9:11pm: Chacin’s contract is worth $1.75MM, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman. He rejected “significantly more money” from other teams because he felt the Padres offered the best opportunity (Twitter links).
3:13pm: Righty Jhoulys Chacin and the Padres have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, pending a physical, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. Chacin is a client of the Legacy Agency.
The Padres will likely count on Chacin to eat innings in an otherwise thin and inexperienced rotation that has lately lost veteran arms like James Shields, Drew Pomeranz, Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross. There should be no shortage of opportunities for Chacin in San Diego. As of this afternoon, they had Christian Friedrich (who has never posted an ERA below 4.80 in the big leagues) top their starting pitching depth chart; below him was Luis Perdomo, who had a 5.71 ERA, 6.4 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 while pitching as a Rule 5 player last season.
The 28-year-old Chacin began last season in a somewhat similar situation but on a minor league deal with the Braves, who later traded him to the Angels to plug their rotation, which was riddled with injuries. All told, Chacin ate 144 innings, posting a 4.81 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. That line, of course, is somewhat underwhelming, and Chacin’s modest velocity and fairly recent history of shoulder trouble also limit his upside somewhat.
On the bright side, Chacin’s peripherals were a bit better than his ERA, and he gets his fair share of ground balls, with a 48.4 GB% last season. Before that, he managed to survive several seasons pitching in Coors Field, and spending two-thirds of one’s career with the Rockies and retaining a 3.94 ERA is no mean feat. Whatever his virtues, though, the Padres likely won’t expect Chacin to be perfect, only to help them get through what could be a tough season.
Solid pickup for the Friars
How much? Could be a decent piece to trade if he has a rodney type resurrection.
Your opening day starter folks! Good job Preller!
Shouldn’t all this talk about eating be reserved for Bartolo topics?
good pickup
I honestly thought this would be the spot for the Jake Peavy farewell tour. But I haven’t heard a thing about him this offseason.
The Padres will lose 100 games…..maybe more.
I think most Padres fans already know that we are not going to be any good and that is by design, not by lack of a plan to create a winning team. Remember a few years back when the Cubs and Astros were losing 100 games? Well look at what those rebuilds have done.
Haven’t the Padres been losing a ton of games though for a while. They should be in the same situation as both of those clubs are currently in. The SD front office has made a ton of bad moves to say the least.
That’s because they kept gutting the farm in a failed attempt to “go for it.” Once you do that, you are back to square one of the rebuild.
If you actually think that you should go to vegas make that bet. You’ll make lots of money if your right.
Considering it’s a rebuilding year, many fans already know that and are content knowing that it’s part of the process.
No.
They have an almost decent line up and quality bullpen.
I see seventy wins so far.
“an almost decent lineup” I like it.
I’d bet against that.
It kills me how poorly this team is run. They’re basically a feeder system for smart GM’s…..and a grazing ground for retreads. Such a pitiful shame it is for such a tremendous city. Hang in there Padre fans.
it’s leagues better than before Preller came on the scene. Better prospects than when he took over, and an actual concerted effort to sign international players.
I’d give the credit for restocking the farm system to Padres ownership, more so than to Preller. I think most GMs in the league would have been able to stockpile similar caliber of prospects, given the massive budget he was given.
I’m hopeful that Preller’s young guys pan out.
Massive budget? The Padres spent less than $100 million on major league payroll this year which ranked in the bottom 10. Last year it was $108 million which ranked 22nd in MLB. The problem is the Padres never have had and never will have massive payrolls. You will never see the Padres spending $200+ million a year on payroll like the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox because that is about 100% of their revenue for a year.
In my opinion, Preller made some bad moves in terms of signings and even a few of the trades, but the way he has restocked our farm system has been nothing short of a miracle. The Padres ownership would not have ponied up for the international free agents we have signed so far if they were not absolutely convinced of Preller’s abilities at judging talent. The reason he got the job of GM here is because he was an absolute genius when it comes to the international market. Look at the guys he signed for the Rangers when he was in charge of international scouting there. Profar, Darvish, Perez, Odor, Leonys Martin, Nomar Mazara, Yohander Mendez, Ronald Guzman, Jose LeClerc, Beras, Yrizzari, Payano, Hernandez, Almonte, Tejada, Alberto. His name is stamped all over that organization from the MLB squad to more than a 3rd of their to prospects and he has been with the Padres for 2 years.
Massive budget for international spending and draft picks. Figured I didnt need to say that, when referring to prospects.
The Padres spent big for one season on Intl FA and they will never be able to do so again. No team will for at least the next 5 years. Fowler was on the committee that was negotiating the CBA, so good shot he knew that the owners would gut the ability for teams to spend like that again soon. They took the last shot they were going to have at making a big run at Intl FA. They still would not have done it for even one season if they didn’t have the utmost confidence in Preller’s skills at determining impact players on the international market. It’s still about Preller, not the ownership.
Preller has spent over $70 million in international free agency as well as the $14 million they spent in the draft. The trades of Kimbrel and others have brought in a tremendous amount of good prospects and organizational depth. The Padres may have started the rebuild a year later than most thought we would, but it’s in progress now and the future looks bright. Like the Cubs and Astros fans, we just need to be patient and let it run its course. By the time players like Hedges, Renfroe, Margot, and others on the MLB squad have matured into everyday MLB players our great young pitching prospects like Espinoza, Quantrill, Lauer, Nix, Lamet, Allen, and De Los Santos should be ready to contribute. With all those young players on the roster, even after extending Myers and Solarte, Preller should have great payroll flexibility at that point to go after a few big pieces to turn this team into a contender. So come back in 2019 and 2020 and see how well we are doing.
100% agree. Seems people like to negatively project a lot on this team based on very little information. Should be exciting time for Padres fans now that they are in the midst of a solid plan
Oh my. Quite optimistic. Probably half of those pitching prospects won’t pan out, because most pitching prospects don’t. And an extension for Solarte? Why on earth would they do that? I personally would love to see the Padres actually start a major-league shortstop for the first time in years. A fan can dream.
If half of those 7 really good starting pitching prospects I mentioned make it, then Preller will have done an exceptional job and our rotation will be quite solid. Much like what the Cubs did. Lots of home grown players and a few trades and a few big signings to put them over the top.
Solarte is a 3B and he put up very good numbers last year while his wife was fighting what turned out to be a terminal illness. .286/.341/.808 with 15 hrs and a 2.8 WAR and above average defense. Since the turn of the century, only Headley has put up a better year. The question is not why would we extend him, it’s why wouldn’t we. He is above average in every area of the game and is the type of guy every team hopes for in the clubhouse,
He’s a bad defensive third baseman and is maybe the slowest non-bartolo/ non-catcher in baseball. He’s not going to age well and the offense doesn’t play anywhere else.
He’s maybe the slowest player in baseball. Those guys don’t age well. He’s a bad defensive third baseman. I feel for his family situation; that’s terrible for anyone to deal with. But he’s a 30-year old slow-footed bad defnsive 3B whose only other possible position might be first. That’s not a player you extend.
Sorry, but you are not correct on either count on Solarte. He graded out above average on defense in 2016 and he was 8th of 16 third basemen with 400 PA in BsR. He doesn’t steal bases, but stealing bases is only a small part baserunning. He is well above average at taking the extra base on his own hits and when he is on base. Not only is he not slow, he is a very smart baserunner. Since he is 29, questions about him aging poorly are a moot point for the next 4-5 years, but since you are so clearly wrong on both of your points, I am confident that you are wrong about that one too.
Calm down bro. Hedges so far can’t hit. Myers hit .210 with 91 K’s on road and Solarte is journeymen who got benched for not hustling. Renfroe looks good but it’s early. Cubs are big market team that could handle rebuild and be patient. Padre going to stick with Preller next few years? Is he going to try snookering another GM? We don’t know team doesn’t even have President
Time to get a grip. Hedges raked at AAA and his hitting mechanics have improved. Time will tell but promising. Myers did slip during the second half trying to carry the team swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. Look at Solarte’s numbers for the games he played. If anyone believes he is a journeyman, baseball intelligence is lacking. He is a valuable trade piece with a great contract. Go Friars! Go Preller!
Re: Myers: Home games count as well, right? Dude’s a borderline all star as it stands now.
Re Solarte: journeyman usually play for more than 2 teams, don’t they? Plus, he’s about a 10% better hitter than league average and an average defender. Plenty of value there, btw that pays him close to 15M as a free agent on average.
Lastly, in regard to a President….that’s the type of work an involved owner usually does.
Negative much?
Hedges hit quite well last season. If he hit .220 he would be a huge improvement over what we had last season. His defense is exceptional Every scout in baseball would tell you its close to the best in the game. In every area of defense for a catcher, he is superior. Game calling, arm, blocking pitches in the dirt, pitch framing. Across the board. From what we saw from him last year I have no doubt that his bat has finally caught up with his defense. That is why the Padres are content to make him the starter with only Bethancourt and a Rule V draft pick behind him. The team doesn’t have a President of Baseball Operations because they have given that power to Preller after firing Mike Dee. He will be here through his contract at the very least which takes us to 2020 and a completed rebuild. Myers hit 28 hr with 28 sb while playing Gold Golve caliber defense in his first full season in the majors at age 25. Not just good. Phenomenal. Solarte is the epitome of a team player. He hit .286/.341/.808 with 15 HR and played above average defense while his wife was dying of cancer. He just won an award over all MLB players for being an inspiration. Renfroe could hit .220 with 20 HR and would be a 2-3 win improvement over Kemp just on his defense alone. From what we have seen, he has a good eye at the plate with exceptional power.
Where is this nonsense about Solarte being above average on defense coming from? There is literally no statistic anywhere that puts his fielding at anything more than below average. He’s probably the slowest player in baseball, so I don’t see his defense getting any better.
If Solarte was valuable which he’s not teams would be calling for him
After the Mike Dee circus, I think the Padres would prefer to hold off on hiring another president for now.
-0.4UZR at 3B each of the past two seasons qualifies right between the Average and Below Average mark according to fangraphs. I actually thought he was worst than that. Nice bat, but he more than likely will be relegated to DH in a few years cuz of all those factors.
So myers wasn’t trying to carry the team in the first half, when they still kinda had something to play for, but he decided to start trying to carry them after they were already clearly out of a playoff race? Yeah, that makes a ton of sense…
Idk about all the metrics but Solarte certainly passes the eye test at 3rd base. He might be slightly below average but he’s not going to embarrass you on defense like Matt Kemp.
Fangraphs DEF, their version of dWAR, had him at a 2.6 which is above average. He was a -0.3 in UZR/150, so right about average. Baseball References dWAR had him at -0.1 or right about average. In errors per inning played he ranked 12 of 36, so above average. In fielding percentage, he ranked 16th of 36 so just above average. .286/.341/.808 plays anywhere on the field. Since there is clearly a statistic that shows Solarte as above average, I will ignore your nonsense comments in the future.
Guess you don’t read much. This very site and the UT reported that Preller said that teams were calling about Solarte, but that the Padres were not actively shopping him. Preller said that along with Myers, Solarte is a player the Padres want to build around. So he is both valuable AND teams are calling about him.
Ok. First off, fielding percentage really? That stat tells us nothing about defense. Solarte is slooow. I mean, his friggin nickname is Slowarte. Slow players don’t age well at skill positions, especially ones they already aren’t good at. Maybe if you look at enough stats you can find one that shows Solarte is an average defender, but all the rest don’t.
He’s never been anything more than a bad baserunner. He’s below average at taking extra bases actually, mostly because he’s so slow, but he also doesn’t get thrown out a lot making baserunning mistakes.
He’s not a great player, just a good one, and not the kind of guy you give an extension to for his decline years.
Everybody raked at El Paso. It’s like hitting at Coors.
A rebuilding team wants to build around a 30-year old third baseman? I don’t really believe that’s accurate.
Preller said likes his credibility is warranted, from the dude that shows false medical reports now Preller is GW
Baseball-Reference has him at +1. Different raters, different ratings. The eyeball test for many is, he won’t hurt you at the position.
They have a couple promising 3B about 3 years away. “build around” is a euphemism that means “we have no one better, and he’s good enough for now”.
The way Solarte hits he’s easily good enough to be the starting 3rd baseman on a contending team. It’s not just a matter of “Well, we have no one better.” As far as defense goes, as you already admitted, he’s not great but he’s not going to hurt you.
A 29-year old 3rd baseman with an .808 OPS
Agree^ journeymen
Setting bar high I see. Let’s not set against Brooks Robinson let’s set against Kemp
I could not have said it better myself. It’s kind of annoying how some people don’t understand the “rebuilding” process that teams like the Padres need to go through and just project a lot of negativity to the team. Preller is sticking to a plan, and in next next few years we’ll hopefully start seeing the fruits of his labor.
San Diego is no tremendous city!
One down. One to go. Will it be Richard or Jackson or Gee or Wood? Those seem the most likely names.
both Richard and Jackson were pretty horrendous last year. Richard pitched well above what his underlying numbers indicated. Wonder if they would try for a Fister or CJ Wilson type.
Fister requires an hove average infield defense behind him, which the Padres as currently constructed lack.
On the cheap then flip those 2 wouldn’t be bad. You’re not pitching youngsters all year
exactly. And it has to be taken into account that Perdomo will be shut down at some point. I’m sure there will be a fair amount of waiver wire guys who pitch for the Padres throughout the season
Perdomo put up 146.2 IP last year. No reason to shut him down before he throws 180+. It’s Clemens, Friedrich, and Vargas that we are pretty sure won’t go 30 starts.
Just curious, what numbers are you talking about? Richard had a 2.41 ERA, 0.69 HR/9, 3.78 BB/9, 80.1% LOB rate, 63.5% GB rate and a 4.22 FIP as a starter. That is certainly not horrendous. It’s actually good. Since all we really need is a mediocre inning eater, I would take those numbers from a starter every day and twice on Sunday.
By comparison, Fister had a 4.64 ERA, 1.20 HR/9, 3.09 BB/9, 72.1% LOB rate, 45.3% GB rate, and a 4.75 FIP while striking out just about the same per 9. I would rather have Richard.
I marvel at the enthusiasm for rebuilding, with the Cubs and the Astros (who haven’t won the WS yet) as models. The Phillies, Braves, Reds, now the Padres, even the White Sox following along that road. Even if one or more is successful, it’s worth remembering that teams currently contending are not going to be standing still waiting to be caught by the next rebuilding juggernaut.
Yeah… they’ll be getting older and eventually face the realization that they themselves will need a rebuild in the near future…
Yeah the rebuild works when you pile up so much talent and then the ones who work out on your team help you and the ones that are blocked are used for trades to improve other needed spots on the team and to continue success Incase of injury. But if you become old with no farm system in place it’s hard to continue success. Braves just need to sign another catcher
What are you talking about? It’s not like they invented the rebuild. Braves for instance decided it was the best time and made a smart business move. Most teams go through this phase. Padres on the other hand, idk how people call them a ‘rebuild ‘…they’ve have historically been a not so good team. It’s not like they were in contention for a few years and decided to ‘rebuild’ they just need to straight up draft better and sign better players to compete.
Pretty simple. The Padres signed a bunch of high priced vets in an effort to compete in 2015 and when that didn’t work they started trading them away. In 2016 we got rid of the vets remaining for prospects and hence are in a rebuild. Add to that the fact that the Padres did exactly what the Cubs did at that phase of the rebuild process in signing a ton of international free agents.
Yeah. That stupid “all-in” for 2015 was puzzling though. And the worst part about it is that the padres are paying something like 30 million dollars this year to players no longer on the team (Olivera, Shields, Upton jr., they’re even chipping in a few million on Matt Kemp still.) I understand Kimbrel got them Margot and Espinoza might be great in five years. But they screwed up in not dealing JUpton for Michael Fullmer in 2015.
I like some of these core pieces but the rebuild could have started in 2015. Hopefully Solarte brings back another decent piece this year.
Didn’t Pomeranz get them Espinoza? Not Kimbrel
Yeah; I didn’t phrase that very well.
Until this changes team will flounder
Players Drafted by Padres that never played with the Padres.
Matt Bush TEX 2004
Brandon Kintzler MIN 2004
David Freese PIT 2006
Corey Kluber CLE 2007
Eric Sogard MIL 2007
Joe Ross WSH 2011
Matt Wisler ATL 2011
Matt Andreise TB 2011
Mallex Smith ATL 2012
Trea Turner WSH 2014
Players that were drafted but never signed
Jason Kipnis CLE 2008
Josh Tomlin CLE 2005
Christian Colon KC 2007
Steven Wright BOS 2003
Max Fried missing
Cubs traded players like recent Friars
Don’t think so
The braves have not done what the cubs did. The cubs focused on drafting and acquiring position prospects, the braves pitching.
Woohoo! I like this signing. He’s like a poor man’s Edwin Jackson, only poorer.
poor man’s Edwin Jackson was funny enough.
Padres need to call up Ginny Baker already.
if padres wanna tank they should sign lincecum… he’ll get rocked every 5 days but still has some ability to bring fans
I doubt lincecum has any desire to pitch anymore. He’s made his money
he did last year. i’m sure if a team offered him a spot he would take it
Wow. I just looked it up. I knew Lincecum was bad but didn’t realize how bad. 38 innings, 68 hits and 23 walks allowed, 11 homers. I can’t quite understand how the Angels let him start 9 games.
yeah he was brutal. They didn’t have much else to go too though
Not bad, only 1.75 million. Padres are the best opportunity, he’s basically guaranteed starting job.
2017 going to be rough, but hopefully some of the young guys emerge