Running contrary to recent reports linking the Padres to starters Matt Boyd and Noah Syndergaard, MLB.com’s A.J. Cassavell today indicated that the team “seems unlikely” to “push” for either pitcher. While Padres general manager A.J. Preller is willing to add a controllable starter, he’s not “committed” to doing so, Cassavell writes.
It was just this week that we heard San Diego was “evaluating” Detroit’s Boyd, and they were similarly said to have “checked in” on the availability of the Mets’ long-maned Syndergaard. Their courtship of such controllable, proven starting options dates back to at least last year’s trade deadline. However, as Cassavell points out, the team is internally striking a posture of confidence in regard to their stable of in-house starters.
“It’s the most upside, from a talent perspective, that we’ve had in the rotation,” manager Andy Green told Cassavell in reference to the Padres current big league staff. Though San Diego’s rotations have hardly been the envy of baseball during Green’s four-year stint at the helm, he may not be entirely off-base in evaluating its current staff as a promising group.
Sophomores Eric Lauer and Joey Lucchesi–though perhaps not perfect exemplars of “hot talent lava”–have continued to pitch effectively in their second full campaigns (3.82 and 3.75 FIPs, respectively); rookie Chris Paddack has, for his part, produced some enviable underlying stats in his first 15 career starts (9.51 K/9 and 1.97 BB/9 in 82.1 innings). Meanwhile, the whiff-inducing Dinelson Lamet was recently welcomed back to the rotation after a 2018 Tommy John procedure, and there is optimism that fellow TJ survivor Garrett Richards could bolster the rotation come September. Generally respected young arms like Cal Quantrill and Logan Allen remain on hand to provide innings, and top prospect MacKenzie Gore was recently moved up to Double-A Amarillo–though the implication of a possible late-season promotion for Gore is purely my addition.
As Cassavell notes, Padres starters have amassed a collective 4.41 ERA on the season, which ranks 14th among big league teams. At 45-46, San Diego sits just two games back in the NL Wild Card standings, so it will be interesting to follow whether the Padres are indeed content with this current group, or if they make yet another win-now gesture in pursuit of their first postseason appearance since 2006.
Sounds like the Mets, Tigers and whoever else asking for too much right now.
Possibly asking for more than San Diego wants to give up but that does not mean they are asking for too much for Thor or Boyd respectfully.
I think you’ll find this to be a common theme, kinda what I was talking about. The price won’t drop until right at the deadline, if it does at all, we’ll see for sure then.
The Mets are such a dysfunctional organization that there is no telling what they will do. Rumors are that they are asking for a MLB starting pitcher + 2 top prospects for Syndergaard. That is not going to happen. They won’t even get 2 Top 100 prospects for him.
Finally, someone who gets how these trades go.
If they want to trade Thor that’s what they will get. They can hang on to him for another season and hope his stat line increases too if they don’t get what they want. Mets don’t have to say yes to anything with Thor.
Maybe if Thor and Boyd were traded by now, the Mets and tigers weren’t asking enough.
Padres starters are 11th in the NL in ERA. They have lost one starter to the pen already and they one with the best ERA will be lost to the pen or to being shutdown very soon. Lamet has been very ineffective so far and he is limited to 85 pitches per game the rest of the season, so he is not a replacement for either Paddack or Strahm.
Without adding a starter they cannot stay at or above .500. They are effectively saying they giving up on 2019. Since their owner, Fowler, said this week that they were committed to winning this season I would say that AJ Cassavell is probably wrong.
I’m sure you are right. AJ (who gets paid to cover the team) does not know what hes talking about.
How does that make him correct?
The owner of the team said that they are committed to doing what it takes to be a winning team in 2019.
To do that they need a starting pitcher that can both pitch at the top of that rotation and pitch deep in games to give an already gassed bullpen some rest.
Paddack will not pitch long. He is on both a pitch count and innings limit that will preclude him from finishing the season in the rotation.
Strahm and Quantrill were both ineffective and Strahm has already been relegated to the bullpen. Quantrill may get another start or two because right now they have no other option.
Lamet was ineffective in his two starts so far after being largely ineffective in his rehab starts. He is on an 85 pitch count and won’t go past 5 innings the rest of the season. So he is not the answer.
Lauer and Lucchesi are sitting just above and just below a 4 ERA respectively. Not terrible and not good either. Average. #4 starters.
So, tell us oh wise one, what will the Padres do other than lose, which the owner of the team said they are committed to not doing, if they do not trade for a starter?
I would say that this is posturing. A negotiation ploy. They are hoping that some team like the Mets will lower their asking price just a little if the Padres seem like they are not pursuing the guys they obviously need.
But then you are the smart one. So tell what the owner really meant.
Fantastic response. You are spot on.
– From a die-hard Padres fan, I couldn’t agree more.
I agree with what your saying but unless Munoz pitches lights out our bullpen will continue to lose use games.
11th in WAR. 8th in ERA. Below average. I apologize for missing the stat. The rest still applies.
Your better than this
Thank you Johnny Superscout
Padres are not winning anything this year.
Preller is loser
Learn English.
Preller is a* loser. Also, he is the worst GM in that division. They will never win anything with him running that team.
Thank you Nostradamus.
crystal ball guy makes another appearance. Loser GM creates #1 farm system in his sleep and robs other GM’s (thank you for Tatis and Paddack sox’s And marlins).
Number 1 farm system means nothing unless you can translate that into a World Series winning team. Which the Padres won’t be in the foreseeable future.
@Banesays the same is true for all other teams with top farm systems that haven’t won a World Series yet.
Astros had one. What’d they do? Cubs had one, what’d they do? Your comment is false.
I hate to defend Ryan, but he said “all other teams with top farm systems that haven’t won a World Series yet.” Try reading before responding.
PF knows what’s up. If you are going to ding the Padres for not having turned their top farm system into actual production yet, you have to ding the Reds, Phillies, Blue Jays and White Sox for it too. Same story.
Then I’ll ding all of them too. None of those teams will win in the foreseeable future. Especially the White Sox with Reinsdorf still owning the team and not ponying up money for free agents. See Machado. It was NOT a better deal than what SD offered, despite all the people out there that think it was.
Agreed
Padres weren’t doing anything in 19 anyway. No sense in spending prospects on so.ething you might already have. Gore or paddock might be your ace. They can always sign someone this offseason or trade later.
Why is it always “next year” with this team?
Padres don’t have unlimited cash. They just signed hosmer Myers and machado they don’t have enough money to have 4 or 5 players making over 20 mill a year
That makes Boyd a valuable target…. depending on the cost.
San Diego is using their last pass this season. 2020 they need to step forward or else Preller is gone.
They’d have to run off a string of wins the next 10 days to change some minds.
The asking prices might be too high. Once again Matt Boyd couldn’t shut down a minor league team last night and people are supposed to buy in to the idea he has emerged. Smaller parks and playoff teams will eat him alive. I don’t blame Preller for passing. If he gives up prospects for an arm and they miss the playoffs he is probably done.
Trim
Boyd’s emergence is really bothering you it seems..
I know your team traded him away and some teams are gravitating towards him a little more than Stroman but you do not have to be this hurt lol
Trim is stating facts. Boyd has allowed 27 runs in his last 41 innings. I would say that is a trend of awfulness worth noting.
I understand the runs and era spike. Though teams see in those same 41 last innings a 61K/8BB ratio which is elite level. The general believe is the run prevention will comeback strong because of the outlining numbers.
You can’t use the “general belief” argument when talking about getting top prospects back for him. Contenders trade for players in the “what have you done for me lately” category, not “general belief” that he’ll do better. And Nick Stevens has pointed out that there’s a glaring red flag in the “what have you done for me lately”
I think with some the FOs like TB and Houston it is not what have you done for me lately it is more let me see the clay and what can be molded out of it or what can you do for me in the next 3.5 years in Boyd’s case.
@Dustin a pitcher’s job is to pitch as many innings as possible while allowing as few runs as possible. Not to strike people out.
Your right SMYT though there is a lot that plays into giving up runs. For instance there was a two-run single last night that was a chopper that somehow got through the infield and could have been fielded with two outs. The hit probability on that could be 25% but just with the right location and defense in this case it was a hit.
The outlining numbers suggest a strong ERA so teams believe that will eventually come so they are hit on Boyd’s trail it seems.
Dustin, I see you want to ignore the obvious so I’ll spell it out again.
Boyd can’t hide in Comerica after he is traded. His road numbers scream #4-5 starting pitcher. His road numbers say no team should give up a Top 10 prospect in their system. He has 3.5 years of control? How about a bowl of who cares. Won’t matter if the next 3.5 years are less than mediocre. That’s what teams are buying.
Tigers may as well hold him and hope his first couple months aren’t a fluke. I’m afraid the walls are tumbling down. In simple terms, Matt Boyd really isn’t very good.
Imagine if Boyd had a defense behind him, a bullpen he could trust and a major league offense.
He pitched 7 innings 10 k’s no home runs (which everyone was complaining about). Royals just recently tagged Trevor Bauer for 5 runs in 6 innings. 2 homers. They scored 3 runs in 4 innings against Stroman.
Imagine Boyd pitching in the AL East.
Exactly.
This was the Royals.
Did anyone question Boyd’s road numbers? He’s basically a 4.50 ERA. Whether you like ERA or not, how is that confidence-building? He can’t pitch in Comerica 15 times a year when he’s traded.
Red Flags.
What emergence? Boyd has a mediocre 3.95 ERA right now and a 5.88 ERA in June and July. He is regressing to his career averages as most people in baseball believed he would.
Preller isnt going anywhere lol.
Lol? Lol is Preller’s “stellar” career as a GM.
Braves smacked them back to reality. Making them realize they are at least a year away so why give up assets now when they will have more to chose from in the offseason & a better gauge on who they want to keep around for the long haul and who they are willing to give up.
As much as I hate the Padres I will admit their GM is impressing me. They are going to be a good team very soon and for a long time. They got some good young ball players. Gonna be a nice rivalry with the Braves in the coming years.
Ya, “next year.”
I’ve lived in San Diego since 1978. How many World Series appearances have the Padres had, is it 2 or 3? In 40 years?
2.
84’ and 98’
It’s always been “next year”, for sure. I agree that the pulse in the city has always been that as well, the Padres were always our loveable losers in most San Diegan’s minds, but then the Chargers left and the attention to baseball was magnified in my opinion.
I’ve always loved this team and wanted them to go all in, win today not tomorrow, but this time I finally get it. Preller’s plan is unfolding in front of our eyes and sometimes you gotta just trust the process. Tatis, Paddack, Machado, etc are all apart of this evolution. We are respectable which honestly I can’t remember saying in at least a decade.
“Next year” might be the best thing for us right now. Don’t veer off the plan for a short term goal. It sucks, but we can see the blueprint and it’s close.
^^^100% agree. And have been in SD since 78′ myself. This is a process that needs to be seen out. Very exciting progress.
I don’t know if I agree that the Braves “smacked them back to reality”, They won 2 games in which a extra base hit would have won the game for the Padres with the last out.
Wasn’t really that reality awakening. The teams actually look awfully similar to each other even though there is a 20 game or so difference in the standings favoring ATL.
But yeah, anyways.
They should stay away from Thor though. Injury prone, immature, overrated & arrogant.
Don’t know bout Boyd is he this good or is it a one year wonder ?
I feel Stroman is the best matchup. Padres infield defense is very good to great which benefits a groundball pitcher. He comes with another year of control which is important because the Padres are not ready this year. And Stroman is young but comes from the wars of the AL East so no moment is to big so he can give the extremely talented young arms of the Padres a leader to go with Garret Richards next year.
I’ll give you injury prone and overrated, but how is Thor immature and arrogant?
Arrogant by coming out in public and saying he didn’t want to pitch to Wilson Ramos
And arrogant with the whole Thor brand/persona
Like accomplish something first
Just my opinion though
Ramos is a terrible game caller, pitch framer, and blocker. I would not have wanted to pitch to him either and Syndergaard was one of two Mets pitchers that said they did not want to pitch to him. Maddux publicly said he wanted to pitch to just one catcher while with 3 different teams. Dd that make him arrogant and immature?
I think that the Jays and Padres match up well in a potential trade. My fear is what the Jays would want for Stroman. The Jays biggest need is the rotation and OF specifically CF. I think the Jays would want something like Quantrill and Naylor. This would allow the Jays to move Grichuk to CF and Naylor in RF.
For real. People need to stop pushing Quantrill and Naylor to Toronto just because they’re Canadian.
As a Jays fan I was trying to be realistic. I keep seeing fans on Jays sites saying the Padres should give up Gore, Allen and Quantrill for Stroman which I always find laughable. Of the Padres prospects I like Allen the most.
That’s fair enough. I just constantly see people trying to include Naylor and Quantrill in Stroman trades as if the Jays FO puts some kind of premium on Canadian players.
Unless you think the Jays could wrestle away Gore, Allen and Quantrill then I would do that instead…lol
Yeah Gore isn’t going anywhere.
I hope they stand by this. This year is still all about development of their pitchers. They need to bring in one free agent, and Richards basically acts as another one. Next year is when they should be trading for guys who aren’t controlled too long, not this year.
The pitcher I would like to see the Padres go for is Caleb Smith out of Miami. The fish have a promising young rotation with Gallen, Yamamoto and Hernandez all in the rotation. Miami needs offense. Perhaps a package featuring Reyes might interest Miami.
I really like Smith.
However he will require a really nice package that most Padre fans wouldn’t be comfortable paying.
Secondly, he resembles too many of the current starters which doesn’t favor the overall rotation depth. Another RH power arm/sinker baller is what should be the focus. Syndergaard or Stroman are the best fits out there for SD.
The price will drop soon.
Stroman will 100% be traded this month. Thor I could see the Mets hanging onto and the price will be lower in the offseason.
Padres should be over .500 with this roster.Padres had 2 bad games against the braves but the biggest problem is Andy Greens bad management. Taking your starter only after 5 when he had at least 1 if not 2 more innings. How do we not have a pinch hitter in the 10th? Oh yeah double switches. We need an Ace pitcher true #1 not anoher lefty like Boyd we have enough of those.
Andy Green is awful. Can’t wait until Preller gets a coach that the players will respect in. Let Barajas Manage the rest of 19’ to see if he is the guy to run with a set roster going into the future. If they determine he isn’t, then you go get a guy like:
Girardi
Washington
Scioshia
To take this talent to the next level, kind of like what the Cubs did by canning Renteria to bring Maddon in when they saw their window open.
No one wants Wash. If Scioscia wanted to manage he would have just stayed in Anaheim.
Yeah Andy Green cost them the game last night. Made so many poor decisions.
2020 is the year the Padres should show some major improvement. These prospects are moving up. They just added a couple top free agents. They are a .500 team now and only a few games back of a wild card. It won’t take much improvement to get to the next level. They have a couple top power hitting corner outfielders. A top shortstop and 3B combo. A very good 1B. 2B is on his way and catcher is just a defense position nowadays. Let those pitchers develop and 2020 will be the start of a nice long run for the Padres.
The Padres would be a lot better with some bullpen changes. I think they plan to make those changes soon.
My issue with the Padres is entirely with the bullpen.
The starting rotation is good enough.
Some of you say you don’t like Preller but, I do. We are now making subtle moves by bring players moves up from the minors and have bought 2 great players the last 2 yrs, Machado and Hosmer.
We definitely need a SOLID starting pitcher…
That’s what most of us probably agree on, right.
We have some young pitchers that may become very good and I think we should keep. We have, Lauer, Lucchesi, Paddack and Stratham.. Logan Allen and Cantrell, uncertain yet. We should keep and see and let most be middle relievers?
These are my choice of players we can trade. Some of you may disagree. Let’s do this, trade Framil Rey’s, he too slow outfield and on base but is a hitter. Someone will find that very valuable.
Ian , Kinsler, he is solid but Greg Garcia can hit the ball.
Trade- Robbie Erin, Weick, D. Lamet, Will myers ( fingers crossed )- probably best to trade and lose money on contract like Chase Hoadley.. got to doa bundle deal, too bad he’s playing poorly.
Please Do Not get rid of Kirby Yates and Stamen. They are solid and too many years of giving up good players. If we make a run, they will be valuable to us.
What guys do you think we should trade? Curious?
Go Padres!
Wil Myers and eat 60% of his contract to anyone maybe back to Tampa. Get rid of three losing middle relief pitchers, I’d even trade Reyes for a good No. 2 SP. This team has too many HR swingers we need some BA and Run producers.
After watching baseball for 50 yrs I have to say its changed a lot, however the Friars haven’t changed their ways. They sign a few top guns and there still going to end up under. .500 for the yrs. now. This team lacks motivation, three loses to the Giants and Braves shows a baseball fan something is missing..
I hope the GM doesn’t depend on the same pitching staff for 2020, I see this team at best . 480 for the year or fourth place again with 75 wins, terrible for this team. AJ as mentioned above will need to make the playoffs in 2020 or his seat will be on fire. One thing about Kevin Towers the guy as our GM sure knew his pitching staff had to be critical and for the most part in his tenure we had good pitching.