The invisible team.

[aztecmusician]

After watching The MLB channel for a few days, zero mention of the Padres. They barely exist to the rest of the league.

[Deleted]

I think it's clear the message the front office is sending to it's fan base: "Trust the process".

That being said, they could still make a late off-season splash like they did with Hosmer last year. The market is stagnant right now, a ton of FA's still on the market. I think everyone is waiting to see what Machado and Harper do.

[Deleted]

From The Athletic's Dennis Lin mailbag:




What on earth are the Padres doing? They’re in on everyone (supposedly) and they have a gaping hole at third and holes in the rotation. Are the Padres going to make any moves to improve this team or are we going to be stuck with another 90-loss team and watch ownership move the goalposts a little further? —Ian H.

General manager A.J. Preller is very aggressive in talking with other clubs and sussing out all possibilities, even remote ones. Since he almost never confirms or denies the veracity of any rumor, the viral nature of social media often goes unchecked, at least where the Padres are concerned. A lot of the reports you see contain only morsels of truth, and sometimes none at all.

Yet it’s true that the Padres have been “in” on a lot of players over the last several months. Preller has said multiple times that the depth of the farm system allows them to at least hang on the periphery in discussions for top targets.

One of the complicating factors is that some of those targets will reach free agency a bit too soon for San Diego’s purposes. The Padres have genuine interest in J.T. Realmuto, but, setting aside the massive price tag, the Marlins catcher is under control for just two more seasons; if acquired, he’d be in San Diego for, presumably, only one playoff push. You don’t sell off a significant portion of the farm for that.

From what I understand, the Padres are reluctant to acquire a player with two years of control unless they feel comfortable knowing they could sign that player for at least two more years. Obviously, it’s not easy to gauge someone’s willingness to sign an extension when they’re not already on your team.

Desirable trade options with three-plus years of control are a rare species that would come at an even greater cost. To date, the Padres have not felt compelled to pull the trigger on any such trade — partly a reflection of the fact that they aren’t a piece or two away from sudden contention. At the same time, they probably won’t get there in the near future without a couple of additions who could take pressure off unproven prospects. And yes, the Padres like their own prospects very much, another reason we’re still awaiting a blockbuster.

From the club’s perspective, the free-agent market hasn’t yielded many acceptable prices, though you wonder if the Padres have passed on some decent value plays. The prevailing school of thought is that you should stash the bulk of your cash until you’re closer. (Through one season, San Diego’s decision to sign Eric Hosmer has only reinforced that line of thinking.)

So, when to strike a deal? That’s been the question dating back to last summer, when the Padres were inquiring about Noah Syndergaard, Chris Archer and other big-name starters. But winter will give way to spring in a matter of weeks, and the chances of landing a big name seemingly have diminished.

I suspect at least one noteworthy trade will shake out before the season begins. The market has been slowed by Harper, Machado and teams’ collective willingness to wait for the price to drop on other options. The Padres still have a vast collection of prospects at their disposal, but they may no longer have a surplus of time on their side. After the front office’s declarations about 2019, it’s fair for fans to expect real upgrades in advance of Opening Day. If those don’t materialize, it’s more than reasonable to make your voice heard with your wallet.