We are currently in the All-Star break and I’m evaluating the performance of the teams in the NL West. Today’s team evaluation is the San Diego Padres.
As it stands right now, the Padres are 13 games out of first place and much like last year are at the bottom of the NL West.
This report card could probably be cut and pasted from last year’s performance by the Padres because despite all the off-season acquisitions and planning the Padres still find themselves right where they were last year.
The Padres are a very unpredictable team and at times showed flashes of brilliance but if it weren’t for being 18 games under .500 one could come away somewhat optimistic.
The Padres closed out the season losing three in a row but in recent series looked very impressive like they did against the Diamondbacks sweeping them in three games for the first time in Padres history at Chase Field in Arizona.
Padres Trade Rumors
Trade rumors are abuzz throughout San Diego and players like Chase Headley are being mentioned as trade bait.
This approach to baseball has never made sense to me where if a team appears like they will not make a run at the pennant, they trade away all their good players.
I realize that this may create a more manageable financial position for the Padres considering not a lot of people are making their way to the ballpark to see a sub .500 team play.
But my question is, how can a team get better by trading away their best players?
When the Padres have been on they are very competitive but there seems to be a lot of confusion within the squad. We have pitcher Micah Owings wanting to get in the lineup as a hitter when that approach didn’t work out that well in Arizona.
At the same time, Owings will be used as a positional player in an effort to get his bat into the lineup.
This experiment seldom works in major league baseball but considering Owing’s injury to his forearm, doesn’t plan on pitching any time soon but feel he can be an asset in another position.
Padres Grade – D
Overall I would have to give the San Diego Padres a D as a midterm grade.
If history is any sort of a guide, the Padres are on their way to failing another season. There would have to be some serious trades take place to make the Padres a contender again, but stranger things have happened. One thing about baseball, never count anyone out.
Growing up a Chicago fan I remember the 1969 Cubs leading their division going into September only to conduct one of the most epic folds in baseball history, so never, say never.
New Ownership – A Time For Hope
But in light of the Los Angeles Dodgers plight last year and then they are miraculous turnaround this year ownership may be the key to changing this franchise.
The O’Malley family will be getting back into baseball. The deal supposedly valued at $800 million will give the O’Malley family ownership of the Padres, so things could change.
As a general rule when professional franchises are experiencing financial hardships, the quality of play suffers.
Players are professional enough to not talk about how they feel about ownership and how that affects their play. But one can’t help but think that being on a team that has been a perennial bottom feeder in the NL West can only work to keep a player down.
Baseball is as much of a mental sport as it is a physical sport and when the mental aspect suffers you will see it affect the physical as well.
One can only think that new ownership is probably the best step for the Padres. Time will tell but new ownership will not erase the letter grade at the Padres received for the first half of the season.
All we can do is look to change that grade for the second half.
We look forward to seeing what’s in store for the Padres and to see what new ownership can bring to this franchise.
San Diego fans are in desperate need of the winner in that city, they’ve been through a lot but if they can get things lined up they could become competitive again, again time will tell.
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