Padres acquire Jorge Alfaro from Marlins in potential precursor
Credit: Getty Images
For some reason, the San Diego Padres sat back and stayed quiet while other teams spent a grip load of money.
The Texas Rangers shelled out half a billion dollars on Marcus Semien and Corey Seager alone as the Padres played it slow and watched everything unfold.
That is, until Tuesday when the team finally made a move.
The Padres acquired catcher Jorge Alfaro from the Miami Marlins, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
However, this move is a bit of a head-scratcher when looking at it in a vacuum. In all likelihood, the addition of Alfaro is signaling a more extensive move by Preller.
The Padres now have four catchers on the roster — Luis Campusano, Austin Nola, Victor Caratini, and Alfaro — and they certainly don’t need to carry that many catchers.
Alfaro isn’t a bad addition, especially since the Padres got him for essentially nothing. The veteran played 92 games for the Marlins in 2021, posting a .244 batting average with four home runs and 30 RBIs. At the most, Alfaro provides solid depth, and it can give new manager Bob Melvin flexibility to use Nola at first base more.
But Alfaro’s calling card is on the defensive side of things. Just look at this unreal throw.
There is no such thing as a more perfect throw than this one from Jorge Alfaro pic.twitter.com/FFmJHqwvrI
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 31, 2021
That is a perfect throw, and Alfaro might be used more later in games with Nola and Caratini getting the start — for now. Of course, nobody ever knows what Preller has up his sleeves.
The Padres also signed Tim Hill and Austin Adams on Tuesday to one-year deals, and everybody is sitting back and waiting for yet another Preller blockbuster deal.
Rumors have swirled about Eric Hosmer being dealt in a package, but Hosmer and that massive contract are still impacting the Padres’ books as of Tuesday night. If he does get traded, the Padres will need to eat a large chunk of cash in any deal, and moving Campusano along with him makes the most sense.
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Nonetheless, why Preller traded for a fourth catcher is confusing in a way. On the other hand, Preller and the Padres likely have some extensive master plan going on behind the scenes.
It is likely that more deals are coming. There have to be more deals coming, and at this point, it is only a matter of time before the Padres make another massive trade.
Unfortunately, the MLB appears headed for the inevitable lockout, and who knows what teams do once that happens.
Matthew Wadleigh, born in Oceanside and currently lives in Fresno. He lives with his wife and 2 dogs and is a sports enthusiast. Retired drummer and member of the Fresno State Marching Band. He has been a Padres fan since childhood and has suffered during the struggles just like everybody else.