Padres Editorial: What Are The Padres Doing???
Trading Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit was a very aggressive move to say the least. Some fans are really up in arms wondering what the future of this franchise is. The word rebuilding has even been used to describe this current process.
That particular word has not been used by anyone connected to the team and they still consider the team in a re-tooling effort. Clearly the recipe for a winning formula was off from last year. The chemistry just wasn’t there and frankly the team was put together wrong.
Defense and balance seem to be the theme this off-season. The San Diego Padres are attempting to bring more left-handed batters into the lineup. They are also looking for left-handed pitchers both in the bullpen and in the starting rotation. Rich Hill was a very solid option, but he signed with the Oakland Athletics a couple of days ago. There are still many option on the free agent market.
The team is also addressing its need on the field. You will not see Wil Myers in center field or Jedd Gyorko and Will Middlebrooks at shortstop. The management clearly undervalued defense last season and the Padres pitchers were directly affected. This off-season the team has voiced a need to be more consistent with the glove.
There are many unanswered questions regarding what the management is doing with the team. A lot of people are already passing judgement saying this season will be a lost season. Calm down people, you are making judgements about a team that hasn’t even been fully constructed. Wait until spring training before crying foul. The 2016 season is the San Diego Padres season to host the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The team will not put a bogus product out on the field.
It is obvious the team will undergo a face-lift of some kind. If that means dealing James Shields, Derek Norris, Tyson Ross or Matt Kemp, then hopefully the team will get a return of players that can make the difference on game day. The Winter Meetings start the first week of December and the Padres will likely be very active. We will see what direction the team goes.
A.J. Preller is capable of anything and the Padres have some financial flexibility. They could go in many different ways so passing judegement on the look of the team now is foolish. Something needed to be done. The farm system has been repaired in some sense with the Kimbrel trade, now it is time to fill in the holes on the Major League roster. Sit back and enjoy, this could get really fascinating.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
Very optimistic take on the fire sale that has already started. We will not get the full value of any of the guys we trade. I was a huge believer in most of Preller’s moves last season, but for whatever reason AJ’s chemistry experiment blew up in the lab. The clubhouse was a disaster. This team ranked. Now the Padres are in desperation mode. And chances are they will get worse before they get any better.
I understand it is too early to say this is a lost season.When you here names of Kemp,Ross, and Norris being rumored in trade talks,you begin to wonder if the Padres have a plan in place or just blow things up if they don’t work.You need some core players to build on and add parts to it.People know from past experience how the Padres do business on the low end of salaries.With the increase in ticket prices for next season and the All Star Game, the fans expect top dollar value for the money they spend.I will reserve judgement until I see what transpires through spring training.Too many Padre fans have been through ongoing reconstruction of the franchise and are wary of what lies ahead.Bounce this off the season ticket holders and maybe you will better understand the why they do not want a bogus minor league product ,paying major league prices.As for the two trades,I agree what A.J. is doing and maybe you go out on the open market to fill those needs and re- stock the farm system.He is suppose to be great at evaluating young talent,let us see.The choice for manager is undetermined and left for the season to unfold.
to soon to trade ross Myers Norris or Kemp we are currently without a closer now since we traded them both we have a possible closer in Maurer but he is not a proven answer yet we need to fill some holes especially shortstop but need to keep what is left of our key players in tact if possible