In the latest edition of MLBTR’s “3 Remaining Needs” series, we’ll focus on the National League West, a division ruled by the iron-fist of the Dodgers — division champs for six years running. With at least two playoff teams in each of the last three seasons, however, the competition remains fierce. Though the Diamondbacks are likely to take a step back this year, the Giants have new leadership in the front office, the Padres have the foreword to their Cinderella story ready to print, and the Rockies will be giving all they’ve got in what could be Nolan Arenado’s last season in Colorado.
[Previous installments: NL East, NL Central, AL West]
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Replace A.J. Pollock. Whether they move Ketel Marte to center field or find a replacement on the trade market, the position needs to be addressed. Jarrod Dyson doesn’t offer enough upside, even to build value as a trade candidate, nor do the veterans signed to minor league deals thus far this offseason (Abraham Almonte, Kelby Tomlinson, Matt Szczur). They can attempt to build the value of an otherwise depreciating asset, a la Socrates Brito, they can move Marte to center and sign a stopgap veteran to flip at the deadline, a la Asdrubal Cabrera or Brian Dozier, or they can engage the trade market for an option in between those two, a la Michael A. Taylor, Kevin Pillar or Randal Grichuk.
- Trade Zack Greinke. Or if not Greinke, then at least one of Robbie Ray or Zack Godley. The Dbacks also have winter acquisitions Luke Weaver and Merrill Kelly slated for the rotation, plus Taijuan Walker aiming for a midseason return. That’s not necessarily a terrible collection if they’re looking to contend, but considering the Dodgers depth, the Rockies urgency, and the sleeping giant in San Diego, it’s a tough row to hoe for the Diamondbacks in the West, and the Wild Card race is no less forgiving – especially now that they’ve bolstered a perennial contender in St. Louis. Assuming Arizona is willing to take a step back – even if just for a year – then it behooves them to make room at the major league level for the group of Jon Duplantier, Taylor Widener and Taylor Clarke, their #1, #2 and #11 ranked prospects (per MLB.com). All three are at least 24 and coming off strong seasons in either Double or Triple A. Clarke is the closest, but also has the lowest ceiling, which is even more reason to give him a go while the others season in Triple A. Besides, trading one of their major league starters will help accomplish task #3.
- Further build prospect depth. They’ve got a ton of top 100 draft picks in June and already jumpstarted their youth movement by trading Goldschmidt and letting Corbin and (presumably) Pollock walk. While they’re at it, they should explore lesser returns for Nick Ahmed, Andrew Chafin, Yoshihisa Hirano or Alex Avila. They’ve resisted overtures for David Peralta thus far, but he’s 31 and still controllable on a year-to-year basis through 2020, which makes him perfect for a contender like Cleveland.
Colorado Rockies
- Upgrade at catcher. Extending Arenado maybe should be the main priority, but if he’s set on testing free agency, the Rockies would do just as well devoting their energy to making Colorado as attractive a destination as possible, and that means building a sustainable winner. The budget is likely too tight for Yasmani Grandal, but Chris Iannetta and Tony Wolters struggled at the dish last season, so if they can backload a deal to spike after 2020 when most of their long-term money comes off the books,
- Add a veteran to the bench. The Rockies are in the midst of a mini youth movement with David Dahl, Garrett Hampson, Ryan McMahon and Raimel Tapia slated for significant playing time. They’ve added Daniel Murphy, who likely replaces DJ LeMahieu, but they could use a vet on the bench to fill the shoes of Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday and Gerardo Parra.
- Keep an eye on pitching. The Rockies have their best rotation in years, but they could use an extra arm at the right price. Antonio Senzatela has the inside track on the fifth starter role for now, and they have a host of options in the organization, but there’s room for the right guy. Same goes for the bullpen, which is stocked with high-priced veterans like Wade Davis, Jake McGee, Bryan Shaw and Mike Dunn. They need to replace the production they received last season from Adam Ottavino, but they may want to give this group a couple months to make it work. Basically, they have no cause to overreach on pitching, but if they have a target or two they like whose prices drop, they should be ready to bite.
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Find a catcher. Say what you will about Grandal’s playoff woes, but he was still a top-notch regular-season producer with the Dodgers from 2015-18. Now a free agent, reports have indicated the 30-year-old Grandal is unlikely to return to the Dodgers. At the major league level, the Grandal-less Dodgers are bereft at catcher aside from Austin Barnes, who took sizable steps backward last season after an excellent 2017. The Dodgers do have a pair of appealing backstop prospects in Keibert Ruiz and Will Smith, but they aren’t ready to assume the reins yet. Los Angeles will at least need to find a stopgap, then, though free agency’s not teeming with possibilities. If healthy, the Pirates’ Francisco Cervelli– who has reportedly been on the Dodgers’ radar – would make for a nice one-year Band-Aid. Former Dodger Russell Martin might also be available, but the current Blue Jay owns a pricey $20MM salary. Welington Castillo of the White Sox ($7.75MM guaranteed) could become expendable if Chicago goes after Grandal, and the Mets have two trade candidates in Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki. Of course, the Marlins’ J.T. Realmuto is far and away the premier option on the market, and the Dodgers have been involved in talks for him. However, LA is not ready to meet Miami’s lofty demands for the 27-year-old.
- Land another offensive threat, especially if Realmuto doesn’t end up in LA. The Dodgers’ offense led the majors in wRC+ and finished fourth in runs in 2018, but the group has since lost Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Manny Machado. The back-to-back NL pennant winners still carry a boatload of formidable producers – including Justin Turner, Max Muncy, Corey Seager (whose 2018 absence paved the way for the Machado pickup), Cody Bellinger, Chris Taylor and Joc Pederson – but why stop there? The Dodgers don’t seem inclined to, judging by their interest in No. 1 free agent Bryce Harper and Tigers outfielder Nicholas Castellanos – a righty who’d provide balance to a lefty-heavy lineup.
- You can never have enough great starting pitching. Even though they traded Alex Wood to the Reds this month, the Dodgers’ starting staff remains as deep as any in the game. As things stand, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling, Julio Urias, Caleb Ferguson and Dennis Santana represent a group of rather strong choices. Nevertheless, the Dodgers may want another front-end presence to join Kershaw (who hasn’t been as durable or as otherworldly of late) and Buehler, as they’ve pursued a trade for the Indians’ Corey Kluber. The two-time AL Cy Young winner has exceeded 200 innings in each season since 2014. That type of durability would be a breath of fresh air for the Dodgers, who have seen Kershaw, Ryu, Hill and Urias deal with significant injuries in recent years.
San Diego Padres
- Acquire a top of the rotation veteran. The Padres have been linked to Corey Kluber, Marcus Stroman and Sonny Gray recently – they clearly want to bring in a veteran to anchor their young rotation. Clayton Richard, their innings leader form a year ago, was recently cut loose, signaling a raising of the bar in San Diego. They’re looking not just for an innings eater, but a quality ace to set the standard on the hill. Joey Lucchesi, 25 had a solid rookie season, sporting a 4.08 ERA, 2.98 BB/9 to 10.04 K/9, but he needs some help in the rotation if the Padres are going to start to push the Rockies and Dodgers.
- Get a third baseman. Wil Myers, Christian Villanueva, Cory Spangenberg and Chase Headley were the four Padres who saw action at third in 2018, and three are now gone. Villanueva’s in Japan, Spanbenberg’s a Brewer and Headley has fallen off the map since the Padres released him last May. Myers, meanwhile, is more a fit at first base – where, because of Eric Hosmer’s presence, he can no longer play in San Diego – or in the corner outfield. As a result, upgrading at the hot corner is reportedly the Padres’ No. 1 priority heading into next season. Whether they can do it is the question. While the Padres seem bullish on Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar, whom the Bombers may move this offseason, they likely don’t have the ammunition at the major league level to acquire him. The Padres could also try for the Phillies’ Maikel Franco, whom they had interest in last summer and who will lose his spot in Philly if it signs Machado. In terms of salary, more expensive trade candidates include the Mariners’ Kyle Seager (though he could be immovable for Seattle), the Marlins’ Martin Prado, the Mets’ Todd Frazier, and current Cardinal and ex-Padre Jedd Gyorko. Free agency features Hosmer’s pal Mike Moustakas, among other less exciting choices.
- Clear the outfield logjam. Along with Myers, the Padres have a gaggle of other MLB outfielders in Hunter Renfroe, Franchy Cordero, Franmil Reyes, Manuel Margot and Travis Jankowski. Excluding Myers, San Diego could option any of those players to the minors, but the team may be better off moving at least one of them if it helps address a position of greater need. The Padres could try to deal Myers, but despite his middling production from 2017-18 and the $64MM left on his contract, they’re still bullish on the 28-year-old. It seems more likely another outfielder will go.
San Francisco Giants
- Acquire at least one starting outfielder. Perhaps the Giants could help the Padres with their backlog of outfielders, if the two division rivals are willing to make a trade. Few 2018 teams were worse off in the grass than the Giants, whose outfielders hit an ugly .238/.307/.363 with 0.1 fWAR over nearly 2,200 plate appearances. The only bright spot was Andrew McCutchen, whom the Giants traded to the Yankees in August and who’s now on the Phillies. So now what? Well, new team president Farhan Zaidi wants the Giants to get younger and more athletic. The 26-year-old Harper checks the young and athletic boxes, but there’s no indication the Giants are interested in coming anywhere close to his asking price. Unfortunately for the Giants, no one else in free agency looks like a perfect fit, but that’s not to say it would be wise to avoid the open market entirely. On the trade front, the Giants have reportedly shown interest in Blue Jays defensive standout Kevin Pillar, who will turn 30 on Jan. 4. Pillar has never been a real threat at the plate, meaning he wouldn’t do a lot to upgrade a San Francisco offense which scored the majors’ second-fewest runs in 2018. Nevertheless, as a player who has totaled at least 2.0 fWAR four years in a row, he’d give the Giants a desperately needed quality regular in the outfield. With Steven Duggar, Mac Williamson and Chris Shaw penciled into No. 1 roles, the Giants don’t have a single established starter in the grass at this juncture.
- Add to the pitching staff. Derek Holland led all Giants in innings last season and was quite effective from their rotation, but he’s now a free agent. Whether he’ll return is unclear, but San Francisco’s probably going to have to re-sign him or bring in someone else capable of eating innings. Madison Bumgarner is coming off back-to-back injury-shortened years and, if he’s not a trade candidate prior to the 2019 campaign, may become one by midseason; Jeff Samardzija had a horrendous 2018, both because of injury and performance issues; Johnny Cueto may not pitch in 2019, having undergone Tommy John surgery; and while there’s hope for Dereck Rodriguez, Chris Stratton and Andrew Suarez, only Rodriguez’s production was worth writing home about last season. Yusei Kikuchi – whom the Giants “scouted extensively,” according to Zaidi – would’ve been a great fit. Sadly for San Francisco, he’s going to Seattle. The 27-year-old Kikuchi may have been the only long-term possibility in free agency for the Giants, as nearly everyone remaining on the market is over 30. But there are a lot of hurlers in that bunch who could be sensible, affordable short-term targets, and the Giants could use pitcher-friendly AT&T Park to their advantage to scoop up at least one of them. The same logic applies to the Giants’ bullpen. Their relief unit performed well last year, but there could be an opening or two to fill if the Giants trade Will Smith or Tony Watson.
- Bolster the catching and infield depth. After undergoing season-ending hip surgery in August, catcher Buster Posey may not be ready at the start of the upcoming campaign. There’s little behind him in San Francisco, whose only other 40-man catcher is Aramis Garcia, though it could select ex-Phillies starter Cameron Rupp from Triple-A at some point. Free agent Nick Hundley, Posey’s backup from 2017-18, could return to the team. Across the infield, the Giants seem to have set starters at every position, but it’s not the promising group it would’ve looked like a few years back. Injury-prone first baseman Brandon Belt battled more health issues last season and dealt with a dip in production, and has been in trade rumors this month; second baseman Joe Panik was neither good nor healthy; shortstop Brandon Crawford wasn’t the same player from 2017-18 that he was over the prior two years; and third baseman Evan Longoria, at 33, appears to have hit a wall. Alen Hanson and Pablo Sandoval lead the Giants’ depth options, but there’s room for more. The team agrees, evidenced by its recent reported interest in free agents Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Harrison.
RedRooster
If the Padres wanted a defensive liability at 3rd base, I think they’d just stick with Wil Myers.
cards81
Gyorko would be a nice pick up for the Padres and probably cheap if they take most of his salary
Bringbacktheblue
Aren’t he already paying half his salary?
kbarr888
Yes. They’re paying a total of $7.5 Mil of it ($2.5 mil in ’18 and $5 mil in ’19)…..per mlbtraderumors
Bringbacktheblue
Yup.
kbarr888
Actually, Jedd is at $13 Million in 2019 (spotrac), and the Padres are only paying $5 Mil…… the Cards are on the hook for the other $8 Mil
larry48
Padres still have to pay the 5 Million to Cardinal even if they reacquire him , Just like when LA reacquired Kemp they still had to send money to Padres.
RedRooster
No, I don’t see them trading back for him.
basebaIl1600
Travis Jankowski fits perfect in SF. I’d really like Farhan to acquire him, seeing that the padres have a glut of outfielders. What would it take?
Wolverines2
I think the issue is that he works really well on the Padres as well. This is a put up or shut up year for Margot in my opinion, and while he has all of the tools in the world, I haven’t heard anything indicating that they are 100% confident in Franchy Cordero in CF…So Jankowski is really nice to have. The glut of outfielders are right handed, corner guys who are somewhere between average and below average defensively. In a perfect world it would be Myers getting moved…probably more likely to be Renfroe. I just don’t see a situation where another team is willing to give the Padres what Jankowski is potentially worth to them. Nobody is trading the Padres a solid starting pitcher or 3b with years of control for Janko, and I believe he is a valuable piece on this team who should not be moved for a weak return.
RedRooster
I agree. If they wanna trade an outfielder it should be one of the interchangeable right-handed-hitting low defense guys.
larry48
no body want a bad defense outfielder except Padres
Brixton
Grienke and Bradley for Nisasico, Neshek, Hunter, Jerad Eickhoff, and Ranger Suarez
jbigz12
AZ has zero incentive to make that happen.
DougieJones
Giants will probably sign Pence to a 3 year deal and call it an offseason. Zaidi has not impressed me as of yet.
Balk
Wouldn’t mind seeing Pence in a role assignment. Doubt it with Zaidi. He wants Harper for free I guess! Lol
Central Valley
Haha That was funny Dougie! Thank you for the laugh.
basebaIl1600
He’s killing it in Winter Ball right now. I’m not mad if he gets an invite to ST.
kenleyfornia2
Zaidi is the kind of person to stay away from guys like Pence. What is Zaidi supposed to be doing? Its either rebuild or stand pat
pustule bosey
well it may be a rebuild. rebuilding doesn’t mean just getting rid of guys and crossing your fingers- you have to get something in return. it could very well be that no one wants to give the giants anything for their guys and either ST or midseason trades will have to happen so that other teams will define their needs and guys coming off a bad year can rebuild stock value
dubinsky
time for the Giants to give up on the aged roster and the empty farm system and rebuild it all.
hard as the fans will take it, they have to trade Bumgarner while he still has a full season of control and some value
Sadler
By most accounts, he doesn’t hold much value right now — they need to hope he’s still productive and wait for a desperate team at the deadline.
Cashford64
Agreed. The best way to get the most for Bumgarner is let him pitch and trade him to a hungry team at the deadline. There are plenty of potential contenders that will likely need rotation help by that point, and Bumgarner could easily be the best on the block.
WarrenSpahn
and Miguel Cabrera…and Albert Pujols…and Satchel Paige…
Karl Elze
I have to agree, totally on this one. All off season and the Only thing he has done was to sign a couple of minor league contracts w/ players that are either injured or have not had a very good track record. He has done absolutely ZERO to improve this roster. We are basically right now going into spring training with the same players last season ended with.. I see and read about all these rumors, but nothing happens. I’m like you right now, I am not impressed so far.
scottaz
Greinke is the next domino to topple for the Dbacks. Once he is traded (not to any NLW team),, there is a chance the Dbacks resign Pollock. Pollock could default to the Dbacks late in the off-season if his market doesn’t develop, which is a distinct possibility. If the Dbacks offer 4/$52M just to insure Pollock would get a $50M+ contract to garner the best possible draft pick compensation, and then nobody steps up, they could get him by default.
BigBen_376
The Dbacks won’t get a draft pick if they resign Pollock. They will only receive a compensation pick after the first round if he signs elsewhere for over $50M, or after the second round for less than $50M.
scottaz
BigBen Why would that draft pick be so crucial? Dbacks already have 4 top picks: 1. Their own 1st Rd. Pick, 2. Compensation pick at #25 for not signing last year’s #1 pick, 3. Competitive Balance Rd. A pick, 4. Compensation pick from Corbin’s signing with the Nats. So, with the prospect in the Goldy trade already on their Top 30 team prospects list, and any prospect(s) they might get when they trade Greinke, not getting another pick by resigning A.J. is really irrelevant. The Dbacks need a CF, so if they don’t get one in the Greinke trade, AJ makes a lot of sense.
RedRooster
The more the merrier except with STD’s. That’s why.
jbigz12
Because you’re not going to be good next year. Pollock is a 31 year old CF. If they get him back it would be because his market tanked and he signed a 1 year make good deal. A la moustakas. I don’t see that happening. The Dbacks need to embrace the rebuild. Dump Ray, peralta, and Greinke and try this thing again in 2020 and there after. It seems from the Goldy deal they might be looking for older prospects. Which is fine. Not everyone wants to tear it down to the studs.
martras
It’s too bad Denard Span hit so miserably for the Giants during his previous stint. He’s been consistent at a OPS+ in that 110-115 range since 2013 except his lackluster 2 year stint in SF.
I haven’t heard anything about him this offseason, but maybe that has to do with him getting a little hosed by the advanced defensive metrics? His sprint speed still suggests he’s more than adequate range-wise in the corners (albeit with a caveat his arm makes him much better suited to LF), but he’s likely going to be signing a 1 year deal for cheap.
Balk
It would be nice to at least hear what the hell this Zaidi dude is doing other then letting the long term contracts expire. Make a move dude.
Central Valley
Zaidi knows it will be atleast two to three years until the trash contracts fall off the payroll. He’s inherited a disaster.
This high of a payroll, and complete trash in their outfield. Too me, they looked out of shape last year, and really uncaring about winning or losing.
pustule bosey
they were inconsistent, and terrible hitters but not really horrible until late August when everyone gave up. that was when everyone started having surgeries that nobody knew they needed and the entire team was made up of backup players.
WarrenSpahn
what Zaidi and the FO should realize is that most “fans” attending AT&T park are tourists, local techies, and other corporate people. they are there for the spectacle, the party and the garlic fries. they do not watch the game and then they leave early. doesn’t matter who or what is happening on the field…
ABStract
I think you’re talking about the dodgers, right?
Cuz the whole “Giants fans are bad fans” or fake fans or whatever narrative is BS. You’d be hard pressed to find a more loyal and knowledgeable fan base.
All this weak smack talk reeks of jealousy, which is kinda weird
WarrenSpahn
either you haven’t been to AT&T park or you haven’t noticed that the “loyal and knowledgeable fan base” is miniscule.
outinleftfield
It’s obvious that you have never been to a single game in SF.
DougieJones
Someone sounds upset they didn’t get invited to their company outing to AT&T park. I don’t blame them either, you sound like a negative nancy.
Gfee0907
Why not trade Margot, Naylor and Quantrill for Robbie Ray? Both teams benefit. Margot replaces Pollock,Naylor replaces Goldy and a young pitching prospect to replenish the farm.
bleacherbum
Escobar is playing third so Lamb will be moving over to play first -essentially replacing Goldy. 2 years of control over Ray doesn’t lineup well for the Padres parting with that type of package.
Gfee0907
Right. Well Naylor is blocked by Hoz. He and Quantrill are still a couple years out anyways. Just thinking of a package to get Ray.
jbigz12
The Dbacks would take that deal. Ray is not an ace. The K’s look great but he gets into too many deep counts with that and he’s getting the hook by the 6th inning. I think they’d prefer another prospect other than Naylor due to the presence of Lamb and Pavin Smith in the minors but I don’t think that’s far off at all value wise. If anything that’s a little strong.
outinleftfield
It’s amazing how uninformed many fans are. Naylor played 89 games in LF and 26 at 1B in 2018.
baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=nay…
Quantrill is expected to break their rotation in 2019.
m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=sd
And all I had to do was do a 10 second Google search to get informed.
thebighurt619
2 years team control. Not worth giving up that much for 2 years. Rather keep margot Naylor and quantril.
Now if you want to talk about Wil Myers in a Robbie Ray deal padres would need to benefit long term from trading cost controlled assets. The primary answer is getting out from myers contract and Arizona can put him at 1st.
RedRooster
Because the Padres can wait two years and sign Ray without giving up anyone.
outinleftfield
You say that about everyone. You claim to be a Padres fan, but it seems like you want your team to lose instead of making any trades that would improve the team today. Maybe you are really not a Padres fan.
RedRooster
How would trading two borderline top 100 prospects and their starting center fielder for a guy who is just going to leave right when the window is about to open help the team win?
You are a Padres fan disguised as an Orioles fan. No Orioles fan would feel anything but indifference towards the Padres.
PS: How’s that Padres contending in 2018 prediction working out for ya?
Niekro
Sleeping giant in San Diego? It is going to take a lot to waken up that offense.
hiflew
I was thinking that was a weird phrase as well. There is a difference between sleeping giant and “big guy in a coma” which I think applies more to SD considering they have only been to the playoffs 5 times in their 50 year history.
Jimmy Johnson’s Ghost
Shouldn’t the Giants fall under 4 maybe 5 remaining needs?
AndreTheGiantKiller
Their 3 needs are offense, defense, and pitching
Central Valley
I do believe that Bumgarner will be great next year.
He’ll be traded for a boatload of young controllable players. He’s still young and on a contract year. Teams will be competing for him. He still has the fire in the belly to compete.
larry48
If Bumgarner is great why wouldn’t SF resign him to an extension?
Central Valley
Wil Myers in SF would be good. Dude can rake in AT&T park.
Trade to SF????
kbarr888
Too bad SF doesn’t have a young 3B to trade back.
Maybe a 3-Team trade with Philly. Padres get Franco, Giants get Myers……but what does SF have to send to the Phillies?
Central Valley
MadBum
pustule bosey
madbum for myers really doesn’t help the giants.
nentwigs
Bring in the Yankees who get Shark from SF and then send Andujar to Philly
RedRooster
If they pay the remainder of his contract who cares if they send a 3B back?
outinleftfield
You really do want your team to lose. In a season he was injured half of the year, Myers still contributed the most wins above replacement. The Padres are not giving him away for free.
RedRooster
Lol still going with the “Myers has trade value” refrain eh? How does it feel being that stupid?
jbigz12
Too bad SF doesn’t have a 3B? The pads would dump Myers for nothing if Sf would take his entire deal.
outinleftfield
@centralvalley What else do the Giants or Phillies have to send to the Padres in that scenario? Franco has had a zero WAR the past 2 seasons. He has no trade value, so the Padres would need to be getting something else in return for a player that has averaged 2.6 WAR the past 3 seasons. The Giants don’t have any decent prospects at positions of need for the Padres. So that would mean a huge piece would have to be going to the Phillies so that they can send the Padres a couple of good prospects at positions of need for them. Who do you think that would have to be added to the trade to make it equitable for the Padres also?
RedRooster
Franco may have no trade value but Myers has negative trade value on account of his being owed $74m over the next 4 seasons. If Franco is really that bad he can simply be non-tendered.
Wolverines2
Here, here!!! Let’s set something up!
RedRooster
You can have him for a signed Buster Posey and a vintage Barry Bonds bobblehead.
RedRooster
signed Buster Posey jersey*
Cashford64
Yes, the Giants really need another overpaid, mediocre player.
larry48
Myers sucks defensely ever where and ATT is very large in outfield.
scottaz
Trade partners for Greinke: 1. Braves. 2. Astros. 3. White Sox. 4. Cubs. 5. Phillies. 6. Twins. 7. Brewers
martras
Let me fix that for you.
Trade partners for Greinke without AZ eating a huge chunk of salary. 1. Crickets. 2. Frogs. 3. Things that go bump. 4. Wind in the trees. 5. Old pipes. 6 Crickets again. 7. Owls.
To clarify less sarcastically, Greinke has zero trade value without the Diamondbacks eating a large portion of his salary (like $8M-10/yr). This has been established for what feels like at least a month or longer. The Diamondbacks have also reached this conclusion and are pouting about it saying they’re likely going to hold on to Greinke until the trade deadline and hope he rebounds in the advanced stats or velocity. Of course, if Greinke regresses to his advanced metrics and/or shows additional decline the Diamondbacks will only likely have to eat a little more. If he gets hurt or seriously declines, his contract is unmovable.
JoeyPankake
Has anyone heard anything about Samardzija recently? Haven’t heard anything regarding his recovery or what he was doing to try and treat the problem. He was decent in 2017.
Jimmy Johnson’s Ghost
Decent? Derek Holland was “decent” last year. Samardzija has been an overpaid fireworks show his entire career. The best way he could help the Giants would be to never toe the rubber again.
4Lost
Samardzjia put up a 3.8 far in 2017. Holland had 2.0 in 2018 in just 30 fewer innings. Dutch was indeed decent last year. Shark was borderline top 10 in the league in 2017.
4Lost
*fWAR
thebighurt619
Padres need to trade Wil Myers to the dbaxlcks for Greinke and maybe 20 mill or a prospect to offset salary differences.
Then need to trade Renfroe and yates to the Braves for Gohara and Allard. Roll with margot cordero and reyes.
Then trade Mejia, Logan Allen (or Luis gohara), and 1 more MLB ready asset to the reds for Nick Senzel to lock up 3B.
Niekro
None of those trades are happening
thebighurt619
Great contribution. Starting the year off strong I see. Thanks for taking the time to literally contribute nothing of value to the discussion.
Niekro
You are prospecting trading garbage for one of the best prospects in baseball what is their to contribute?
thebighurt619
A consensus top 30 prospect (Mejia) consensus top 100 prospect (allen) is garbage. Well we now know why youre not considered for GM jobs.
Gfee0907
Zack Grienke has the Padres in his no trade clause. Along with 14 other teams. Its a tax thing.
thebighurt619
Good point. Thanks for mentioning that GFee.
jbigz12
Well, the Reds probably aren’t looking to deal their top prospect. 2B will be open for him in 2020. They have Barnhart at catcher so Mejia wouldn’t really fill a hole. You usually don’t see a top prospect swap unless it fills an obvious hole. That one isn’t going to happen.renfroe and Yates for Gohara and Allard is probably a pretty fair value trade. Obviously these are all log shots but that’s a fair offer.
22Leo
There is no discussion regarding the idiotic original post.
outinleftfield
@Neikro He was right to diss you. You have shown a complete lack of knowledge of baseball prospects.
outinleftfield
No trade clauses rarely stand in the way of trades. They are typically only a way to get a little more money for the player. Greinke does not want to stay in Phoenix and lose. After trading Goldy and losing Pollock, the Diamondbacks have little chance of leapfrogging the Dodgers and Rockies and winning the NL West in 2019.
RedRooster
But usually that is facilitated in the form of a player having a club option guaranteed in order to consent to a trade. Greinke has no club option in his contract. It’s just 6 years straight up. He has no financial incentive to agree to a trade, just the aforementioned incentive to play for a contender.
larry48
who will be last in 2019 I say Padres last , then toss up Diamondback or giants . All 3 will suck in 2019. Padres and Diamondbacks will suck in 2020 giant have a chance to be better..
Injediwetrust
Keep Myers in LF and go with Myers , Cordero, Reyes, and Jank.
Send Renfroe, Stammen, and Diaz to ATL for Camargo and lottery ticket.
Logan Allen and Francisco Mejia play for the Padres in 2019,
Sign Keuchel and only yield a draft pick. Or go the cheap route and sign Derek Holland as the veteran presence and wait for 2019/20 free agent class for a TOR presence.
outinleftfield
From an outsiders perspective, I doubt the Padres are willing to take on $40 million for a 35 year old Greinke. Myers has a shot at providing surplus value on his deal. Greinke’s deal is a disaster waiting to happen. With that in mind, let me know what you think of this variation on that trade idea. Myers to the Diamondbacks for Greinke, $40 million, and Drew Ellis and Domingo Leyba.
Yates will not be moved at this point because the Padres have no heir apparent. So to change up your trade with the Braves, how about Renfroe and Stock for Riley and Wilson (or another Braves RH pitching prospect in their top 10). That fits two positions of need for both teams. The Padres have LHP prospects as good or better than Gohara and Allard.
I liked your 3rd trade proposition. It just seems a little rich for a kid that is just a prospect. If he had a season or two successful play in the majors then your trade proposal would be right on the money. A top 25 prospect plus one additional top 100 prospect should be enough to get the Reds to trade Senzel right now. Senzel is blocked by one of the best 3B in MLB who is on a team friendly long-term deal. I think the Reds are going to do all they can to lock up Scooter Gennett at 2B, not many 2B that have hit over .300 with a .850 OPS over the last 2 seasons, so no opening for Senzel there.
aussiegiants53
I’m still ok with giving FZ time, can’t polish a turd and call it a diamond, BVW for the Mets has made some aggressive moves because he thinks they can contend, i think the Giants with sit tight this year and make some under the radar moves. Willing to take a chance at some bounce back candidates, look at players like Pillar and KK from Tampa. Again still happy to give him time
jekporkins
I’m with you, Aussie. Nothing is going fix the upcoming mediocre-at-best season, and I’m fine going in with exactly what we got. Play all those kids in the outfield, and maybe grab one of those veterans who fall through the cracks for a good price right before spring training. That’s still a solid infield and bullpen on paper, so it’s not like they can’t stay in some games. Hope Bum and Shark perform well enough to warrant some prospects back in trade, along with Smith and Melancon. Shoot for a return to decency in 2020.
jbigz12
That’s optimistic. There’s nothing on the farm in SF. Outside of Joey Bart and Ramos. The deals for Longo and Crawford are probably going to head further south.
And you have all that cash into shark and Cueto. Not a good position. I think this is going to be a rather long rebuild.
aussiegiants53
One thing the Giants have done I’m in the last 12ish years was draft and promote from within, we have always had and “average” system yet we have produced consistent major leaguers. We will be alright, it’s nice having 2 really well rated Prospects although Ramos is awhile off. We need to draft well going forward and take some risks and see if we can be rewarded.
Cashford64
Longo yes, Crawford no. Crawford was never on the roster for his bat, and he still plays excellent defense at SS.
aussiegiants53
Thanks mate. I think we will be fine as long as people don’t think we are going to compete for the division, let’s build for another sustained period of dominance
snotrocket
That sleeping giant in San Diego sure has been taking a long nap.
22Leo
The Padres are perennial cellar dwellers and that won’t change for a long time.
khopper10
Did anybody proofread this post?
wronghanded
The right-handed all bat, no glove player rumors to the Dodgers are overstated. They don’t play in the AL. I don’t think Harper lines up well with their current roster either. It seems like nobody is giving Machado a chance to come back to LA but that move makes the most sense to me. If the Dodgers sign Machado, find any stopgap catcher and a bullpen arm or 2, they’re all set.
RedRooster
Where would Machado play in LA? They already have Seager at SS and Turner at 3rd.
22Leo
Not to mention the fact that he is a dirty player who has said he refuses to play hard. As a Dodgers fan I couldn’t wait for him to be off the team.
scottaz
On the Dbacks possibly trading Peralta, Ahmed, Hirano, Avila, Chafin….Peralta is nearly untouchable for several reasons, foremost because the Dbacks’ weakest position is OF, and other than Brito all minor leaguers are at least 2 years away from the majors. Yes, they could sell high on Peralta, but at a huge cost. Same with Ahmed. Two of the brightest young prospects in the Dbacks minor league system are SS Jazz Chisholm and SS Geraldo Perdomo, but both are at least 2 years away. There are no lefty bullpen arms to replace Chafin. Many of us would love to see Avila traded, but that would be selling low. And Hirano will get almost as much in return at the trading deadline as he would in the off-season, so why not see how the team does in the first half before trading anybody?
southi
The D-backs are going no where. Peralta isn’t going to be enough to give them a winning record in 2019. He needs to be dealt like every other positive asset. You could replace him cheaply with a low tier free agent that you deal at the deadline (to become someone else’s bench bat) so Arizona actually gains controllable assets for the future. 2019 is already lost, the sooner you embrace it the sooner you start getting excited for the future.
The only cost would be holding on to him too long.
brushbackmlb
Of course, we don’t know his current medical situation, but, if healthy, I could see Avi Garcia providing a BIG boost to Colorado. He would fit in SF too, but the thinner air would certainly help a guy who has “warning track power.” He’s just a year removed from an All-Star season, finally looked like he was putting it all together before being hampered by injuries last year & he’ll be affordable on a one-year deal. IF HEALTHY, there’s a lot to like there.
DodgerNation
Just gonna throw this out there, you need to add bellinger to the list of formidable hitters in the dodger’s lineup. Can’t dis him like that.
martras
Wil Myers should be traded straight up for “x” superstar from “y” team who is on a great contract – Padres fan.
I have a secret. Wil Myers has an albatross of a contract which kicks his team in the teeth starting next year, which is why I have 37 recommendations about how the Padres should trade Wil Myers for a low cost stud. Be quiet about it. Nobody knows… not even MLB GMs. If this information gets out, Wil Myers would have, like, almost zero trade value. Remember! This is a secret. Hush hush! – Padres fan again.
Injediwetrust
You act like Wil is Chris Davis. Wil is still the most proven ML bat and if he can get a solid first half healthy, playing a solid LF; a trade partner wouldn’t be difficult to find.
On the flip side 21M of dead money comes off at the end of 19 and only 8.5M remains in 2020 so it’s not like Wils 21M staring in 2020 straps them enough to do anything desperate. Would it be better if the Wil contract was gone, sure. However it’s not the anchor fans outside of this market make it.
Ryan W
As a Padres fan I’m feeling grateful to have Wil Myers and the outfield/pitching problems, compared to SF’s problems of just about everything. Yikes
22Leo
That should be quite a race for worst record in the N.L. West between the Padres, Giants and Diamondbacks.
padreforlife
Giants have their 3 WS last 10 years they are allowed to flounder
kboroczk
What about the Giants trading Melancon to STL for Fowler?