The San Diego Padres - 2025 and Beyond

[Sundance]

4/4/2034

Well, it didn’t take long to chalk up the season’s first no hitter. Orioles pitcher Juan Gutierrez held Houston hitless as Baltimore took the game 2-0. The 28 year old struck out 9 and walked 2.

4/9/2034

Giants reliever Luis Pena has been suspended by the league for the use of a banned substance. His violation of the league’s drug policy has resulted in an 80 game suspension. Pena was brought to the club in 2032 and has racked up 67 saves for the Giants since then. He was slated to make $14.3 million this year. There has been no official word yet from either Pena or the Giants organization.

4/20/2034

Padres starter Antonio Mendoza shut out the Giants today on the team’s way to an 8-0 victory. Mendoza struck out 7, walked none, and gave up 5 hits on the day.

4/28/2034

Juan Gallo of the Cubs has reached hit #2000! The 35 year old third baseman went 3-3 in today’s game as the Cubs topped the Brewers 11-2. Gallo is a career .288 hitter with 259 HR and 1030 RBI.

4/29/2034

Another day, another milestone. 2B Sancho Berrios has hit homerun #300! The homerun was Berrios' only hit in 5 tries as his Cubs went on to beat the Dodgers 6-2. The 31 year old is enjoying a hot start to this season, hitting .308 with 8 HR and 15 RBI.

4/30/2034

Star second baseman Antonio Zavala will be riding the pine for the next two months. The 29 year old suffered a strained hip muscle while running the bases in today’s game against the A’s. Zavala is a former MVP and a 5-time All-Star. So far this season he is hitting .286/.375/.536 for Baltimore.

Monthly Review

We opened the season with a pretty decent record of 14-10. Things looked pretty bleak early on as we started just 1-4, but we seemed to right the ship. We currently sit in 2nd place, just .5 games behind LA. It’s a super small sample size, but the team is performing well thus far. Our offense ranks in the top 3 in most cateogories, and our pitching staff ranks 1st in most categories, although our pen still seems a bit vulnerable. They've got good WHIPs, but the hits they are giving up are counting for a lot.

Hot

1B Jean-Philippe Gras - .366/.448/.451, 17 RBI
2B Jim DeWitt - .312/.337/.473
SS Alfredo Miranda - .340/.391/.604, 4 HR, 8 doubles, 4 triples, 14 RBI
SP Bob Jone – 1-0, 1.99 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 10.3 K/9
SP Gustavo Spotelli – 4-0, 0.92 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 29 K
SP Antonio Mendoza – 2-2, 2.10 ERA, 1.03 WHIP

Not

CF Jose Delgado - .225/.281/.303

Down on the Farm

LHP Vic Rheaume (AA) – 0-3, 10.32 ERA, 22 K
OF Luis Cortez (A) - .300, 1 HR, 3 RBI
LHP Antonio Garcia (A) – 1-3, 3.18 ERA, 23 K
SS Artie Hall (AA) - .100, 0 HR, 1 RBI
RHP Romaric Jouve (AAA) – 2-2, 3.60 ERA, 13 K
1B Ron Lambright (A) - .356, 2 HR, 16 RBI
LHP Jared Best (SA) – N/A
1B Antonio Sanchez (SA) – N/A
C Dan Martin (AAA) - .308, 4 HR, 15 RBI
RHP Jin-Oong Kang (A) – 4-0, 2.51 ERA, 27 K

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – Calvin Maltman (.360 BA, 8 HR, 20 RBI, 17 R), Rangers
Top Pitcher – Juan Gutierrez (4-0, 1.19 ERA, 54 K), Orioles
Rookie – Aytekin Cikirikci (.392 BA, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R), Rangers

NL:

Top Batter – Ivan Pena (.351 BA, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 20 R), Giants
Top Pitcher – Gustavo Spotelli (4-0, 0.92 ERA, 29 K), Padres
Rookie – Luis Manuel Ramos (.342 BA, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 10 R), Giants

[Sundance]

5/5/2034

White Sox outfielder Ted Rodriguez has reached hit #2000! The 37 year old went 1-4 today, but his team dropped the game 3-1 to the Rangers. Rodriguez has struggled so far his season, but lifetime he is a .321 hitter with 183 HR and 891 RBI.

5/7/2034

This year’s draft pool has been announced! The top 10 prospects appear to be:

RHP Alex Black – OSA has him pegged as a mid-rotation guy, but I could see him as a front end starter. He projects to have good stuff, movement, and control. Everything that he throws has a wrinkle in it – a mid 90s sinker, a curve, a slider, and a change that he’ll need to work on.

OF Brad Richard – He’ll be a borderline talent straight out of college. He projects to be a line drive hitter that’ll hit for average. He’s got a superb approach at the plate and isn’t afraid to take a walk. Great defender with one of the strongest arms around. He’ll probably be the fastest guy in the league when he eventually makes it to the pros.

SS Ron Franks – The game comes naturally to Franks, and you can tell that he is the sort of player that’s never truly had to push himself. He’s got all the talent in the world, but his work ethic and mental fortitude is incredibly questionable. If he can get to his potential, he’ll be an incredibly well-rounded batter, but he’s a risk with his current attitude.

1B Jim Taylor – Projects to be a .300+ batter that can give you 20 doubles and 20 HR a season. He won’t work the count as well as you’d like, but he’s not going to swing and miss a whole lot either. He’s ok out in the field. He’s got a sure glove on anything within reach, but if he has to move for a ball he’s in trouble. No speed to speak of, but he’s not going to kill you out on the bases either.

RHP Joey Foster – Looks like a mid-rotation starter. Average stuff with above average movement and control with his pitches. He can regularly touch 99 MPH with his fastball, and his arm holds up surprisingly well – he’s a workhorse. Should develop a nasty slider, but will need to really work on his changeup if he wants to be a starter.

RHP Ron Jones – Another mid-rotation guy. Average stuff, above average movement on his pitches, and he’s got good control. Throws a cutter in the low to mid 90s and has a changeup that should be extra nasty. He also throws a forkball and a slider which he’ll need to improve. He’s also got a surprisingly deceptive pickoff move for a righty.

RHP Ben Smith – Projects to be a mid-rotation starter. Similar to Jones, he’s got average stuff, above average movement, and good control. He’s got three big league ready pitches in a fastball that hits 99 MPH, a cutter, and a curveball that has a lot of potential. Should develop a decent fourth pitch.

RHP Ed Hembrow – Did all of these guys just come out of a machine? This is another mid-rotation prospect that should develop average stuff, above average movement, and good control. He hits 99 MPH with his fastball, has a good forkball, a changeup that is improving, and a curve that’ll need a lot of work. He’s a workhorse that should rack up the innings.

OF Jim Goodall – Looks like a future bench player to me. Slightly below average offensive prospect. He’s got ok speed, but he’s a heads up runner – picks his spots to steal or advance well. Solid glove in the outfield with a plus arm.

LHP Steve Johnston – Should develop into a closer. Only thing holding him back right now is his control. Once that develops, he should have some nasty stuff that he can regularly spot. Throws a cutter in the mid to high 90s and keeps hitters off balanced with a changeup. Biggest drawback for this guy is that he’s injury prone.

5/29/2034

Padres third baseman Brendan Rodgers will be spending some time on the bench after straining his oblique during today’s game against the Rockies. The 36 year old is expected to miss at least one week as he recovers. So far this season Rodgers is hitting just .239 with 8 HR, 16 RBI, and 30 R.

5/30/2034

More bad news for the Padres – right fielder Edouard Kieffer is expected to miss the next five weeks after straining his hamstring during today’s game against the Cardinals. Kieffer has struggled so far this season, hitting just .224 with 5 HR and 21 RBI. No word yet on who will be called up to replace him on the roster.

Monthly Review

May was an average month for the club. We went 14-14, bringing our overall record to 28-24. We’ve fallen to 3rd place, but we’re just 2 games behind the Giants, and just 1 game behind the 2nd place Dodgers. The offense is still performing well – we now rank in the top 4 in every category except for HR, where we rank 7th. Our pitching on the other hand has struggled a bit. We’re 1st in starter’s ERA, 2nd in K, and 2nd in opponent’s batting average, but our walks, runs allowed, and bullpen ERA have all gone up.

Hot

LF Jorge Alvarado - .359/.384/.530, 3 HR, 11 doubles, 12 RBI, 9 SB
CF Jorge Delgado - .327/.393/.510, 1 HR, 8 doubles, 4 triples, 15 RBI, 7 SB
OF Jose Santos - .304/.304/.435
SP Antonio Mendoza – 3-2, 2.38 ERA, 1.20 WHIP
RP Cristo Gutierrez – 2.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP
RP Kevin Lee – 2.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP

Not

2B Jim DeWitt - .213/.259/.287, 26 K
2B Bob McKee - .158/.200/.211
3B Brendan Rodgers - .226/.317/.387, 21 K
RF Edouard Kieffer - .183/.260/.330, 48 K
SP Bob Jone – 2-2, 6.15 ERA, 1.97 WHIP
RP Edwin Harvey – 7.50 ERA, 1.92 WHIP, 5.3 BB/9
CL David Gonzalez – 0-2, 5 SV, 3.68 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 4.9 BB/9

Down on the Farm

LHP Vic Rheaume (AA) – 3-6, 6.12 ERA, 57 K
OF Luis Cortez (A) - .327, 1 HR, 8 RBI
LHP Antonio Garcia (A) – 5-4, 2.78 ERA, 47 K
SS Artie Hall (AA) - .228, 2 HR, 10 RBI
RHP Romaric Jouve (AAA) – 5-3, 2.57 ERA, 41 K
1B Ron Lambright (A) - .377, 4 HR, 28 RBI
LHP Jared Best (SA) – N/A
1B Antonio Sanchez (A) – .269, 4 HR, 21 RBI
C Dan Martin (AAA) - .267, 13 HR, 34 RBI
RHP Jin-Oong Kang (A) – 5-2, 2.98 ERA, 58 K

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – David Vela (.390 BA, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 18 R), Falcons
Top Pitcher – Grayson Yarrigle (7 SV, 1.06 ERA, 21 K), Yankees
Rookie – Luis de Jesus (.253 BA, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R), Royals

NL:

Top Batter – Bobby Crawford (.387 BA, 9 HR, 20 RBI, 14 R), Rockies
Top Pitcher – Hector Rodriguez (6-0, 2.20 ERA, 44 K), Cardinals
Rookie – Luis Manuel Ramos (.435 BA, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 11 R), Giants

[Sundance]

With the 26th overall pick in the 2034 Draft, the San Diego Padres selected college pitcher Whit Jackson.

To say that the draft pool was shallow when it came time for us to pick would be an understatement. There wasn’t any real offensive talent worth drafting in the 1st round, and Jackson was by far the best pitcher on the board. Even so, he’s far from a sure thing. This kid has the potential to have some of the nastiest stuff in the league. He should get decent movement on his pitches, but what really concerns us is his control. He’s going to be a high risk, high reward reliever. When he’s on, he’ll be untouchable, but he can’t consistently throw strikes. He can bring the heat with a fastball in the high 90s, and he has a slider that could potentially be brutal. We’re conservatively high on this kid – his potential stuff is just too good to not be excited about, but we are certainly wary of his control issues.

2nd Round Pick: 1B Jim York
We wanted a position player in the second round, and York seemed to fit the bill. He’s a slightly below average to average offensive prospect, but he should be a somewhat well-rounded batter. He’s not starter material, but he should be able to fill in as a role player if needed. Over a full season, he’d probably hit .250 with 10-15 HR.

3rd Round Pick: SS Jeff Bartlett
He’s a below average offensive talent, but like York, he doesn’t have any huge glaring weakness at the plate. He’s got good speed and excellent instincts on the base paths. He’s a solid defender and can make most throws. He looks like a solid backup infielder.

4th Round Pick: SS Oscar McMahon
We almost drafted McMahon in the 3rd round, but we gambled that he’d still be around in the 4th, and that gamble paid off. He’s a line drive hitter that’s hard to strike out. We were higher on this kid than the experts. There’s nothing flashy about his game, but I think that he can produce. Unfortunately, we offered a contract just below his demand and he immediately broke off negotiations. So he’s off to college instead.

5th Round Pick: SP Chris Thompson
Not expecting much here, but he was by far the best pitching prospect still available. He lacks effective stuff even though he gets ok movement and has good control with his pitches. He throws a cutter in the low 90s, but it lacks the bite needed to truly be effective. He’s does have good off speed stuff however, but without a pitch than can consistently set it up, batters can just key in on those pitches.

#1 Overall Pick: SS Ron Franks (Toronto)

[Sundance]

I screwed up. I blame mental fatigue from studying for finals lol…

Anyway, we’re just going to go ahead and skip to the end of the season and do the best that we can with what we’ve got. My apologies.

[Sundance]

We finished the season with a pretty nice record of 90-72. We were part of a three-way tie for the second best record in the NL, but unfortunately, that was only good enough for 2nd place in the division. The Dodgers went nuts in the second half of the season and ended up with a record of 103-59.

Here’s a peek at the playoff teams:

AL East: Baltimore Orioles – 104-58
AL Central: Minnesota Twins – 95-67
AL West: Seattle Mariners – 85-77
AL Wildcard: Boston Red Sox – 96-66
AL Wildcard: Kansas City Royals – 94-68

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies – 90-72
NL Central: Cincinnati Reds – 90-72
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers – 103-59
NL Wildcard: San Diego Padres – 90-72
NL Wildcard: Atlanta Braves – 89-73

[Sundance]

In the AL Wildcard game, the Red Sox took on the Royals. Kansas City entered the series as the highest scoring team in the AL, but you wouldn’t know that based on the scoreline. Boston, ranked 14th in the AL in runs scored, took down the Royals 4-0.

In the NL Wildcard game, we took on the Braves. Going into this series, we knew this game would be all about the pitching. The Braves gave up the 2nd fewest runs in the NL and sent young star pitcher Ken Phipps out on the hill. We gave up the 3rd fewest runs and opted for the former NL Cy Young runner-up Gustavo Spotelli as our starter. Both starters were solid with Phipps going 7.0 IP with 5 K and 1 run, and Spotelli going 8.0 IP with 9 K and 1 run. Things got a bit more interesting when we went to the pens. We took a 1 run lead in the 8th, but had a bit of a scare when we went to close things out. The pressure got to our closer a bit, as he gave up 2 walks before eventually retiring the side. We took the game, 2-1.

Divisional Series

Baltimore wins the series 3-2 over Boston
Seattle wins the series 3-1 over Minnesota
Cincinnati wins the series 3-2 over Philadelphia

San Diego vs. Los Angeles

BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!

The battle for SoCal – San Diego vs. Los Angeles. This was another series for the pitchers as LA was the toughest team in the NL to score against. This was a tight series, but it was our pitching staff that stepped up to the challenge – only allowing 1 LA hitter to bat over .250. Our lineup, on the other hand, was feast or famine. We had some great performances from the likes of Miranda (.364), DeWitt (.389), Delgado (.353), and Rodgers (.294/.400/.353). But we also had our struggles with Alvarado batting .105 and Kieffer going a horrendous 1 for 20. In the end, it was a close series, but we took it 3-2.

League Series

Baltimore wins the series 4-3 over Seattle

San Diego vs. Cincinnati

The classic battle between good pitching and good hitting. As I mentioned before, we gave up the 3rd fewest runs in the NL. The Reds, on the other hand, scored the 4th most runs in the league. We both finished the season with the same record, so this was shaping up to be a pretty tight series.

This was definitely not the pitcher’s duels of the previous series – Spotelli pitched 3 games and got knocked around for 5 HR. Our pen struggled at times, with both Lee and Maeda posting ERAs over 9. Their guys didn’t do a whole lot better, with two of their starters posting ERAs over 5, and two of their relievers with ERAs over 11.

Alvarado had a monster series, holding a line of .419/.419/.677. Kieffer finally decided to show up and hit .321 with a couple of dingers. Jean-Philippe Gras proved once again that he lives for the postseason - .348/.400/.565 with 6 RBI. Rodriguez has continued to struggle mightily this postseason. He’s only managed to hit .200 over the last two series, but he’s racked up 10 RBI over that period, so at least his hits are counting I suppose.

We ended up taking the series, 4-3.

Championship Series

San Diego vs. Baltimore

This series was set up to be another close one. Baltimore was, by far, the best team in the AL, and they have a team that is tough to deal with on both sides of the ball. However, our boys are not ones to be intimidated, and seeing as how we had already knocked off one top team, we were up for the challenge.

Neither team had a particularly great series. They had three players get hot, but we had four. In the end, that was all we needed. Miranda, Delgado, Gras once again, and a couple of solo shots from Rodriguez. Between the four of them, we were able to string some victories together and take the series, 4-1.

[Sundance]

MVP

AL:

LF David Vela, Jac
.379/.472/.615, 31 HR, 40 doubles, 105 RBI, 9.6 WAR

NL:

1B Bobby Crawford, Col
.329/.375/.570, 39 HR, 40 doubles, 114 RBI, 7.5 WAR
(Jorge Alvarado finished 2nd)

Cy Young

AL:

SP Juan Gutierrez, Bal
18-5, 1.81 ERA, 274 K

NL:

SP Artie McAdoo, LAD
19-9, 2.50 ERA, 220 K

Rookie of the Year

AL:

CF Luis de Jesus, KC
.244/.341/.406, 18 HR, 31 doubles, 75 RBI, 17 SB, 3.9 WAR

NL:

SS Antonio Lozano, Col
.268/.353/.401, 14 HR, 46 RBI, 22 SB, 3.5 WAR

Reliever of the Year

AL:

Juan Martinez, Bos
31 SV, 2.24 ERA, 124.2 IP, 111 K

NL:

Jose Rodriguez, LAD
28 SV, 1.54 ERA, 81.2 IP, 103 K
(Former Padre Ivan Saldana finished 3rd)

Manager of the Year

AL:

Jordan Shipers, KC

NL:

Tae-Kyun Kim, LAD

Silver Slugger

AL:

P Orlando Reyes, KC - .261/.329/.304, 1 HR, -0.3 WAR
C Jose Rivera, Tex - .265/.351/.465, 26 HR, 58 RBI, 4.8 WAR
1B Juan Vasquez, Sea - .326/.354/.546, 32 HR, 45 doubles, 111 RBI, 5.0 WAR
2B Raul Ramos, Cle - .281/.344/.499, 30 HR, 31 doubles, 87 RBI, 6.0 WAR
3B Juan Flores, Bal - .293/.323/.528, 34 HR, 25 doubles, 91 RBI, 4.4 WAR
SS Tanyu Shirokawa, KC - .349/.375/.525, 16 HR, 31 doubles, 7 triples, 77 RBI, 6.3 WAR
LF David Vela, Jac - .379/.472/.615, 31 HR, 40 doubles, 105 RBI, 106 BB, 9.6 WAR
CF Dan Perry, Bos - .275/.339/.459, 31 HR, 20 doubles, 85 RBI, 22 SB, 4.1 WAR
RF Toshiharu Honma, Oak - .364/.406/.557, 17 HR, 51 doubles, 90 RBI, 5.4 WAR

NL:

P Bob Tait, Cin - .322/.369/.525, 2 HR, 0.3 WAR
C Jose Rodriguez, SD - .271/.384/.469, 21 HR, 32 doubles, 80 RBI, 5 SB, 5.5 WAR
1B Bobby Crawford, Col - .329/.375/.570, 39 HR, 40 doubles, 114 RBI, 7.5 WAR
2B Antonio Carrillo, Phi - .326/.360/.553, 23 HR, 46 doubles, 8 triples, 96 RBI, 6.0 WAR
3B Juan Hercila, Atl - .306/.345/.415, 7 HR, 33 doubles, 6 triples, 54 RBI, 37 SB, 3.4 WAR
SS Alfredo Miranda, SD - .293/.355/.462, 19 HR, 35 doubles, 9 triples, 70 RBI, 23 SB, 6.2 WAR
LF Jorge Alvarado, SD - .325/.357/.514, 26 HR, 38 doubles, 93 RBI, 27 SB, 6.4 WAR
CF Jesus Hernandez, Col - .305/.329/.546, 32 HR, 40 doubles, 104 RBI, 4.7 WAR
RF Sancho Acevedo, Col - .307/.360/.504, 25 HR, 31 doubles, 82 RBI, 5.8 WAR

Gold Glove

AL:

P Sylvain Launay, Jac
C Jesus Garcia, Oak
1B Tony Alvarado, Cle
2B Arturo Duarte, Bal
3B Buddy Bell, Oak
SS Fabien Nicolas, LAA
LF Fritz Steele, NYY
CF Daisuke Sumita, Sea
RF Sam Walters, Bos

NL

P Jose Carlos Salazar, Cin
C Gilberto Moneo, NYM
1B Jean-Philippe Gras, SD
2B Junji Yamamoto, LAD
3B Jesus Herrera, NYM
SS Alfredo Miranda, SD
LF Jorge Alvarado, SD
CF Alfredo Yan, Ind
RF Eric Crews, SF

[Sundance]

The Good

C Jose Rodriguez
.271/.384/.469, 21 HR, 32 doubles, 80 RBI, 5 SB, 5.5 WAR. Is anyone surprised anymore to see Rodriguez on this list? He wasn’t as dominant as he’s been in years past, but he still had an incredibly solid season. He added another All-Star selection, a second Silver Slugger award, and a World Series MVP award to his ever-growing collection of trophies. The 27th round wonder keeps amazing the baseball world.

1B Jean-Philippe Gras
.296/.352/.373, 4 HR, 24 doubles, 73 RBI, 26 SB, 1.3 WAR. 2034 was Gras’ first season playing first base, and all he did was go out and win a Gold Glove. He continues to be the type of player that will never be highly thought off outside of our organization, but he is a consistent performer and has a knack for showing up in big moments.

SS Alfredo Miranda
.293/.355/.462, 19 HR, 35 doubles, 9 triples, 70 RBI, 23 SB, 6.2 WAR. 2034 was a rather typical Miranda season, and I’m certainly not going to complain about that. He added another All-Star selection, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger to his resume.

LF Jorge Alvarado
.325/.357/.514, 26 HR, 38 doubles, 93 RBI, 27 SB, 6.4 WAR. Alvarado set career highs in hits, doubles, BA, and WAR. He also earned his third Gold Glove, third All-Star selection, first Silver Slugger, and was named the League Series MVP.

SP Raul Barosio
11-6, 3.09 ERA, 198.0 IP, 141 K, 1.02 WHIP, 3.2 WAR. Barosio’s numbers were almost identical to 2030, when we used him as one of the key pieces in the trade to bring Ruben Hinojosa, Hector Salas, and Jose Delgado to the club. He was also named the Divisional Series MVP.

SP Gustavo Spotelli
17-7, 2.80 ERA, 237.2 IP, 218 K, 1.01 WHIP, 4.7 WAR. 2034 saw Spotelli return to his dominant ways. He tied his second highest win total, posted his second lowest ERA, tied his career low in BB, and posted his second lowest WHIP.

RP Juan Diaz
2.63 ERA, 95.2 IP, 91 K, 1.06 WHIP, 0.9 WAR. Career bests in games, ERA, IP, K, WHIP, and WAR. 2034 was a big step forward for the 28 year old reliever.

RP Kevin Lee
2.65 ERA, 88.1 IP, 92 K, 1.08 WHIP, 1.6 WAR. He continues to be one of our best and most consistent options coming out of the pen. 2034 was one of his best performances, and we continue to look to him to lead the way in our bullpen.

CL David Gonzalez
40 SV, 3.33 ERA, 83.2 IP, 89 K, 1.43 WHIP, 3.03 FIP, 0.9 WAR. There were a couple of growing pains for Gonzalez this season – his command let him down at times, and he blew 8 saves. But all in all, there wasn’t a whole lot to complain about the 27 year old’s first season as the full time closer. He’s moving in the right direction, and we certainly aren’t going to complain about those 40 SV.

The Bad

3B Juan Cruz
.136/.175/.136, -0.5 WAR. I’m not going to hate on him too much because the only real reason he is with the club is for his defensive ability at third. But I can’t ignore that line – it’s horrible. He had twice as many strikeouts as hits.

SS Juan Colon
.226/.354/.316, 12 RBI, 12 SB, 0.2 WAR. After hitting .301 in AAA, Colon got called up and managed a meager .226 BA. Much like Cruz, I’m not going to be too hard on him since we just expect him to serve in a backup role. However, he’s got more than enough talent to contribute when called upon, so this performance was disappointing.

RF Edouard Kieffer
.232/.302/.391, 13 HR, 33 doubles, 65 RBI, 176 K, 13 SB, 1.8 WAR. Kieffer, Kieffer, Kieffer. What happened? Where did my .280-.290 hitter go? Since becoming a starter, 2034 saw Kieffer post his fewest number of hits, his lowest BA and OBP, his second lowest SLG, his most K, and his lowest WAR. He still has a ton of talent, but the last two seasons have definitely been steps in the wrong direction.

[Sundance]

Goals from the Owner

2034 – Reach the playoffs
2034 – End with a balance of $20 million
2039 – Win a championship

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Retirements/Losses

Rookie Ball:

RP To****sugu Kichida
RP Tomas Perez
Manager Kei Igawa

A:

SP Luis Feliz
SP Tokuma Fukuda
RF Jose Cintron
Hitting Coach Francisco Morales

AA:

SP Jose Quintanilla
1B Toshimichi Yamada

AAA:

SP Alfredo Pena
Manager Charlie Leesman

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Options

C Jose Rodriguez – Executed

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Trades

Trade #1

Cincinnati receives 25 year old RHP Scotty Hill from the Padres in exchange for 29 year old outfielder Rachid Legay.

Hill is a promising young arm, but we just didn’t see him as a vital piece of our club going forward. He’s one of those players that has a lot of the right pieces, but who also has a few holes. He throws in the upper 90s with outstanding control. But he doesn’t have an effective third pitch, and he gets tagged a little too often. We aren’t thrilled about letting him go, but we aren’t going to lose any sleep either.

Legay looks like he’ll be our 4th outfielder, or possibly a platoon option if Kieffer struggles again. He’s been hot over the last couple of seasons, averaging .276/.305/.440 with 15 HR, 25 doubles, and 10 triples. He’s got a great glove and a canon for an arm. We wanted a more consistent 4th outfielder, and he seems to fit the bill nicely.

Trade #2

The Padres send 23 year old OF Jose Santos, 30 year old C Freddy Brown, 26 year old RHP Sam McLeod, 21 year old 2B Bayanai Vinegas, and a selection of draft picks to the Dodgers. In exchange, San Diego receives 21 year old 2B Dave Chin.

[COLOR="rgb(65, 105, 225)"]Chin [/COLOR]is a guy we are definitely looking forward to. He has a lot of growing to do, but if he reaches his potential, he’ll be an above average offensive talent. He’s got a solid glove and good footwork out in the field, but it’s a good thing that he’s playing second base because I think my grandma has a better arm than him.

Santos isn’t a player that I’m thrilled about losing. The fact of the matter is that he’s underperformed for us over the last two seasons. He’s still just 23, so I think there’s still plenty of time for him to figure it out. We needed a more consistent 4th outfielder option, so with the acquisition of Legay, there just isn’t a spot for Santos. Brown is a serviceable backup catcher, but we have better options. McLeod is a decent pitching prospect. Above average stuff, average control and movement, and two solid pitches. He should have a respectable career as a reliever. Vinegas looks like a role player. He’s got below average offensive ability, but he has phenomenal speed. He might find a spot as a 4th outfielder or pinch runner on somebody’s roster.

Trade #3

The Atlanta Braves acquire 20 year old 3B Juan Cruz, 23 year old RF Mike Taylor, 20 year old 2B Yong-U Kyeong, and draft picks from San Diego. In return, the Padres receive 22 year old SS Jim McGinnity.

McGinnity is another middle infield prospect that we’re excited about. He’s mature in a lot of ways, but he still has quite a bit of growing to do. He’s a very solid defender, he’s got good speed and natural instincts on the base paths, and he has an incredible amount of patience at the plate for a youngster. But the rest of his offensive skills need to develop.

I think that Cruz will one day be a solid ball player. But he was only on our roster for his glove. He’s no longer our only option when it comes to a backup third baseman, so we felt like we could deal him to add depth in another area. Taylor is a kid that I think we’re selling high on. He’s got some great tools, but I just can’t see him hitting .317 for us again. He’s just not that type of player. Kyeong will probably end up as organizational depth, but he was a player that the Braves wanted. He might make an appearance on the big league roster someday as a backup or pinch runner option, but I just don’t see enough talent there for him to be anything more.

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Free Agent

With the recent success we’ve had signing veteran pitchers we decided to see if lightning would strike once again and targeted some aging arms.

Our first target was also our biggest gamble – 38 year old Winder Novas. He’s hurt. He’s recovering from a torn flexor tendon and won’t be available until after the All-Star break. But at $2.5 million, we felt like he was worth the risk. Novas is a 6-time All-Star. He’s a career 140-82 pitcher with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. In 14 seasons, he’s posted a WHIP 1.20 or higher just twice, and he led the league in K/9 in 4 different years. He’s certainly not the pitcher that he once was, but he can still be effective – just last year he went 12-3 with a 2.71 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 7.1 K/9 for the Rays. If he can bounce back from his injury, he’ll be a great addition to our team in the second half of the season as we make our playoff push.

The next pitcher we targeted was Ira Hopstaken. He’s in pretty much the same boat as Novas, as he is also recovering from a torn flexor tendon. He’s due back sometime in July or August. We’re a bit more invested in Hopstaken than we are in Novas, as he is commanding a $7 million salary. However, we feel like this will eventually be a quality investment. Hopstaken is a 2-time Cy Young winner and a 3-time All-Star. In his 12 years as a pro he’s only had a losing record twice, and only on one occasion did he have a WAR lower than 3. We also feel like we’re going to be around when it comes to the playoffs, and this is just another move to help us make that final push.

Our next signing is the biggest unknown of the bunch. 34 year old lefty Cesar Silva has had tremendous success as a reliever with Houston over his career, but 2034 was his first season as a starter, and it was an unremarkable year. The guy knows how to pitch, there’s no doubt about that. We just aren’t sure if he knows how to start. But with a price tag under $1 million, it’s worth the chance for us to find out.

Our last signing should be a familiar face for Padres fans – RP Dave Ling. After a disappointing 2033 season with us, we decided to let him walk. He had a bounce back year with Colorado, so when we saw him on the market again, we decided to bring him back. We’ve got a lot of young arms in our bullpen, so it’ll be nice to have one more veteran presence out there.

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League News

MLB has announced that it will be adding two new expansion teams! The San Antonio Cowboys will join the AL Central, while the Memphis Blues will join the NL East. The MLB has also announced that there has been a slight realignment of divisions with the Jacksonville Falcons moving from the AL Central to the AL East. (I had to make some adjustments here because (1) I didn’t care for the original names (San Antonio Fishermen and Memphis Red Pandas) and (2) the game put both teams in the AL. Also, this realignment may have screwed up some of the scheduling...We'll see I guess)

This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are:

CL Craig Kimbrel (3rd year)
643 SV, 2.36 ERA, 1685 K, 1.12 WHIP, 2.29 FIP

SP Stephen Strasburg (3rd year)
154-82, 2.72 ERA, 2088.2 IP, 2607 K, 1.05 WHIP, 2.70 FIP

1B James Robbins (1st year)
.268/.338/.507, 2152 hits, 492 HR, 404 doubles, 1508 RBI,

SP Matt Moore (3rd year)
189-117, 3.38 ERA, 2733.1 IP, 2782 K, 1.19 WHIP, 3.63 FIP

In his first year on the ballot, former Padres pitcher Robbie Erlin received 45.1% of the votes. His career stats are: 137-108, 3.32 ERA, 2507.2 IP, 2484 K, 1.14 WHIP, 3.45 FIP. 16 of his 17 seasons in the league were spent with San Diego.

Philadelphia Phillies owner David Montgomery has passed away. The cause of death has not yet been released. The Phillies are expected to make an official press announcement soon, and it is widely expected that Montgomery’s son, Jeremiah, will be named as the new owner. Jeremiah has a reputation for being charitable in financial matters and tolerant in personnel matters. Our thoughts go out to the Montgomery family and the Phillies organization.

Detroit manager Jose Carreno, Houston manager Shane Monahan, and Pittsburgh GM Ken Everhart have all been fired.

[Sundance]

Catchers

Starting C: Jose Rodriguez
2034 Stats: .271/.384/.469, 21 HR, 32 doubles, 80 RBI, 5 SB, 5.9 WAR
After a bit of a “down” year last season, Rodriguez enters 2035 as the second best catcher in the league according to the experts. At 34 years old, Father Time has started to catch up to Rodriguez. His power has diminished slightly and his legs are starting to go. However, he’s still got quite a lot left in the tank, so he should be able to produce another stellar season for the Padres.

Backup: Dan Martin
2034 Stats: .293/.371/.422, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 1.1 WAR
Martin could probably start for most teams in the league, but with Rodriguez in front of him, he’s a backup on this squad. He’s average defensively, but he’s a very solid offensive talent. The only real knock against him is that he’s a bit of a free swinger, so his strikeout numbers will always be high. Should Rodriguez ever go down with an injury, Martin will be able to step right in without missing a beat.

Infielders

Starting 1B: Jean-Philippe Gras
2034 Stats: .296/.352/.373, 4 HR, 24 doubles, 4 triples, 73 RBI, 26 SB, 1.7 WAR
In his first season at first base, he won a Gold Glove. That should tell you a little bit about this kid’s work ethic. Gras is the type of player that continues to defy the “experts.” Despite being a former 1st round draft pick, he’s never been highly thought of among the scouts. But he’s a career .296 hitter and his production continues to improve just about every season. The only real knock against him is that he has no homerun power to speak off. But he’s a solid contact hitter than can drive the ball into the gaps, he’s one of the toughest people in the league to strikeout, he's got top notch speed, and he’s one of the best defenders in the league. And let’s not forget that he loves to come up big when it matters the most.

Starting 2B: Jim DeWitt
2034 Stats: .281/.299/.396, 7 HR, 26 doubles, 5 triples, 70 RBI, 21 SB, 1.9 WAR
DeWitt is a solid big league player. There’s nothing too flashy about his game; he just goes and takes care of business day in and day out. He’s a career .282 hitter with good speed and great instincts on the base paths.

Starting 3B: Brendan Rodgers
2034 Stats: .259/.325/.422, 16 HR, 19 doubles, 40 RBI, 19 SB, 3.7 WAR
The old man just keeps chugging along. 2035 will be Rodgers’ 19th year in the league and with the club. 2800 hits, 288 HR, 420 doubles, 1114 RBI, and 712 SB. He’s certainly not the player that he once was, but there still appears to be quite a bit left in the tank. He’s only had a WAR under 3 just once in his career. His legs are going, but he’s a Gold Glove caliber defender and can still make pitchers pay at the plate. We’ve been waiting for his inevitable drop in performance, but he just keeps holding on. 2035 will be a big year in regards to his future as a ball player.

Starting SS: Alfredo Miranda
2034 Stats: .293/.355/.462, 19 HR, 35 doubles, 9 triples, 70 RBI, 23 SB, 6.6 WAR
Considered by many to be the league’s top shortstop, Miranda is coming off a year in which he earned his 4th All-Star selection, his 2nd Gold Glove, and his 2nd Silver Slugger. In 3 of the last 4 years he’s had a WAR of 6.0 or higher. Can be counted on for something in the range of 20 HR, 30 doubles, and 20-30 SB per year.

Backup: Bob McKee
2034 Stats: .283/.313/.413, 2 HR, 12 doubles, 3 triples, 29 RBI, 1.0 WAR
McKee had a very successful rookie campaign serving as a backup infielder. He’s got enough offensive talent to contribute when called upon, he’s got decent speed and knows how to pick his spots on the bases, and he’s got a solid, solid glove. There’s not much more that we could ask for from a backup.

Backup: Juan Colon
2034 Stats: .226/.354/.316, 1 HR, 7 doubles, 12 RBI, 12 SB, 0.3 WAR
Colon is the type of player that flashes enough skill to make a big league roster, but isn’t talented enough to be an everyday player. There’s a lot to like about this kid – he’s got good speed, he’s got a good eye, he’s incredibly hard to strikeout, he’s a solid defender, and he has fantastic range. However, he just doesn’t make clean contact with the ball as much as you’d like, so his BA is always going to leave you wishing for more. Still, as a backup, we like him. He’s a tough out that is going to make pitchers work.

Outfielders

Starting LF: Jorge Alvarado
2034 Stats: .325/.357/.514, 26 HR, 38 doubles, 4 triples, 93 RBI, 27 SB, 6.8 WAR
Alvarado has been pegged by experts as the best leftfielder in the league, and he has the numbers to back it up. Last year he set career bests in games, hits, runs, doubles, BA, OBP, and WAR. He also earned his 3rd Gold Glove, 3rd All-Star selection, 1st Silver Slugger, and he was named the MVP of the NL League Series.

Starting CF: Jose Delgado
2034 Stats: .266/.327/.402, 2 HR, 24 doubles, 8 triples, 42 RBI, 20 SB, 0.6 WAR
Delgado came back down to Earth some in 2034. After winning the NL ROY in 2033, his sophomore effort was nothing more than average at best. His biggest issue last season was his health, as he played just 94 games. So, the jury is still out on Delgado. This upcoming season should tell us a lot about him.

Starting RF: Edouard Kieffer
2034 Stats: .232/.302/.391, 13 HR, 33 doubles, 5 triples, 65 RBI, 13 SB, 2.2 WAR
Kieffer is on a downward trend, and no one can figure out why. After spending a couple seasons regarded among the second tier of right fielders, Kieffer has regressed to nothing more than a middle of the pack player. He looks good on paper, and he looks good in practice, but when it comes to game time, everything just goes to hell. There’s still a lot of potential for production, but we may see him being rotated out of the lineup more often than before.

Backup: Rachid Legay
2034 Stats: .274/.301/.425, 13 HR, 25 doubles, 9 triples, 57 RBI, 21 SB, 3.7 WAR
With no clear cut backup option and with the recent regression of Kieffer, it was clear that the Padres needed a solid 4th outfielder. Legay appears to fit the bill for that role. He’s a .261 career hitter that has hit over .270 in 3 of the last 5 seasons. He’s also managed 3+ WAR in each of the last two seasons. With enough talent around him, he could probably keep his production up, but I just don’t see enough talent in him to break into our starting lineup. He’s most likely going to be used in some sort of platoon situation with Kieffer.

Starting Pitchers

Gustavo Spotelli
2034 Stats: 17-7, 2.80 ERA, 237.2 IP, 218 K, 1.01 WHIP, 4.7 WAR
Spotelli once again enters the season as the Padres’ ace. Despite a bounce back year last season, Spotelli has fallen out of the top 10 pitchers in the league according to the experts. There’s no doubt that he’s still ace material, but he has shown the first signs of aging – he can still bring the heat and top 100 MPH, but a few of his breaking pitches don’t quite have the break that they used to.

Raul Barosio
2034 Stats: 11-6, 3.09 ERA, 198.0 IP, 141 K, 1.02 WHIP, 3.2 WAR
A return to San Diego has done wonders for the 33 year old righty. 2034 was his best season since he was traded by the club after the 2030 season. In fact, with the exception of his win total, his numbers were almost exactly the same as that season. The best part of this for the Padres is that they are getting that same production out of Barosio, but now for $6 million cheaper.

Cesar Silva
2034 Stats: 5-8, 4.36 ERA, 142.1 IP, 107 K, 1.29 WHIP, 0.5 WAR
The Padres have found great success in recent years with bringing veteran pitchers into the rotation. Silva is our latest experiment. 2034 was Silva’s first season as a starter, and well, it wasn’t amazing by any stretch of the imagination. However, when I look at how he’s performed over the course of his career, I see a guy that has the potential to excel in our ballpark and with our defense behind him. Prior to last season he had posted consecutive seasons with a 1.00 WHIP, and in 3 of the last 4 years he’s had a sub 3 ERA. I’m not expecting him to be a star, but I think that he can be a very respectable mid-rotation starter for us.

Antonio Mendoza
2034 Stats: 14-10, 3.02 ERA, 196.2 IP, 143 K, 1.13 WHIP, 3.0 WAR
2034 was Mendoza’s best season as a pro. He set career bests in wins, ERA, BB/9, and WAR, and he tied his career best WHIP. Since becoming a starter, his strikeout numbers have been surprisingly low considering that he has such wicked stuff. He is certainly more effective coming out of the pen, but he’s one of those guys that’s just too good for a bullpen role. He’s not a top end starter, but he’s a serviceable mid to back-end rotation guy.

Cristo Gutierrez
2034 Stats: 79 G, 86.1 IP, 4.07 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 81 K, -0.03 WAR
He’s probably the biggest risk in our rotation. He’s a young guy that we’re going to take a chance on. On paper, he looks like a solid pitcher – great stuff, good control, and three plus pitches. However, he hasn’t been able to translate those skills into success in the big leagues so far. Still, he’s just 25 and has time to figure it out. We’re giving him a shot, but don’t be surprised if he ends up back in the bullpen at some point.

Relievers

Middle Relief: Tadaaki Maeda
2034 Stats: 64 G, 59.0 IP, 4.42 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 58 K, 0.9 WAR
Maeda is the lone lefty in the pen. After a stellar 2033 season as a reliever, Maeda followed things up with an unimpressive 2034 season. He’ll be looking to bounce back this season. He’s still got good stuff with three good pitches. If Gutierrez struggles, we could see Maeda jump back into the starting rotation.

Middle Relief: Dave Ling
2034 Stats: 77 G, 93.2 IP, 3.65 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 61 K, 0.3 WAR
Ling began his career as one of the most dominant relievers in the league. For the first 5 years of his career, he was able to come in late in games and absolutely shut down a lineup. However, since then, he has not been able to replicate that success on a consistent basis. He followed a less than impressive season with us in 2033 with an improved effort in Colorado in 2034. Hopefully this improvement is a sign of things to come. If he can get close to the pitcher he once was, he might end up as the best pickup we made this offseason. If not, then he might be looking for a new place to live come the trade deadline.

Middle Relief: Edwin Harvey
2034 Stats: 22 G, 25.0 IP, 6.12 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 21 K, -0.4 WAR
Harvey did not have much success in 2034. He’s had some growing pains, and maybe we’re throwing him into the fire too quickly, but he’s a young arm with a lot of potential. Plus, plus stuff, good movement, good control, and 2 stellar pitches. He had a good spring, so we’re hoping that he’s ready to take that next step and put everything together.

Middle Relief: Jonathon Gardner
2034 Stats: 30 G, 42.0 IP, 3.43 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 50 K, 1.0 WAR
Gardner is another young arm that will inevitably go through some growing pain. He’s got a lot of potential, but we’re still waiting to see if he reaches it. He’s got wicked stuff, but his pitches come in flat a little more often than you’d like. He’s got ok control, that should get better, and he’s got 2 plus, plus pitches. He should eventually be a solid reliever.

Setup: Juan Diaz
2034 Stats: 69 G, 95.2 IP, 2.63 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 91 K, 0.9 WAR
Diaz has had some decent success with us since being picked up as a Rule 5 draftee, and he appears to have figured things out. He’s a hard thrower with fantastic stuff, good movement, and good control on all of his pitches. He’ll be stepping into a new role in 2035, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on him to see how he adjusts.

Setup: Kevin Lee
2034 Stats: 89 G, 88.1 IP, 2.65 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 92 K, 1.6 WHIP
Lee enters 2035 rated as the best reliever in baseball by the experts. It’s a bit surprising since he has started to show the first signs of aging. He has been our best and most consistent reliever since entering the league, and we’re expecting much of the same out of him this season. His stuff doesn’t look quite as good as it used to, and his pitches have lost a little bite, but the man knows how to pitch, so he should still be able to find success. He’s a veteran presence and a leader in the clubhouse, so we’ll take our chances with him.

Closer: David Gonzalez
2034 Stats: 40 SV, 74 G, 83.2 IP, 3.33 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 89 K, 0.9 WAR
There was a lot to like about Gonzalez’s sophomore season, and a few things that we’ll certainly be watching going forward. The good – you can’t complain too much when your closer reaches 40 saves, and his strikeout numbers were very good. The bad – 5 blown saves and 8 losses, he was much more wild than we expected, and when hitters got their bat on the ball, it often fell in for a hit (.345 BABIP). It was only his second season as a closer, so we’re aren’t incredibly concerned about him just yet. However, we will be keeping an eye on him. He looks like he could be a dominant closer going forward, so we’re excited about his future.

[Sundance]

Minor League System Rank: 2nd
Top Overall Prospect: 3B Kun-Young Park (Toronto)

LHP Vic Rheaume – Age: 25 – Organization Rank: 1 – MLB Rank: 8
Rheaume once again tops our prospect list. I would guess that he’s about a season away from making the big league roster. At the moment, he’d probably be a very average pitcher, but he has shown that he still has some growing left to do. He throws in the high 90s with his fastball, has a very good curve, and he’s been working on a splitter. Right now he has passable stuff, but it should get better. He’s very close to being ready.

LHP Jared Best – Age: 22 – Organization Rank: 2 – MILB Rank: 9
He’s a former 14th round draft pick that we picked up as a free agent and he’s looking like quite the steal thus far. Throws in the mid 90s and already has 3 big league ready pitches. He doesn’t get as much movement on his pitches as we’d like, but he looks like he can effectively change speeds, which should help to keep hitters off balanced.

RHP Pete Taylor – Age: 21 – Organization Rank: 3 – MLB Rank: 24
Taylor was our 2nd round draft pick in 2033 and he has steadily improved since getting into our system. He lacks an effective 3rd pitch, which will keep him out of the starting rotation, but he already has an excellent fastball that he throws in the mid to high 90s and a great slider. He gets good movement on his pitches and has passable control that should get better. The big key for him will be just putting everything together and being effective in games.

CL Bob Harden – Age: 23 – Organization Rank: 4 – MLB Rank: 32
He has all the makings of a shutdown closer. He has an outstanding fastball that hits 99 MPH and a decent curve that should improve. The kid has got big league ready stuff, but he’s a little too wild still. He still might be a year or two off of challenging for a big league roster spot, but he’s not far off.

CF Luis Cortez – Age: 19 – Organization Rank: 5 – MLB Rank: 40
There’s a lot to like about this youngster. He’s performed well in the minors so far and he looks like he should develop into an average offensive talent. He’s got good speed and is an excellent defender with a cannon of an arm. He currently looks like he could be a very solid 4th outfielder option for us at some point.

LHP Antonio Garcia – Age: 22 – Organization Rank: 6 – MLB Rank: 47
Nothing Garcia throws is straight. Nothing. This kid might get more movement on his pitches than any other pitcher we have in our organization. Unfortunately, all that movement also leaves him a bit more wild than we would like. Still, this kid looks like he might challenge for a spot in our rotation at some point. He pitches to contact and batters have an extremely difficult time getting the ball up in the air off of him. He’ll need a solid defense behind him in order to succeed.

SS Artie Hall – Age: 23 – Organization Rank: 7 – MLB Rank: 49
Hall is probably good enough at the moment to be a backup. He’s still got some growing to do, and if he reaches his potential, he should be an above-average offensive talent. He’s got good speed and is always a threat to steal when he’s on base. He’s also a very solid defender. If he continues to grow, he might be challenging for a roster spot next season.

1B Antonio Sanchez – Age: 21 – Organization Rank: 8 – MLB Rank: 82
Sanchez has continued to improve since coming to our organization, and we’re just waiting for him to figure everything out. He should develop into a good hitter at some point. He is an extremely hard worker and has been working on smoothing out his swing. He’s a natural line drive hitter and he has shown the potential to develop into a legit homerun threat. He hit 46 doubles in A ball last year, but he only hit .253 and he struck out 127 times. He’s developing in chunks and probably has a couple of years of growing still to go.

C Al Simms – Age: 22 – Organization Rank: 9 – MLB Rank: 92
Simms looks like an average catcher. He’s decent all around, and the only true knock against him is his arm. He’ll struggle to throw out runners if it doesn’t improve. He hit a ridiculous .396/.485/.875 in Rookie Ball last year, and while those aren’t the numbers we’re going to expect out of him, we certainly aren’t going to complain about that sort of production. I don’t see stardom here, but he looks like he should have a long career behind the plate at some point.

SS Jim McGinnity – Age: 22 – Organization Rank: 10 – MLB Rank: 99
As mentioned previously, McGinnity is a player we targeted this offseason, so it’s nice to see him make this list. He’s patient at the plate and is a line drive hitter. He’s got good speed and great instincts on the base paths and he’s a solid defender. He’s a ways away from challenging for a roster spot, but there is a lot to like about the future of this kid.

Others to Keep an Eye On: 2B Dave Chin (105), 1B Ron Lambright (135), CL Whit Jackson (152), RHP Geoff Nelson (166), 2B Chris Frederick (187), 3B Bert Henri (188)

[Sundance]

Opening Day lineups for 2035

[Sundance]

Despite being the defending champions, the experts predict that we’ll finish just 4th in our division. We’ve proven these predictions wrong before, and we’ll be looking to do it once again this season. We built this team to win, and to win for a long time. We expect to be around when it comes to the playoffs, and if we’re in, we’re as dangerous as anyone. The Rockies and Dodgers have been pegged as the teams to beat this year, but until proven otherwise, we’re still the top dogs.

[Sundance]

4/11/2035

The injury bug has hit the Padres early this year. Star left fielder Jorge Alvarado is expected to miss the next 7 weeks with a strained hamstring. Alvarado suffered the injury while trying to run down a ball in the outfield in today’s game against the Cardinals. Through 10 games thus far Alvarado is hitting .279 with a pair of homeruns and 7 RBI. Rachid Legay is expected to take over the starting duties in Alvarado’s absence, and the Padres will be calling up minor league outfielder Masahide Tsuchiya.

4/13/2035

Another day another outfielder down for the Padres. Right fielder Edouard Kieffer was hit in the hand today during an attempted swing, resulting in a fractured thumb for the 29 year old. Kieffer has gotten off to a slow start this season, hitting just .190 over the first 12 games. He is expected to miss at least 4 weeks as he recovers. The Padres will be calling up outfielder Larry McBryde to fill Kieffer’s spot on the roster.

4/17/2035

The Giants were dealt a hefty blow today when third baseman Ivan Pena was taken out of today’s game. The 34 year old said he felt something twinge in his shoulder while attempting to throw to first. Given the importance of [COLOR="rgb(255, 140, 0)"]Pena [/COLOR]to their roster, the Giants are being especially careful with him and are shutting him down for the next 5 weeks with what they are calling shoulder soreness. The 3-time MVP has gotten off to a hot start so far this year, hitting .382 with 3 homeruns and 13 RBI in 14 games.

4/21/2035

C Junior Carazos of the Angels has hit for the cycle! The 28 year old backup singled in the 2nd, tripled in the 4th, doubled in the 6th, and hit a 2-run HR in the 7th. Carazos has made the most of his limited opportunities this season, going 5-7.

4/25/2035

In the Padres case, it appears that 3 is an unlucky number. They lost their third outfielder today when center fielder Jose Delgado went down with a torn meniscus. The former Rookie of the Year is expected to miss somewhere in the range of 5 weeks as he recovers. The Padres' depth is certainly being tested in this young season, as they call up their third minor league outfielder – Jose Aguilar.

4/28/2035

In a month in which the Padres have made headlines for all the wrong reasons, they finally have something to be happy about. San Diego ace Gustavo Spotelli shut out the visiting Braves today with a 2 hit, 10 strikeout, 1 walk effort. The Padres would win the game 5-0. In 6 starts this season Spotelli is 2-2 with a 2.51 ERA and 43 K.

Monthly Review

Well, this was not exactly the start that I was hoping for. Our entire starting outfield is now on the DL, 7 of our current 12 offensive players are batting .250 or below, and we rank 10th or worse in the NL in 8 different offensive categories. Miraculously, we’re still somehow above .500 with a record of 15-12 and are in 3rd place in the West. There are only a few bright spots on our offense right now – SS Alfredo Miranda, C Jose Rodriguez, and backup C Dan Martin. Our pitching has been pretty decent – our starters have the lowest ERA in the league. There have been a few hiccups in the bullpen however. I suppose that is to be expected with so many young arms out there, but the biggest disappointment so far has been newly reacquired Dave Ling, who has given up 12 runs in just 10 innings of work. It’s only the first month, and we haven’t lost the season yet, but I’ll be keeping a close eye on the boys from here on out.

Hot

SS Alfredo Miranda - .313/.389/.490, 5 HR, 9 SB
C Jose Rodriguez - .286/.446/.532, 5 HR, 16 RBI, batting .350 over his last 9 games
C Dan Martin - .462/.516/.538, 31 PA, 26 AB
SP Raul Barosio – 2-1, 1.89 ERA, 0.89 WHIP
SP Cesar Silva – 2-0, 1.67 ERA, 1.05 WHIP

Not

Almost everyone else

Down on the Farm

LHP Vic Rheaume (AAA) – 0-2, 2.41 ERA
LHP Jared Best (A) – 1-0, 1.29 ERA
RHP Pete Taylor (A) – 2 SV, 0.59 ERA
CL Bob Harden (AA) – 2 SV, 2.25 ERA
CF Luis Cortez (A) - .276/.311/.379
LHP Antonio Garcia (A) – 1-0, 0.00 ERA
SS Artie Hall (AAA) - .244/.352/.389
1B Antonio Sanchez (A) - .319/.392/.451
C Al Simms (A) - .316/.435/.474
SS Jim McGinnity (SA) – N/A

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – Juan Vazquez (.324 BA, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 15 R), Mariners
Top Pitcher – Naomi Fujimoto (9 SV, 0.66 ERA, 18 K), Falcons
Rookie – Curt Maclvor (.333 BA, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 18 R), Twins

NL:

Top Batter – Sancho Acevedo (.433, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 21 R), Rockies
Top Pitcher – Artie McAdoo (5-0, 1.35 ERA, 48 K), Dodgers
Rookie – Ivan Cuevas (.348 BA, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 15 R), Pirates

[Sundance]

5/2/2035

Reigning NL MVP Bobby Crawford has found his way onto the disabled list. The Rockies’ first baseman suffered a strained hip while running the bases in today’s game. He is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of 6 weeks as he recovers. Colorado will certainly miss his presence in their lineup, as he is hitting .307 with 6 HR and 24 RBI over 29 games this season.

5/7/2035

This year’s draft pool has been released! The top 10 prospects appear to be:

CF Brad Scott – Looks like he’ll be able to produce some decent numbers. He’s in a power hitter type of mold, but I wouldn’t really call him a true power hitter. If he reaches his potential he’ll probably put up something like .260, 20-25 HR, and 25-30 doubles per year. His biggest strength is his speed – he looks like a natural on the base paths and has enough speed to challenge any arm in the league. He’s an ok defender that’ll probably get better.

RHP Ben Smith – I could certainly see this kid having a long and successful career. He throws in the high 90s, has 3 big league ready pitches, and should develop decent movement and control. The things that really separate him from the pack are his intangibles. This kid is constantly watching film, talking to coaches, putting in the hours, and sets an example for everyone else on his team.

1B Andrew MacAlonie – Looks like he could eventually fit into the middle of any lineup. He has a lot of growing to do, but he should develop into a plus hitter than will punish opposing pitchers. He’s not a great defender by any stretch of the imagination, so he’ll have to hit if he wants to stick around.

LHP Dave Levine – From a skills standpoint, there is a lot to like about this kid. He throws in the mid to high 90s and he has 3 big league ready pitches, all of which should continue to improve. He projects to have good movement with good control on all of his pitches. However, there are some behavioral red flags about Levine. He doesn’t appear to be receptive to coaching, and he always seems to be slacking off during practices. He has the physical tools, but I just don’t see him having the right mentality to succeed.

2B Clarence Reed – Looks like he’ll top a lineup someday. Projects to be a great contact hitter that will drive the ball into the gaps. He doesn’t have any homerun power to speak off, but he’s got the speed to stretch singles into extra base hits. He’s got great hand-eye-coordination and isn’t afraid to drop down a bunt and test the defense. Solid defender, with a less than stellar arm. Smart kid and a very hard worker.

LHP Juan Lemus – Future bullpen arm. If he can develop his third pitch, he’ll have a shot at making a rotation, but the consensus appears to be that it’s unlikely. Decent velocity in the low to mid 90s, and should develop into a decent pitcher.

2B Elvis Walters – He doesn’t look like a star, rather he looks like the sort of player you surround your star with. He’s sort of a jack of all trades – will hit for an ok average, has enough power to capitalize on mistakes, and has enough speed to keep defenses honest. Doesn’t excel in any one area, but has the skills to have a long and steady career.

LHP Lou Reed – I could see him putting together a decent career. He’s not going to be blowing up anyone’s radar gun, but he can effectively change speeds, which makes his fastball seem just a little faster. He’s a natural leader that makes everyone else around him better. If he develops, he should become a very respectable mid to back end starter.

RF Mike Berry – From a physical standpoint, there’s a lot to like about Berry as a hitter. He’s got a smooth, effortless swing and his swings pack quite the punch. However, he’s not a very intelligent kid, and that could potentially hamper his development and keep him from taking that next step as a ballplayer.

1B Ron Edwards – Projects to be a good offensive talent that could find himself either in the middle of a lineup, or serving as protection for a team’s star. His bat is the only thing that’ll get him into the big show though – he’s got no speed and is a defensive liability.

5/19/2035

Padres ace Gustavo Spotelli has tossed another gem. The 33 year old righty shut down the opposing Nationals with a 2 hit, 10 K, 1 walk effort. San Diego would go on to win the game 2-0. Over 10 starts this season Spotelli is 4-2 with a 2.00 ERA.

5/21/2035

Padres star shortstop Alfredo Miranda has been named this week’s NL Player of the Week! Miranda hit .433 with 3 HR and 7 RBI over the last 7 days.

5/29/2035

The return of Padres' outfielder Edouard Kieffer has been short lived. Less than one month since returning from injury, the right fielder has once again found himself on the disabled list. Kieffer suffered a knee sprain while chasing down a foul ball and was taken out of today’s game against the Dodgers as a precaution. He is expected to miss somewhere in the range of 6 weeks as his knee heals. Kieffer has struggled this season, hitting just .218.

In league news, former Padre and current Cardinal Adrian Martinez has reached hit #2500! The 35 year old second baseman went 3-5 in today’s loss against the Cubs. This achievement is the latest of Martinez’s heralded career. He is a former NL Rookie of the Year, a two-time NL MVP, and an eleven-time All-Star. Over his career he has amassed a .297 BA, 2500 hits, 363 HR, and 1273 RBI.

Monthly Review

May was not a particularly great month for us. We went 12-13 in the month, which, while not awful, is not what we wanted to see out of the team. The offense has improved slightly, but we still rank very low in the NL in most offensive categories. Our pitching staff is doing the best that they can to keep us in games, but the lack of run support has started to take a toll on them. It wears on you when every single pitch and every single runs counts for so much. The Dodgers are running away with the division, so our best bet at this point is to aim for the Wild Card, which is a much tighter race. We’re just 2 games back in that race.

Hot

2B Jim DeWitt - .307/.311/.416, 3 HR, 13 RBI
SS Juan Colon - .357/.471/.643
SS Alfredo Miranda - .333/.400/.552, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 5 SB
SP Gustavo Spotelli – 3-0, 0.97 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 38 K

Not

OF Rachid Legay - .227/.266/.352
SP Antonio Mendoza – 0-3, 7.92 ERA, 1.88 WHIP
RP Jonathon Gardner – 7.2 IP, 10.57 ERA, 2.22 WHIP
CL David Gonzalez – 1-3, 7.04 ERA, 1.57 WHIP

Down on the Farm

LHP Vic Rheaume (AAA) – 3-1, 2.57 ERA
LHP Jared Best (A) – 2-1, 3.57 ERA
RHP Pete Taylor (A) – 4-0, 0.83 ERA
CL Bob Harden (AA) – 7 SV, 2.84 ERA
CF Luis Cortez (A) – N/A - Injured
LHP Antonio Garcia (A) – 3-1, 2.52 ERA
SS Artie Hall (AAA) - .243/.325/.346
1B Antonio Sanchez (AA) - .278/.311/.435
C Al Simms (A) - .273/.407/.409
SS Jim McGinnity (A) - .167/.167/.222

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – Sam Walters (.349 BA, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 24 R), Red Sox
Top Pitcher – Kiyonori Aoyama (5-0, 1.03 ERA, 31 K), Royals
Rookie – Jim White (.367 BA, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 18 R), Indians

NL:

Top Batter – Wilson Castro (.385 BA, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 15 R), Cardinals
Top Pitcher – Tommy Thompson (5-1, 1.08 ERA, 54 K), Dodgers
Rookie – P.J. Blevins (.434 BA, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 11 R), Blues

[Sundance]

With the 26th overall pick in the 2035 Draft, the San Diego Padres selected high school pitcher Juan Lemus.

There was just no way that we could pass up Lemus when we saw him still on the board. I know the knock against him – he’ll need to drastically improve his third pitch if he wants to be a starter. At the moment, he projects to be a reliever, and I suppose there weren’t many teams out there that wanted to use their first round pick on a bullpen arm. But we were willing to take that chance. He was rated as a top 10 talent coming into this draft, and there wasn’t anyone close to being a better option when our time came. If his third pitch develops, then he’s the biggest steal of the draft. If not, then we still should have a quality reliever who is much less of a project than any other player available at the time.

2nd Round Pick: OF Chris Holland
Having taken an arm in the first round, I definitely wanted to target a bat in the second. I feel that Holland is an underrated talent. He’s got good, but not great speed, and he is incredibly smart on the bases and picks his spots very well. He looks like he should hit for a decent average, he’s a line drive hitter that lives in the gaps, no homerun power to speak off, and he knows how to battle at the plate. He looks like a future Gold Glove defender that can play anywhere in the outfield, and he has superb range.

3rd Round Pick: SS Clarence Perry
He’s a bit of a project. Offensively, his game is lacking. My hope is that once he’s in our system that his batting skills will improve. I’m not counting it, but I’m hoping for it. He's got decent speed and is a very smart runner. He’s an incredible defender that can play both middle infield spots equally well. At worst, he’s a guy that we can bring in for depth as a defensive sub if needed.

4th Round Pick: RHP Jonathon Jackson
Jackson feels like a pretty good steal in the 4th round. He’s got a low ceiling, but he comes in already very polished. He’s probably only a year or so away from being an AAA player and a possible call up in the pen.

5th Round Pick: RHP Ed Matherson
He’s not as polished as Jackson, but he is another guy that comes into our organization quite developed. His story is much the same as Jackson – low ceiling, but he’s further along in his development than most of our picks. He’s much more of a project than Jackson is, but he seems like a very solid pick for the 5th round.

#1 Overall Pick: CF Brad Scott (Memphis)

[Sundance]

6/3/2035

The Padres have claimed LHP Norm Thomas off of waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I was surprised to see Thomas on waivers after taking a look at his stats. On paper he’s a decent reliever, but he has found some major success so far for Arizona – 0.64 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 8.4 K/9 over 10 games. At the very least, he was worth claiming because he gives us another option to play around with if we want to shake up our bullpen a bit.

In league news, Orioles’ star pitcher Juan Gutierrez will be out for the next 3 months. The 29 year old lefty strained his hamstring while attempting to cover first base. In 13 starts this year [COLOR="rgb(255, 140, 0)"]Gutierrez [/COLOR]is 6-1 with a 2.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, and 3.0 WAR.

6/9/2035

Dodgers ace Tommy Thompson is set to miss the next 3-4 months with what is being described as shoulder inflammation. The 25 year old righty complained about pain in his throwing arm and was taken out of today’s game against the Cardinals. So far this season [COLOR="rgb(65, 105, 225)"]Thompson [/COLOR]is 7-2 with a 1.39 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, and 3.0 WAR.

6/16/2035

Former Padre and current Phillies outfielder Bernardo Orosco has reached hit #2000! The 33 year old went 3-5 in today’s game against the Cubs, as his team took the game 4-3. Orosco was the NL MVP for the Padres in 2026, but throughout his career he has been known as an incredibly electric player that can’t seem to stay off of the DL.

6/20/2035

San Diego starter Cesar Silva has made his way onto the DL. The 35 year old partially tore his labrum during today’s game against the Rockies. The Padres have had success in the past with bringing in veteran pitching, and Silva proved to be no different. In 14 starts this year he is 6-2 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 7.0 K/9. He’s expected to miss a minimum of 3-4 months as he recovers. 26 year old righty, Eric Williams, has been called up from AAA to take Silva’s spot in the rotation.

6/21/2035

The All-Star teams have been announced! Representing the Padres will be:

SP Gustavo Spotelli – 6-4, 2.73 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 2.8 WAR – 5th selection
C Jose Rodriguez - .255/.403/.457, 10 HR, 2.5 WAR – 11th selection
SS Alfredo Miranda - .324/.395/.523, 14 HR, 16 SB, 4.6 WAR – 5th selection

The full list of the teams can be seen at the end of this post.

Monthly Review

The team is kind of in an awkward position here – we aren’t playing well, but we’re not playing bad enough to be out of contention. We’re only 3.5 games back in the Wild Card race, so we’re still in the mix. The next couple of weeks will determine the rest of our season, and maybe even how things play out over the next few seasons. If we can hang in there, we’ll make the changes needed to make the playoffs. If not, then we could see things get shaken up quite a bit.

Hot

1B Jean-Phillipe Gras - .348/.396/.404, 5 SB
3B Brendan Rodgers - .282/.333/.476, 3 HR, 7 doubles, 2 triples
SS Alfredo Miranda - .333/.402/.531, 5 HR, 12 RBI
LF Jorge Alvarado - .374/.417/.636, 5 HR, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 20 RBI
CL David Gonzalez – 5 SV, 0.84 ERA, 1.13 WHIP

Not

2B Bob McKee - .125/.125/.125
SS Juan Colon - .214/.313/.375
RF Rachid Legay - .162/.225/.216
RF Larry McBride - .208/.290/.264
RP Juan Diaz – 5.73 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, 4.9 BB/9
RP Edwin Harvey – 10.80 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, 5.4 BB/9
RP Tadaaki Maeda – 15.43 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 7.7 BB/9

Down on the Farm

LHP Vic Rheaume (AAA) – 2-2, 2.41 ERA
LHP Jared Best (A) – 0-0, 1.33 ERA
RHP Pete Taylor (AA) – 0-0, 1.40 ERA
CL Bob Harden (AA) – 5 SV, 1.00 ERA
CF Luis Cortez (A) – N/A - Injured
LHP Antonio Garcia (AA) – 0-0, 2.38 ERA
SS Artie Hall (AA) - .289/.320/.485
1B Antonio Sanchez (AA) - .223/.277/.309
C Al Simms (A) - .313/.427/.650
SS Jim McGinnity (SA) - .322/.385/.542

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – Juan Vazquez (.386 BA, 10 HR, 28 RBI, 19 R), Mariners
Top Pitcher – Artie Smith (4-0, 0.66 ERA, 16 K), Cowboys
Rookie – Lou O’Herlihy (.321 BA, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 19 R), Mariners

NL:

Top Batter – Tsunesaburo Oshima (.468 BA, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 17 R), Pirates
Top Pitcher – Dominique Dupond (5-0, 1.63 ERA, 48 K), Edge
Rookie – Arturo Gallardo (.353 BA, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 17 R) Phillies

[Sundance]

7/14/2035

San Diego second baseman Bob McKee and Washington closer Luis Maldonado have been suspended by the league for 8 games. After being hit by a pitch, McKee and Maldonado began mouthing off to each other, which eventually led to McKee charging the mound. Benches cleared, but no serious violence ensued. McKee and Maldonado were dragged away by teammates and were both ejected from the game.

7/16/2035

Former Padre and current Royal Victor Herrera will be sidelined for the next 7 weeks. The 31 year old third baseman got his glove caught underneath a sliding runner and fractured his finger. Over 42 games this season, [COLOR="rgb(65, 105, 225)"]Herrera [/COLOR]has hit .333/.394/.457 with 3 HR and 24 RBI.

7/18/2035

Cubs third baseman Yajirobei Fukuda has been forced into early retirement after having failed to recover from what is being described as post-concussion syndrome. [COLOR="rgb(65, 105, 225)"]Fukuda [/COLOR]began his career with the Padres, but failed to find success in San Diego. Once traded to the Cubs, he strung together a series of very productive years. In his 8 year career [COLOR="rgb(65, 105, 225)"]Fukuda [/COLOR]hit .275/.348/.405 with 1010 hits, 87 HR, 206 doubles, 420 RBI, and 22.6 total WAR.

Monthly Review

July was another mediocre month for the club as we went just 13-13. We are in 4th place in the West, and are some 7 games back in the Wild Card race. We’re at a crossroads at the moment – with 2 months left in the season we can either pack it in and rebuild for the future, or we can make a push towards closing that 7 game gap.

Hot

C Dan Martin - .381/.435/.714
1B Jean-Philippe Gras - .351/.413/.415
RF Edouard Kieffer - .314/.357/.353
SP Gustavo Spotelli – 1-2, 2.92 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9.0 K/9
SP Antonio Mendoza – 2-1, 2.02 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 8.1 K/9
RP Juan Diaz – 1.00 ERA, 0.44 WHIP, 8.0 K/9
RP Tadaaki Maeda – 2.13 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 8.5 K/9

Not

2B Jim DeWitt - .205/.237/.288
3B Brendan Rodgers - .208/.263/.283
RF Rachid Legay - .203/.203/.390
RP Jonathon Gardner – 8.10 ERA, 4.0 BB/9, 5.02 FIP
RP Kevin Lee – 4.91 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, 2.5 K/9, 6.08 FIP

Down on the Farm

LHP Vic Rheaume (AAA) – 2-2, 2.03 ERA
LHP Jared Best (AA) – 0-0, 2.37 ERA
RHP Pete Taylor (AAA) – 2-4, 4.42 ERA
CL Bob Harden (AA) – 12 SV, 1.59 ERA
CF Luis Cortez (A) – N/A - Injured
LHP Antonio Garcia (AA) – 4-0, 1.96 ERA
SS Artie Hall (AAA) - .260/.319/.423
1B Antonio Sanchez (AA) - .304/.353/.430
C Al Simms (AA) - .234/.368/.364
SS Jim McGinnity (AA) - .220/.292/.321

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – Calvin Maltman (.408 BA, 13 HR, 28 RBI, 27 R), Rangers
Top Pitcher – Bernardo Jimenez (4-0, 1.14 ERA, 34 K), Red Sox
Rookie – Andy Reid (.293 BA, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 17 R), Mariners

NL:

Top Batter – Ed Brown (.376 BA, 8 HR, 24 RBI, 21 R), Reds
Top Pitcher – Jose Gonzalez (5-0, 1.48 ERA, 37 K), Giants
Rookie – Arturo Gallardo (.267 BA, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 18 R) Phillies

[Sundance]

As I mentioned in my monthly review, we had a decision to make. Either we trade to rebuild, or we trade to win. Either way, moves were destined to happen at the deadline.

We opted to trade to win.

Trade #1

The Royals receive RF Edouard Kieffer, CF Jose Delgado, 2B Jim DeWitt, RHP Antonio Mendoza, SS Juan Colon, and San Diego’s 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 15th round draft picks. In return, the Padres receive CF Luis de Jesus, 2B Tanyu Shirokawa, and $5 million in cash.

Decisions had to be made, and while all of these players have performed for us in the past, they fact of the matter is that they were all letting us down this season. The Royals are looking to win now, and in this deal they receive a number of experienced ball players who have a ton of playoff experience under their belts. Despite being on a downward trend, these are all players who were good enough to make our roster, and who still have the talent to contribute. They just weren’t working in our system anymore.

Did we give up a lot? Yes, perhaps we did. But like I said, we want to win. Luis de Jesus was the AL Rookie of the Year last season. He’s got a lot of tools, but there are definitely some holes in his game as well. He hasn’t hit for the BA that we would expect him too, and he strikeouts far too often. But he has decent power and can punish pitchers when they make a mistake, and he has shown glimpses of patience at the plate. He’s got decent speed, and picks his spots well. Production-wise, he is an upgrade to our lineup and he still has room to grow. Shirokawa is a player that we acquired in the offseason, but then promptly traded in order to bring Artie Hall into the organization. He’s an extremely well-rounded hitter and is very solid out in the field.

Trade #2

The Cardinals receive RHP Edwin Harvey, RHP Dave Ling, LHP Tadaaki Maeda, minor leaguer RHP Eric Williams, and a selection of draft picks. In return, the Padres receive 3B Satoshi Hirata, CF Tony Tucker, and $10 million in cash.

Hirata is a player that we’re probably buying high on. He’s had a rather solid career, but he has definitely been on a downward trend over the last couple of seasons. Still, he’s had a bit of a resurgence here, and quite frankly, we need someone to rotate Rodgers with and rest those old legs of his. On paper, Tucker is an average player that is probably most suited to a platoon or fourth outfielder role. However, he has produced some very solid numbers in recent years, and we don’t have a better option, so he will jump straight into our starting lineup. He was just recently called up by the Cardinals and is hitting .288/.345/.423 over 16 games with them.

Again, we probably gave up too much in this deal as well, but we are trying to win here. Things have been shaken up, but hopefully the team can gel together quickly and turn the season around.