Self-evaluation is key to Padres’ future success
Credit: AP Photo
Evaluating young players and prospects within the system will be critical for the San Diego Padres as they will make some moves this winter.
There is no doubt that the San Diego Padres will make adjustments very soon.
With 51 men currently on the 40-man roster, the team needs to make cuts.
The Padres will purge themselves of some players on the roster by simply designating them for assignment. There will be more than just a few DFA’s as the Padres settle their squad after the completion of the 2019 World Series. You can expect at least 8-10 men released by the team to one extent or another.
Just releasing players is one way of lessening your roster, but the Padres could also pull off a few trades in the coming month. The team can package prospects together in groups for relevant major league talent. Grouping young players like this is very likely to happen. A.J. Preller might also choose to include prospects in a proposed deal with a player whose salary he is not pleased with presently. Wil Myers comes to mind in this regard.
No matter how you look at it, the Padres will need to move some of their young players. The baseball operations department needs to know who of their prospects is available via trade. There needs to be an adequate self-evaluation as the Padres cannot afford to deal the next Corey Kluber or Trea Turner. If a drafted Padres’ prospect has success in the major leagues, it must be achieved while playing for San Diego.
The team has several first and second-year starting pitchers that deserve playing time, and there are even more in the minors on the horizon. Say what you want about the Padres’ ability to get immediate results from these young pitchers, but the team did have several options in the staff throughout the season. The player development department is doing an adequate job of getting these pitchers to advance to the majors. Now it is time to choose which ones are keepers and which ones can be made available via trade.
Self-evaluation or knowing your players will be huge for the San Diego Padres in the coming months and years. A.J, Preller has done well in stock-piling all this relevant young talent. However, having a great farm system does not guarantee a World Series trophy. Major league players are required for success, and those players must have excellent skills. The San Diego Padres are close to being very competitive, but the next series of moves must be made correctly. Sel-evaluation will be the key to it all.
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.
The trade of Wil Myers is likely not happening. Apparently Ron Fowler wants him gone, and supposedly is willing to throw $10 million away with him. At $20 million-plus for the next three years, Ron would have to pay $10M for each of the three years left. That contract shows up in every list of untradeable contracts.
If Wil plays his game – hitting to all fields, making solid contact and not overswinging, he’s capable of earning his contract. Swinging the bat the way he’s capable, he has the speed and arm to be acceptable in the outfield, even centerfield. I mean that the way Ted Williams’ bat made his indifferent fielding acceptable. Wil is a better fielder, and better base runner and base stealer.
One task the new manager needs to accomplish is getting Wil Myers to play his game at the plate, and accept his “good enough” defense, which just might get better if he plays at just one position. There’s no way he’s leaving, unless he DOES play his game, in which case, he’ll stay anyway, as the major piece of the Padres’ offense he was expected to be.
You’ve nailed it. The key to development is accurate evaluation of your own players.
It might not be wise to trade Myers if the cost is good prospects. Yes, he’s paid too much, but he just had his worst year and put up 0.5 WAR and a wRC+ of 96. If he rebounds to his average level we might be looking at 1.5-2.0 WAR and 105-110 wRC+. Not a star by any means, but a slightly above average player. It might be wiser to live with an overpaid, but okay player and keep the prospects. And of course, stop playing him in CF. Play him at 1B against LHP and leave him in LF the rest of the time.
The real problem is Hosmer. Got to find a way to trade him after 2020.