kemp’s contract.
The addition of Norris and Kemp within the same day shored up the San Diego line-up fairly well, and gave the Padres options to trade outfielders. The next day, December 19, involved a major three-team deal between the Padres, Rays and Nationals, that sent minor league first baseman Jake Bauers, minor league pitcher Burch Smith and catcher Rene Rivera to the Rays for Wil Myers and Ryan Hanigan from San Diego, and pitcher Joe Ross from the Padres to the Nationals. Within two days, the Padres added two outfielders to their depth chart who were of All-Star caliber. Hanigan was later shipped to the Red Sox for third baseman Will Middlebrooks, who comes into Spring Training penciled in as the starter there.
Even after the flurry of moves early on in the day, Preller was not done dealing. He acquired Justin Upton, who had been mentioned as a trade target for many, along with Aaron Northcraft from the Atlanta Braves for Max Fried, Jace Peterson, Dustin Peterson and Mallex Smith. Preller had now revamped the whole outfield (albeit lacking a proven centerfielder), and had done so by trading 14 players to various teams looking to rebuild. The next week, the Padres acquired a solid reliever in Shawn Kelley from the Yankees for minor league pitcher Johnny Barbato, and then signed former All-Star closer Jose Valverde to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training on January 10. Preller ended his additions spree with the signings of Ramiro Pena on January 26, catcher Wil Nieves on January 31, and Shields on February 11.
Many analysts have mentioned that the Padres infield still does not compare with the other infields of the National League West, and that the outfield does not have a proven centerfielder between Kemp, Myers and Upton. The Padres are carrying nine outfielders on their 40-man roster for the time being, including former All-Star Carlos Quentin and the speedy Will Venable. I see other outfielders being traded or cut by the time 25-man rosters are set, but Quentin creates an interesting trade candidate, as does Venable. It will be interesting to see how the outfield race shapes up by the time Manager Bud Black hangs the first line-up on the wall of the dugout, but for now, the Padres have a chance to make a huge jump forward in 2015.
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