As fans look forward to the inevitable post-lockdown trade, those hoping to see their favorite teams added to the starting rotation often focus on the Reds and Athletics as commercial partners. potential trade – and with good reason. Both Oakland (Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas) and Cincinnati (Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle) has three pitchers they can trade to cut payrolls and add some young talent to the organizations. Marlins is also a recommended trading partner for teams that need a starter pitcher, even if already traded Zach Thompson to the Pirates in December Jacob Stallings swap.
That said, while those three teams are heavily concentrated, the asking prices there will be high. Teams will want alternatives, and the Padres will likely receive active interest from those clubs. That’s not because San Diego is embarking on any rebuilding efforts but because the team has plenty of rotation options and an always-aggressive nature that never ignores anything of its president. baseball activities AJ Peller.
Since taking the helm in San Diego, Preller has taken on multiple assignments and storm-trading deadlines with a wide range of activities. The nickname “rock star GM” was bestowed on him by Matt Kemp became infamous, but Preller repeatedly lived up to the spirit of the moniker by presenting a flair for bold, dramatic attacks that helped reshape the organization.
The Padres staff have struggled with injuries and some surprising underperformance in 2021 but remain poignant with pitchers with great league success or significant achievement. San Diego’s 2022 rotation is currently slated to include Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Mike Clevinger and the person who returns the NPB Nick Martinezwho agreed to a surprising thing four-year contract, $20 million before locking the door after a dominant performance in Japan.
In addition to that quintet, the Padres may have a full rotation of other attractive arms, although some of them have struggled and/or injured recently. Right-handed people Dinelson Lamet had the most recent success of the group, absolutely dominating the shortened 2020 season – 2.09 ERA strike rate 34.8%, walk rate 7.5% in 69 innings – before a bout UCL’s stress kept him out of the post-season. He has missed much of the 2021 season on the injury list and is unproductive on his return, but he would be a top talent if his arm was raised. The Padres could use him for relief this season, but there is a big ceiling to dream about with Lamet, who is controlled through arbitration until 2023.
Righty Chris Paddack has yet to regain the form he showed in his 2019 debut campaign, which saw him in the Rookie of the Year competition before falling down through injury. He was diagnosed with a minor UCL tear at the end of last season but is expected to be ready for the ’22 campaign. Paddack registered a 4.95 walker ERA in 167 1/3 innings from 2020-21, but he’s still just 26 years old and boasts one of the lowest walking rates in the MLB, aside from a fast ball. averaging nearly 95 mph. He is controlled until 2024.
Left side Adrian Morejon, one of the award signings from Preller’s international signing match in rebuilding the Padres, will return from Tommy John surgery in 2022. His MLB experience is limited, but he’s still only 22 and has ranked among the sport’s top 100 prospects for half a decade. while increasing through the system. He remains under the control of the club until 2025.
Another Southpaw, Ryan Weathers, was the 7th overall draft pick back in 2018. Though he only recently turned 22, Weathers made his professional league debut this past season and has held his own her early days before a difficult ending. Weathers carried an ERA of 2.73 (despite signs of peripheral wobble) through 62 2/3 innings before being beaten in the final two months and ending the season with an earned running average of 5.32. It was a rough finish, but Weathers is a 22-year-old former top player and top prospect with a strong track record (albeit brief, thanks to the wiped 2020 season).
Right hand 25 years old Reiss Knehr doesn’t come with the fanfare of potential customers like some of the others in the system do, but he’s still making a strong effort in the minor league to make his major league debut at the end of the season. A 20th-round pick in 2018, Knehr scored a 3.57 ERA with a high hit rate in 75 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A before being called up to the majors. His 4.97 ERA and 20 to 20 K/BB ratio in the pro leagues won’t wow anyone, but it’s only happened in 29 innings for a 24-year-old rookie who hasn’t never throw the A-ball into the season .
The most mysterious, southpaw MacKenzie Gore remains in Padres’ system but has seen his stock plummet. Once the overall #3 pick, whose 2020 campaign ranks among the top 10 prospects in all of baseball, 22-year-old Gore (23 next month) has yet to getting calls to the big leagues even as the Padres have consistently dealt with injuries and drilled deep into their system.
Gore got off to a bad start with Triple-A El Paso in 2021, struggling enough to get the Padres to push the reset button by taking him out of the game and sending him to their spring facility for work. tweak his mechanics. When he returned to the game at the end of the season, Gore looked stronger, posting an ERA of 2.67 at 43 to 16 K/BB in 30 innings of 1/3 (six starts) on Rookie ball, Class-A Advanced and Double-A. He’s completely fallen off American Baseball’s top 100 prospects, but Gore is still young and full of raw talent. A few sharp months in Triple-A should put him right back at the top of the majors.
That’s not even the full depth of San Diego’s near MLB. Righty Pedro Avila might eventually end up in the bullpen but had some Double-A/Triple-A success and got into the majors. Right-handed people Adrian Martinez25 years old, selected to the shortlist of 40 before closing after dominating in Double-A and reaching Triple-A for the first time in 2021.
Thanks to a series of instant wins, the Padres farm system isn’t what it used to be, but the wealth of pitching depth the team has accumulated is still impressive. It also provided Preller and his minions with fodder to make almost any kind of trade imaginable, and history has shown us that often enough, Preller’s Padres won’t. do like that. The good part, though, is that there’s no pressure to move any particular individual. Paddack, Morejon, Weathers, Knehr, Gore, Avila and Martinez each have minor league picks left, so no “real” pitcher is at risk of being exempted at the end of training. spring training.
With so many pivoting options at hand, are there any avenues Padres could pursue after a trade freeze. Of course, keeping the line-up is a completely defensible path up the leaderboard, but even if the Padres aren’t actively shopping for pitchers, other teams will come invite. Teams that need athletes, like the Nationals, Twins and Rangers, for example, might want to get their hands on someone like Paddack or Weathers — a controllable arm without an immediate route to regular innings. on the MLB listings in San Diego.
It is also important to recall the many points at which Padres explored the possibility of breaking free from the rest of the Eric Hosmerof the contract. Both Rangers and Unit entertaining at least with the possibility of taking on Hosmer as part of a deal that would land them a high-profile prospect, and although there’s no guarantee that those specific talks will ever be rekindled , but it’s easy to dream up scenarios where Hosmer would be packed with a handful of young people. pitch to help facilitate transactions. Similar situations to Wil Myers also makes sense.
To be clear, the Padres don’t need to move any of their rotation depths. In addition to the fact that all of the candidates listed here have remaining options (beyond the expected pool for Opening Day), San Diego will soon have a need for some new talent in the workforce. HR team started. Both Musgrove and Clevinger are free agents after the 2022 season. Snell and Darvish are contracted until 2023. (Same point where Lamet could first become a free agent.) They will need some wings. this young hand to enhance and strengthen themselves as long-term options.
However, the Padres are often one of the most active and active clubs in baseball, and few teams have a deep reserve of candidates that nearly rotate the MLB. At the very least, other clubs throughout the league will try to exploit some pitches from San Diego – especially now that the free agent market has largely picked up. There’s a lot of beginner focus available in Oakland and Cincinnati, but ask prices will be high there and teams that still need pitch will tap the market to find alternatives. San Diego has more of them than most.
