The San Diego Padres could be potential suitors for Manny Machado, and maybe that wouldn’t be such bad addition.
As the last handful of seasons have gone for the San Diego Padres they weren’t that great of a team in 2018. They finished last in the NL West, and there were plenty of reasons for that. They didn’t have that great of a pitching staff finishing 20th in team ERA, and they couldn’t hit finishing tied for 27th in batting average.
So what can the Padres do to help speed along this rebuild they’re going through? They could hit the free agent market like they did last offseason. If you may recall the Padres were able to acquire Eric Hosmer to man first base last winter.
This winter they have an opportunity to address their hole at third base. Former GM and current MLB Network radio analyst Jim Duquette mentioned the Padres as one of the top three suitors for Machado.
The Padres do not have a reliable third baseman. Last season they basically threw Wil Myers into the fire at third and it went about as bad as you could expect it to. The Padres like their corner outfielders in Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes, and with Hosmer at first and no DH spot that basically leaves Myers as the odd man out.
Myers, who’s in year two of a six-year $83 million extension he signed last winter, could be traded to dump salary. That trade could also land the Padres some more pitching which they desperately need.
The only problem the Padres face isn’t money, it’s the fact that Machado has made it very clear that he wants to play shortstop wherever he plays next. The Padres have two young middle infielders that they like a lot.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Urias are the number one and four prospects on the Padres, and it’s doubtful either of them can or will play third base. The numbers don’t help Machado in his quest to play shortstop either. He finished the season with a -18 DRS at shortstop in Baltimore. He managed to have a positive DRS in Los Angeles, but the metrics are clear. He does his best defensive work at third base.
We all know about his work with the bat. If the Padres can convince Machado to go back to third base they’ll have set themselves up nicely for the future. Especially with their six pitching prospects ranked in MLB’s Top 100 not including Cal Quantrill.
GM A.J. Preller says the Padres will pursue the biggest names, but will us the GM meetings to gauge the field.