to a two-year deal
What do the San Diego Padres do now? The Padres shocked the baseball world on Thursday by signing All-Star closer Fernando Rodney to a two-year deal worth $20 million. Rodney, 38, who led the American League with 48 saves for the Detroit Tigers in 2014, will replace Huston Street as the Padres’ closer. Rodney is coming off an inconsistent season in which he had a 4.74 ERA and blew eight saves in 43 chances for the Seattle Mariners. But he is still one of the most dominant closers in the game and should give the Padres’ bullpen a much-needed boost.
The question now is what does this mean for the Padres’ other relievers? Street, who saved 41 games for San Diego last season but missed time with injuries, became a free agent after the season and is unlikely to return at that price. The other right-handed reliever who appeared in significant relief innings for San Diego last season was Joaquin Benoit, who signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates this past offseason. That leaves Kevin Quackenbush, Nick Vincent and Alex Torres as the most likely candidates to serve as setup men for Rodney.
Quackenbush, 25, had a 2.48 ERA and struck out 82 batters in 77 innings last season while Vincent, 27, had a 2.73 ERA and struck out 73 batters in 70 innings. Torres, 26, was acquired from Tampa Bay at midseason and had a 2.39 ERA in 23 appearances for San Diego. All three pitchers are under team control through at least 2018 and offer some cost certainty for the Padres as they look to build around their new closer.
It will be interesting to see if Padres general manager A.J. Preller tries to add another reliever before spring training or if he goes into the season with these three pitchers setting up Rodney. With only $10 million committed to next year’s payroll (according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts), Preller could easily make another move or two if he chooses to do so. But regardless of what happens between now and Opening Day, it’s clear that Fernando Rodney is now the San Diego Padres’ closer and they are his team to lead
The San Diego Padres have pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Mariners, acquiring outfielder Justin Upton and third baseman Kyle Seager. In return, the Padres send outfielder Jabari Blash and starting pitcher Drew Smyly to the Mariners.
This is a huge move for both teams, as Upton and Seager are two of the most talented players in the game. Upton, 29, is coming off another excellent season in which he batted .273 with 28 home runs and 81 RBIs. Seager, 28, is one of the best third baseman in baseball, batting .278 with 27 home runs and 99 RBIs last year.
For the Padres, this trade gives them one of the most potent lineups in baseball. With Upton in the middle of the lineup, along with Wil Myers, Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot, they will be able to score a lot of runs. The addition of Seager also makes their lineup very deep.
The Mariners are also getting a very good player in Smyly. The 27-year-old lefty is coming off a strong season in which he went 8-12 with a 3.54 ERA in 29 starts. He should be a big upgrade over what they had last year in their rotation.
This is an exciting trade for both teams and it should have a major impact on the 2017 season.
The San Diego Padres have a rotation that looks solid headed into 2016. Tyson Ross and James Shields are returning, and they added Drew Pomeranz and Colin Rea.
Ross was the ace of the Padres last year, and he is coming off of a season in which he had a 3.26 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 33 starts. He also struck out 215 batters and walked just 71 in 212 innings. Ross should be able to build on those numbers this year.
Shields had somewhat of a down year last year, but he is still a very good pitcher. He had a 3.91 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 33 starts last year. He also struck out 202 batters and walked 74 in 211 innings. Shields should be able to bounce back this year and post numbers closer to his career averages.
Pomeranz was acquired from the Red Sox in the offseason, and he should be able to provide some more stability to the rotation. He had a 3. 67 ERA and 1 .27 WHIP in 26 starts for Boston last year. He also struck out 153 batters and walked 62 in 137 innings . Rea was acquired from the Marlins in the offseason, and he should also be able to provide some stability to the rotation . He had a 4 . 81 ERA and 1 .48 WHIP in 16 starts for Miami last year . He also struck out 82 batters an d walk ed 36 in 81 2/3 innings . The Padres’ rotation looks solid headed into 2016 , an d they sho uld be able to contend for a playoff spot
What is a water in poker
Just missing out on the playoffs, the San Diego Padres came up just short in their quest for the postseason. Falling to the Colorado Rockies in their final game of the year, they finished with a record of 76-86. This was still an improvement over their 2016 campaign, when they went 68-94. Despite their losing record, there were some highlights to the season. One of their biggest moments came on July 4th when they played host to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In front of a packed house at Petco Park, they not only won the game, but also set a new attendance record for a home game in franchise history.
The Padres pitching staff was led by Clayton Richard, who had a breakout season. He led the team in innings pitched and strikeouts, and finished with a 3.99 ERA. Tyson Ross made some progress after returning from injury, and Jhoulys Chacin had another solid year. The bullpen was led by Kirby Yates, who notched 29 saves on the year. Austin Hedges was one of the team’s most productive hitters, batting .273 with 18 homers and 54 RBIs. Manuel Margot also showed promise as a young player, batting .275 with nine homers and 29 RBIs. Overall there is plenty of reason for optimism heading into next season for Padres fans.
The Padres surprised a lot of people last year with an impressive run that saw them make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Many are expecting more of the same in 2017, and there’s good reason to think they can deliver.
Offensively, the Padres have a lot of firepower. Wil Myers had a breakout season in 2016, and he figures to be a key contributor again this year. Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot also show plenty of promise and should contribute significantly. Elsewhere in the lineup, Justin Upton is always a threat and Ryan Schimpf proved last year that he can handle major league pitching.
The Padres also have some excellent pitching prospects who could see some time in the majors this year.Right-hander Dinelson Lamet showed great promise in limited action last year, and he could be a major factor in the bullpen this season. Other young pitchers such as Luis Perdomo, Christian Friedrich, and Joey Lucchesi could also make an impact this season.
Despite their young talent, however, the Padres are not without their weaknesses. The team’s bullpen is questionable at best, and its defense is also suspect. If the pitching staff can’t hold leads late in games, it could cost them dearly.
Nevertheless, the Padres should be competitive once again this year. With a little bit of luck and some continued growth from their young players, they could make another deep playoff run.
