Remember the Alomars

[Hendu Style]

Sunday -- October 29th, 1995

New York, New York! Yanks Wins World Series
Yanks beat Padres for second straight world championship

New York, NY -- With Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" blaring on the loud speakers, the Yankees stormed the field as the final out was recorded in a 5-3 win against the San Diego Padres on Saturday night in Game 6 of the 1995 World Series. It is the 24th World Championship in franchise history.

"Magical," winning pitcher Tom Candiotti said after the game. "Incredible. Unbelievable. All rolled up into one."

New York jumped out to an early 4-0 lead against San Diego in Game 6, pouncing on Padres starter Andy Ashby for four runs in the second inning, thanks to Wade Boggs' two-out RBI double. Boggs was named World Series MVP for his efforts, batting .400 with a home run and 3 RBI against the Padres.

"Credit to that other team," Boggs said afterward. "They've got a lot of good players over there. But we're the Yankees, damn it. Nobody's going to beat us!"

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner opened his wallet to field this championship team. Boggs was signed to a 4-year, $15.4 million dollar contract to jump ship from rival Boston three years ago. Andres Galarraga was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Expos to replace the struggling John Kruk at first base. Kruk is three years into a 5-year, $20.5 million free agent contract. Reliever Mark Guthrie came to New York on a two-year deal worth $9.9 million.

"I don't want to hear anything about money," Padres bench coach Ted Clark told reporters. "If you start looking at payroll and how much other guys make, you're just making excuses. Do I think we're the better team? Yes. But for four games, the Yankees were the better team against us, and that's all that matters."

The loss is another crushing defeat for a franchise that is still searching for its second title after a surprising run in 1991. Mike Piazza nearly won the NL triple crown by hitting .388 with 49 home runs, both league bests, while driving in 141 runs. He is sure to win his second straight NL MVP Award, just as Greg Maddux is a lock to win his second straight NL Cy Young after winning a Major League-best 26 games with a career-low 2.07 ERA.

"We've got a couple of holes to fill in the offseason, but I'm not worried one bit," Padres General Manager Jack McKeon said. "We're not going to push the panic button and blow things up. That's for certain."

The team should be looking at investing in a new starting shortstop. Ozzie Smith signed a one-year extension during the season, but then promptly went down with a knee injury, and never reclaimed his starting job as Roberto Alomar shifted over the infield, and Eric Young became the team's new second baseman. The team is also rumored to be exploring finding a more permanent fixture in its managerial position. McKeon held the title in name only, while Clark filled out the lineup cards and made in-game decisions as the acting manager.

The Padres don't have any players scheduled to hit free agency, but the team payroll is expected to climb past $40 million this upcoming season with several players receiving significant bumps in their salaries after signing multi-year extensions. It's not yet known if San Diego will be a player on the free agent market. Baltimore's Mike Mussina headlines a rather lackluster list of players eligible for free agency this winter.

[majesty95]

This game is crazy. You can put together super teams and still barely win. Now we know how Braves fans felt in the 90's

[Hendu Style]

Originally Posted by majesty95

This game is crazy. You can put together super teams and still barely win. Now we know how Braves fans felt in the 90's

I personally lose interest once the game becomes too easy. I honestly winced when the team went 130-32... I'm so glad they came crashing back down to earth at 105-57. Every series is a rollercoaster, and I love the feeling of knowing that the window is closing for some of these guys to win a title. C'mon, Padres, get Tony another title!

[Hendu Style]

Wednesday -- November 22nd, 1995

Padres Deal Lankford, Sanders, Young in Separate Trades
First day of free agency begins with SD landing young shortstops Gonzalez, Tejada

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Padres wasted little time addressing the team's need for a starting shortstop, pulling off two separate trades that will send Alex Gonzalez to San Diego from Toronto, and Miguel Tejada from Oakland.

"I want to see them both battle for the job," Padres General Manager Jack McKeon told reporters at a press conference announcing the two trades with the Blue Jays and A's. "They're both young with a lot of room to grow, and one of these guys is going to be our Opening Day shortstop."

Gonzalez seems to be the more likely of the two to win the job out of Spring Training. The 22 year-old hit .251 with 15 home runs in his first full season with the Blue Jays, and is considered an elite defender. The Padres had to part ways with veteran outfielders Reggie Sanders and RIckey Henderson, along with three prospects and cash.

"Sanders is just now entering the prime of his career and we're going to miss him," McKeon said. "But we had a pretty crowded outfield, and he was the odd man out."

Sanders hit 37 home runs and drove in a Major League-best 147 runs in 1994, but slumped to a .262 season last year, hitting 22 homers and 68 RBI. Sanders is a former Gold Glove winner and is expected to hit in the middle of Toronto's order. Henderson recently came out of retirement to sign with the Padres and had to waive a no-trade clause to join the Blue Jays.

The trade for Tejada, 21, cost the Padres last year's starting second baseman, Eric Young, as well as outfielder Ray Lankford and three prospects.

"Miggy is one of the best young players in the game," McKeon said. "Whether he starts the season with us or in Triple-A, we've got big, big plans for him."

Tejada played in 30 games for the A's last season as a rookie, batting .209 in 77 plate appearances. The price was steep, as the Padres lose a former Gold Glove center fielder in Lankford, who has a rare blend of speed and power on offense. Young was thrust into San Diego's starting infield when Ozzie Smith went down with an injury, and Roberto Alomar shifted from second base to shortstop. Alomar was rumored to be upset about having to play shortstop again, after being forced into the position earlier in his career, also due to injuries.

"Robbie will be our Opening Day second baseman, and I'm positioning us so we never have to put him at short again," McKeon said.

The trades leave San Diego with just three outfielders and a utility -- Tony Gwynn, Steve Finley, Brian Giles, and Bip Roperts. The team is expected to make a run at several players in free agency to shore up its sudden lack of depth.

[Hendu Style]

Monday -- July 8th, 1996

San Diego Surfs to Break with 6-Game Lead in West
Six Padres earn All-Star honors, including first-timer Caminiti

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Armed with six All-Stars, the San Diego Padres hold a 6.0 game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West. Jack McKeon says he just wants the team to enjoy the time off as much as possible.

"These guy have been grinding really hard out there," the general manager and manager told reporters following a 5-0 shutout win against the San Francisco Giants. "The Dodgers aren't going to give us any breaks in the second half, so they just need to recharge the batteries a little bit and get away from the game while they can."

Among the Padres' half-dozen NL All-Stars is Ken Caminiti, a first-time selection. The third baseman is batting .298 with 20 home runs, and is looking forward to the Mid-Summer Classic.

"Truly an honor," Caminiti told reporters. "To be playing with the best, like (Barry) Bonds and and Sheff (Gary Sheffield), it's unreal."

The list of Padres All-Stars is headlined by Greg Maddux, who will be pitching in his seventh All-Star Game. The San Diego ace is 17-1 with a 1.51 ERA, fanning 120 batters in 155 innings. This could go down as the best season yet for the 3-time Cy Young Award winner. Mike Piazza, a 6-time selection, is also in MVP form, batting .374 with 24 home runs heading into the break.

The Padres currently have the best record in baseball at 62-27, riding a 5-game winning streak. The All-Star Game is on Tuesday.

[Hendu Style]

Sunday -- October 6th, 1996

First Round Exit for Padres at Hands of Dodgers
Buoyed by Pedro's return from DL, Los Angeles stuns San Diego

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The SoCal Series wasn't so good for San Diego, as the Padres were bounced by Los Angeles, 5-2, in Game 4 of the NLDS at Dodgers Stadium on Saturday. The Dodgers took the series 3-1.

"It's always satisfying beating the Padres," NLDS MVP Gary Sheffield said about beating his former team. "Those clowns are tripping if they think they're going to rule Southern California. This is our turf."

For now, it certainly appears so. The Padres (116-46) had the superior record in the regular season, but the Dodgers were emboldened by the late season addition of Pedro Martinez, who had missed all but the final month of the regular season. Martinez, recovering from a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, posted a 1.96 ERA in four starts down the stretch.

"They built that team to beat us, plain and simple," closer Trevor Hoffman said the game. "Their rotation, their lineup, everything. And they pulled it off."

The playoff loss is the latest postseason blemish for the Padres, who lost the World Series to the New York Yankees last season. Despite historic seasons from Greg Maddux (28-2, 1.51 ERA) and Mike Piazza (.376, 37 HR, 117 RBI), the Padres once again fell short of its goal of bringing another championship trophy back home to San Diego. After the game, the team announced that Jack McKeon would be stepping down from his managerial role with the Padres and will spend his time exclusively in the front office. He was not available for comment.

[Hendu Style]

Wednesday -- October 30th, 1996

One Tough Cookie? Padres Hire New Skipper
Cookie Rojas takes over as manager amid busy offseason

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Jack McKeon finally found someone worthy of succeeding him in San Diego's dugout. Cookie Rojas was introduced on Wednesday as the new manager of the Padres.

"I'm extremely honored to manage this team," Rojas said. "I feel like I've been given the key to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory."

Rojas has a career managerial record of 822-636, including a 100-62 campaign with the California Angels that garnered him Manager of the Year honors in 1993. He takes over a team that has set the bar incredibly high, where anything short of a championship is considered a failure.

"I know about the expectation level," Rojas said.

The hiring of Rojas is just the latest in a series of offseason moves the Padres have made in the wake of their first-round exit in the postseason. Just days after the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series in five games against the New York Yankees, San Diego announced that it had executed trades with Toronto and Detroit to add depth to its outfield.

Reggie Sanders, who hit just .237 with 18 home runs with the Blue Jays after being traded by Jack McKeon last year, was reunited with the Padres in a deal that sent Randy Myers to Toronto and closer Antonio Osuna to San Diego. In another reunion-themed trade, Matt Stairs was acquired from the TIgers for four minor leaguers, including prized catching prospect Ben Davis. The Padres had been outbid by Detroit when they tried to sign Stairs as a free agent last winter, and now the Tigers will pay nearly half of his $5.7 million salary.

[Beechnut]

Originally Posted by Hendu Style

I honestly winced when the team went 130-32... I'm so glad they came crashing back down to earth at 105-57.

[Hendu Style]

Sunday -- June 8th, 1997

3,000!
Gwynn reaches milestone on 5th inning single

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- With a clean single to center field off of Houston starting pitcher Mike Mussina, Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn etched his name into the record books on Sunday. The man known affectionately as "Mr. Padre" in San Diego had become the twentieth member of the 3,000 hit club.

"See ball, hit ball," Gwynn said after the game. "It's been as simple as that for however long I've been playing this game, and it still works today."

The base hit, which came in the fifth inning in a ten-inning 3-2 loss to the Astros, tied Gwynn with Roberto Alomar for twentieth on the all-time list. Oakland's Wade Boggs is closing in fast, and could join the club later this month.

"We started in the same year (1982), so there's a little satisfaction in beating Wade to 3,000," Gwynn admitted. "He's a couple years older, so we'll see who has more hits at the end of the road. But I'm not there yet."

Gwynn, 37, is in the first year of a six-year contract extension that will keep him with the Padres through the 2002 season.

"Retire his number right now," catcher Mike Piazza told reporters while looking across the clubhouse at #19. "He's the greatest Padre there ever was, and the greatest there ever will be."

The right fielder is hitting .327 this season, attempting to win his fifth career batting crown, and his first since 1992. He has led the National League in hits seven times, and reached 200 hits four additional times.

"What he does with a bat, I've never seen anything like it," pitcher Greg Maddux said. "His bat control is phenomenal. I'm glad I don't have to face him."

Despite the loss, the Padres remain in first place with the best record in the National League West at 40-21. The next Gwynn milestone to watch out for is 1,000 RBI. He needs 73 RBI this season to reach the milestone. His career-high in a single season is 82.



Gwynn 3,000


Gwynn BOX

[Hendu Style]

Friday -- October 17th, 1997

Padres Fall Short, Astros Win NLCS
San Diego loses in 10th, Houston to Face Anaheim in World Series

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Qualcomm Stadium fell eerily quiet as Mike Piazza's fly ball drifted harmlessly toward center field. Outfielder Kenny Lofton clutched the ball and jumped in the air, as the Astros stormed the field, having staved off a tenth inning rally, stranding three Padre base runners and leaving San Diego in stunned disbelief. Houston is heading to the World Series with a 3-2, extra-inning win in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. The Padres' season is over.

"I'm getting tired of going out like this," Padres first baseman Fred McGriff said with a shrug from his clubhouse locker. "We keep on talking about this year being the year, and it never is."

The Padres have seemed primed for a dynastic run ever since winning their first World Series title in 1991, but the team has now come up short of a championship in each of the last six years, despite yet another first-place finish in the NL West at 103-59. A mid-season injury to Kevin Brown is partially to blame. The 32 year-old was emerging as the new ace of the San Diego rotation, recording a 26-4 record with a career-best 1.98 ERA in 1996, and had overtaken Greg Maddux as the team's top pitcher this season, posting a 2.02 ERA and 15-5 record in 24 starts before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery in early August.

"No excuses," manager Cookie Rojas told reporters. "Injuries happen to every team, and we're no different. We just didn't execute when we needed to most."

The team has some question marks heading into the offseason. McGriff is in clear decline, batting just .260 with 18 home runs in 1997, after posting a similar .266, 18 homer season the year before. He is entering the final year of his contract with the Padres. Ken Caminiti proved to be a liability defensively at third base, while hitting just .235 and striking out a career-high 126 times this season. Tony Fernandez also faltered on defense, committing 14 errors at shortstop. All three are in their mid-30's.

"We'll be taking a long, hard look at the entire roster," San Diego general manager Jack McKeon said.

Only two players -- pitchers Heathcliff Slocumb and Jim Deshaies -- are scheduled for free agency this winter. But four veterans -- McGriff, Rod Beck, Chuck McElroy, and Bip Roberts -- are entering the final year of their contracts in 1998. The team will face some difficult decisions in the months ahead. Major League Baseball will hold an expansion draft for its two newest teams, Phoenix and Tampa Bay, and the Padres can only protect fifteen players. Piazza, Maddux, Brown, Brian Giles, Tony Gwynn, Roberto Alomar, and Trevor Hoffman are sure bets. The remaining eight is anyone's guess. No doubt, it will not be a quiet offseason for the Padres this winter.

[Hendu Style]

Tuesday -- October 28th, 1997

Welcome Back, Sheff
Padres Trade McGriff, Ashby, Finley to Dodgers for former MVP Sheffield

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Gary Sheffield is coming back to San Diego, to play for the team that he won his only National League MVP Award with in 1993. In a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the five-time All-Star is returning to the Padres for a package of players, including Fred McGriff, Andy Ashby, and Steve Finley.

"Let's go get another championship," Sheffield told Padres General Manager Jack McKeon as he was introduced at a press conference at Qualcomm Stadium.

Sheffield helped bring a World Series title to San Diego in his first season with the Padres in 1991. He was traded after three seasons despite winning the 1993 NL MVP, due to lackluster defense at third base. He has since become a capable outfielder for the Dodgers.

"Sheff is one of the best hitters in all of baseball," McKeon said. "He battled some injuries last year, but he's proven what he can do over the course of a 162-game season."

Sheffield was limited to 120 games this past season, suffering through a strained oblique that kept him out of the lineup for six weeks, among a litany of other injuries in 1997. His best season came with the Padres during his MVP season, when he led the league with 46 home runs and 143 RBI, while also batting .354. All were career-highs. He was then traded to the Dodgers after winning Most Valuable Player honors in a seven-player swap that landed the Padres Mike Piazza.

"No hard feelings, Jack," Sheffield said, winking and smiling at the long-time Padres GM. "I get why they had to do the trade back then. I feel like they're going to be real happy they got me back."

Sheffield is expected to be San Diego's new left fielder, with Brian Giles moving over to center, and Tony Gwynn remaining in right. At first base, the Padres lose the franchise record holder in home runs. McGriff has been a cornerstone of the franchise since joining the Padres in 1988. His 323 home runs in a Padre uniform are the most in team history. McGriff won three consecutive home run crowns from 1990-1992, but has hit a total of just 36 homers over the last two seasons. He is entering the final year of his contract, and the Padres will pay all of his remaining $1.2 million salary. McGriff's departure could signal the debut of 22 year-old Derrek Lee, who has totaled 51 home runs in the last two years in Triple-A Las Vegas.

Ashby posted a 2.88 ERA in 1997, his second straight season with a sub-3.00 earned run average. He's also a former 20-game game winner, going 20-9 for San Diego in 1995. Finley has spent his entire eight-year big league career with the Padres, batting .279 in 1053 games. He led the league in triples in 1992 with 19.

[Hendu Style]

Tuesday -- February 24th, 1998

1998 Padres Preview
Padres spent millions in the offseason, but will it result in a title?

The San Diego Padres may continue to come up short in the postseason, but they never seem to fail to deliver in the offseason. The Padres enter Spring Training with a renewed optimism after perhaps their most productive winter yet under general manager Jack McKeon.

First came the trade for Gary Sheffield, bringing the 1993 NL MVP back to America's Finest City. Then came a deal with Anaheim for two-time All-Star Jim Edmonds, that sent Ken Caminiti and Alex Gonzalez to the Angels. That would've been more than enough for most teams. Then "Trader Jack" scoured the free agent market, landing two significant signings.

"We had to do something to replace all the guys we lost in the expansion draft," McKeon told reporters during the team's first media availability during Spring Training in Peoria, Arizona. "The Diamondbacks and Devil Rays raided our roster, and I can't blame them. So we had to put our money to good use."

The losses of Matt Stairs ($3.1 million), Reggie Sanders ($1.1 million), Tony Fernandez ($900,000), and Homer Bush ($139,000) freed up over $5 million in payroll for San Diego to spend in free agency. Outfielder Cliff Floyd came to San Diego on an 8-year, $24.9 million contract, and first baseman Ryan Klesko signed for $12 million over five years. Their combined annual salary will be $5.5 million.

The addition of Floyd and Klesko makes for some interesting position battles in the Cactus League. The Padres hope to keep prized prospect Derrek Lee in Triple-A Las Vegas for one more year. If that's the case, the team could try Jim Edmonds out at first base, creating a little bit of breathing room in a crowded outfield. But that means Klesko will be relegated to a backup role at first base behind Edmonds, a .300 hitter last year for the Angels.

"We were upfront with Ryan when we signed him," McKeon said. "He will be given the opportunity to compete for playing time in the infield and outfield. May the best man win."

Floyd faces a similar predicament. He hit a career-high 20 home runs for the Expos last season, but is expected to serve as the team's fourth outfielder behind Gary Sheffield, Brian Giles, and Tony Gwynn. At-bats may be hard to come by for the 25 year-old, though he could play his way into the starting lineup if the team considers moving Sheffield back to third base.

That job is Phil Nevin's to lose coming into Spring Training. The 27 year-old Fullerton native has hit .232 with just 3 home runs in 86 games spread out over parts of three MLB seasons. But should he falter, it would come as no surprise if Sheffield returned to his native third base, though Padres management refutes that notion.

Top prospect Miguel Tejada seems primed to take over as the team's starting shortstop after hitting .235 in a late-season call-up last year. 10-year veteran Roberto Alomar will be the club's Opening Day second baseman, looking to bounce back from a career-worst .248 in an injury-plagued 1997 season. Two-time NL MVP Mike Piazza is the incumbent starting catcher, and will be backed up by Sandy Alomar Jr.

San Diego's starting rotation nervously awaits the return of Kevin Brown. The right-hander is entering the final stages of rehab from surgery on his elbow that cost him the final months of the regular season and the entire offseason. If his rehab remains on track, he should rejoin the team and start throwing by mid-March. He will be joined by 4-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux (22-9, 2.83 ERA last season) and David Wells (16-7, 2.88 ERA) at the top of the rotation. Dustin Hermanson, Matt Clement, and free agent signee Bobby Jones will all compete for spots, as will Woody Williams and Bob Tewksbury.

"It's wide open," McKeon said of the rotation. "We signed a lot of guys this winter, but only a few will make the Opening Day roster."

San Diego's owner, Joan Kroc, publicly stated that she wanted to see the team win another championship this year, and demanded that McKeon improve the team's situation at first base, and get a locally popular player. McKeon delivered by acquiring Jim Edmonds. Only time will tell if he, and the Padres, can deliver that long-awaited title.

[Hendu Style]

August 29th, 1998

[Hendu Style]

September 2nd, 1998

[Hendu Style]

Friday -- October 23rd, 1998

Extra! Extra! Padres Win in 12 to Claim World Series Title
San Diego scores 5 runs in 9th to force extra innings, wins 10-9 thriller vs. Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In a season that could only be described as a roller-coaster ride, the San Diego Padres went through a wide range of emotions Friday night at Kaufmann Stadium. It took a five-run 9th inning by the Padres to force extra innings in Game 5 of the World Series. A three-run 12th by San Diego was almost undone by a fierce Royals rally in the bottom of the inning.

Almost.

Kansas City's Carlos Beltran rounded third on Jeremy Giambi's bases loaded double in the bottom of the 12th, with Rafael Palmeiro and Kevin Seitzer both motoring in to score ahead of the 21 year-old rookie. If Beltran scores, the Royals would at least tie the game and send the game to a 13th inning, if not win with the potential game-winning run standing on second base. Instead, Brian Giles delivered one of the greatest defensive plays in World Series history, helping the Padres secure a 10-9 win to clinch the World Championship.

"He just threw an absolute dart from center," catcher Mike Piazza said, cracking a wide, mustached smile. "Brian's a gamer. When it's on the line, he's the one you want making that throw."

Giles' throw came from the warning track in deep right-center field. It bounced once in the infield, and fell perfectly in Piazza's glove at home plate to cut down Beltran. Just like that, the Padres are World Series champions.

"I wasn't sure if this day would ever come for me," Piazza said, while also earning World Series MVP honors. "But it's everything I hoped it would be."

The Padres catcher set the tone early with a 2-run homer off of Royals starter Orel Hershiser in the 1st inning, and then helped push the game to extra innings on a solo home run in the 9th. They were Piazza's seventh and eighth homers of the postseason.

But if not for a bold mid-season adjustment by San Diego manager Cookie Rojas, the Padres might not have even reached the postseason in the first place. The Padres offense was struggling to score runs all the w way through July. That's when the Padres skipper decided to shuffle lineup and the batting order, sending Tony Gwynn from the outfield to the bench in favor of Cliff Floyd, and bringing in Ryan Klesko to replace Jim Edmonds at first base.

"This team is just willing to think about the greater good," Rojas told reporters. "You're talking about a guy with over 3,200 lifetime hits and has been a starter his entire career. And he was able to put his ego aside and embrace a new role as a pinch-hitter."

Floyd, playing his first season in San Diego after signing as a free agent, hit a blistering .448 in 20 at-bats in July, prompting Rojas to make the difficult decision to bench Gwynn. Floyd rewarded Rojas with a .299 batting average with 3 homers in August, and a scintillating .362 and 7 homers in September, winning over the starting job in left field and pushing Gary Sheffield to right. Floyd finished the regular season with a career-high .328 batting average, to go with 19 homers in just 136 games, including 75 starts.

The decision to start Klesko proved to be even more difficult, because his numbers never came close to matching Edmonds'. But it was clear that Edmonds was struggling defensively at first base, committing 10 errors in just 105 starts. Edmonds shined in the final two months of the season, playing his native right and center field without committing a single error as the team's fourth outfielder.

Of course, having the best rotation in baseball didn't hurt either. Despite getting shelled for 7 runs on 10 hits in 8 innings in Game 5, there's no denying Kevin Brown had a season for the ages on the mound. The 33 year-old right-hander won 27 games in the regular season, while posting a 2.99 ERA. Right behind Brown in the rotation, Greg Maddux turned in another stellar season, going 22-8 with a 2.96 ERA.

It's easy to forget the Padres almost didn't make it to the World Series, even after taking the series, 4-1. San Diego dropped Game 1 of the NLCS to the Astros, and had to overcome series deficits of 0-1 and 1-2 to win the series in seven games.

"We got grit," Piazza said. "We know how to win when we have to."

[Hendu Style]

[Hendu Style]

Sunday -- February 28th, 1999

Marlins, Royals Big Winners in Off-Season
Padres look to repeat as teams begin Spring Training in Arizona, Florida

The celebratory champagne has been mopped up. The World Championship Trophy now resides in a case next to the 1991 World Series title in San Diego's front office. The 1998 Major League Baseball season is a distant memory.

"They've started a nuclear arms race," one prominent NL executive says on the condition of anonymity. "And everyone's playing."

San Diego's return to the top of the baseball world has prompted an unprecedented spending spree. Larry Walker joined the Philles on a 6-year, $59 million contract. Scott Rolen joined up with the White Sox for $53.9 over six years. Roger Clemens got a hefty 2-year deal that will pay him $9.6 million a year. Even light-hitting second baseman Quilvio Veras joined the fun, landing a 7-year, $54 million with the Tigers.

Meanwhile, the defending champions stayed relatively quiet this off-season. The Padres' key set-up man, Rod Beck, bolted to the rival Dodgers via free agency. Veteran pitchers Ismael Valdez and Pedro Astacio were picked up in a swap with Los Angels. In a salary dump, the Brewers shipped Greg Vaughn off to San Diego, where he will be the team's fifth outfielder. That is an improvement, but other teams are gaining ground.

The Kansas City Royals are in "buy" mode after winning 96 games last season. Shortstop Mark Loretta, fresh off a .328 campaign in Milwaukee in 1998, cashed in with a mammoth 5-year, $39 million free ageent contract. Outfielder Dante Bichette, a .303, 26 HR, 107 RBI hitter for the Cardinals last season, also joined the team through free agency. They bolstered their starting rotation by signing Steve Trachsel (14-13, 3.96 ERA for the Reds last season) to a 7-year, $36.5 million free agent deal, and trading for Kenny Rogers (7-10, 4.85 ERA with the Cubs).

The Florida Marlins, tired of playing it slow and steady as a '93 expansion franchise, played it aggressive by trading for Carlos Delgado (.268, 29 HR, 107 RBI with Toronto), and signing outfielder Jeff Conine (.288, 13 HR for Detroit and Arizona), 2B Fernando Vina (.280 for Texas and Pittsburgh), and the prize of the off-season, Ivan Rodriguez (.326, 21 HR in 98 games for Texas).

The San Diego Padres are still the clear favorite to win it all in the final season of the 1900's, but teams have shown they're willing to spend big to catch the most successful team of the 1990's.


1999 MLB Predictions:

[Hendu Style]

[Hendu Style]

Padre Like It's 1999!
San Diego sweeps Toronto to win back-to-back World Series crowns

[Hendu Style]

Monday -- November 8th, 1999

Beginning of the End?
Padres dynasty in danger with free agency looming for Maddux, Brown

When the Padres open the season at Qualcomm Stadium in 2000, they will be the prohibitive favorite to win the World Series for a third season in a row. They will have a Most Valuable Player front-runner in catcher Mike Piazza, already a two-time winner of the NL MVP award coming off a .332 season in which he belted 43 homers and drove in 135 runs. They will have a pair of Cy Young candidates in Kevin Brown and Greg Maddux, and a five-time Reliever of the Year in Trevor Hoffman. And don't forget 18-game winner Matt Clement, 30-home run hitters Cliff Floyd and Brian Giles, and .300 batters Jim Edmonds and Phil Nevin. It would be a surprise if the Padres didn't win it all in 2000.

But what about after that?

David Wells, coming off a 23-4 campaign in which he posted a sub-3.00 ERA for a third year in a row, has already bolted for free agency. Brown and Maddux could soon follow. The two starters are scheduled for free agency after the 2000 season, and all indications are that both intend to cash in with lucrative contracts that San Diego may be unwilling to grant.

The team already boasts one of the highest payrolls in baseball, having payed out a massive extension to Jim Edmonds that will pay him an average of $9.2 million over the next five years. 39 year-old Tony Gwynn has been relegated to pinch-hitting duties, and is still due a total of $12.6 million through 2002. Roberto Alomar's $4.8 million salary is looking a tad high after turning in a less than stellar .261, 8 homer season in 1999.

Opposing teams have been chomping at the bit at the chance to dethrone the Padres, and this winter may be the perfect opportunity to strike. Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero, and Pedro Martinez headline the best free agent class in MLB history this off-season. The Padres don't figure to be a contender for any of those premier players, especially with so much money already committed to their current players for the upcoming season. If there was ever a moment for that sizable gap between San Diego and the rest of the field to narrow, this could be it.