Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
12-02-15 The San Diego Padres trade Marc Rzepczynski and Yonder Alonso to the Oakland Athletics for Drew Pomeranz, Jabari Blash, and Jose Torres
Rzepczynski didn’t last long in San Diego as he was packaged with Yonder Alonso for Drew Pomeranz, a prospect and a player to be named. The PTBNL turned out to be Jabari Bash as he was selected from the Seattle Mariners. Blash is on the Padres bench getting hardly any playing time and I’m not sure what the team’s thought process is on him. He is not a young prospect by any means, and the time is now to see what the slugger can do at the major league level.
Yonder has failed to get on track so far this season in his first 19 games. He is hitting .167 through his first 60 at-bats. The former Padres first baseman is looking to get on track in a pivotal year for him. At the age of 29, Yonder is hardly a young player. If he wants to be considered a starting first baseman at the major-league level, he needs a productive year. Young Jose Torres is a decent prospect. The young right-hander is 0-0 with a 0.96 ERA in his first seven games. He has struck out eight batters and walked two in 9.1 innings.
12-08-15 The San Diego Padres trade Jedd Gyorko to the St. Louis Cardinals for Jon Jay
The Padres had a need both at center field and for a left-handed batter. They addressed both those needs when they shipped Jedd Gyorko to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Jon Jay. The center fielder with a propensity to get on base makes a great fit for a Padres team seeking more balance in the lineup and on the field. Jay hasn’t gotten on track offensively yet just hitting .262 over his first 20 games as a Padres outfielder.
Jedd Gyorko came back to San Diego this past week and just killed his old team. Gyorko went off in both the games he played and has put up decent numbers so far for the Cardinals. He is currently hitting .239 with four home runs in 46 at-bats. He has played all over the infield for the Cardinals and is expected to get a lot of playing time in a utility role for the Redbirds. This deal was about saving money for the Padres as Jay is scheduled for free agency at the end of the year.
12-10-15 The San Diego Padres acquire Christian Bethancourt from the Atlanta Braves for Casey Kelly and Ricardo Rodriguez
A surprise trade was the acquisition of Christian Bethancourt. The Padres had just claimed Josmil Pinto off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. Pinto is considered an offensive-minded catcher, so in the end I guess the Padres decided to acquire Bethancourt, a more defense-oriented catcher. Not that Bethancourt does not have ability with the bat. He has legit power and could bloom into a decent major-league hitter.
The Padres moved Casey Kelly in the deal for Bethancourt. Kelly was the last remaining piece from the Adrian Gonzalez deal and currently in Atlanta with the Braves. After starting the season in Triple-A, Kelly got called up last week and made an appearance out of the pen going three innings for the Braves. He has a 3.00 ERA and looks to remain with the club for the rest of the season.
01-28-16 The San Diego Padres trade Rymer Liriano to the Milwaukee Brewers for Trevor Seidenberger
With the addition of all four Rule-5 players to the Padres team, players needed to be cut. Rymer Liriano was the first of two players to be designated for assignment. The Dominican outfielder has always had ability, but he has never been able to put it all together. He was hit in the face in spring training while batting and is currently on the 60-day disabled list. The five-tool talent looks to return soon and make his mark in the Brewers outfield.
In return for Liriano, the Padres got a very decent left-handed pitching prospect. Trevor Seidenberger is currently in Lake Elsinore, where he is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in his first five games. He has struck out seven batters in his first 10 innings pitched. He looks to be a possible middle reliever at the next level. The 23-year-old pitcher has a live arm and could be an option for the team down the road.
02-04-16 The San Diego Padres trade Odrisamer Despaigne to the Baltimore Orioles for Jean Cosme
The second player designated for assignment by the Padres was pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne. Theright-handedd pitcher fell out of favor with the club after some rather rough starts at the end of the year in 2015. He has to rely on touch and feel and he clearly was missing last season in his time with the Padres. This season for the Orioles Triple-A team, he is 0-3 with a 6.63 ERA in 19 innings pitched. He needs to improve on those numbers if he wishes to get back to the major leagues some day.
The Padres obtained a very solid pitching prospect in return for Despaigne. Jean Cosme has great offspeed pitches and is described as having a very live arm. He is 2-1 so far this season with a 5.06 ERA. The 20-year-old is pitching in Fort Wayne and has thrown 16 totals innings so far for the Tin Caps. He has the arsenal to pitch out of the rotation but could also throw in relief as well. We will see what the Padres have in store for this young man.
03-28-16 The San Diego Padres trade Erik Kratz to the Houston Astros for Dan Straily
The team acquired Dan Straily knowing they had no spot for him on their 25-man roster. They attempted to sneak him through waivers, but the Cincinnati Reds claimed him. The Padres had Straily for all of a week before he was shipped off to Cincy. So far this season for the Reds, Straily is 0-0 with a 3.50 ERA in five games (two starts). He could have helped the Padres, but the team just didn’t have the room for him. Erik Kratz was dealt to Houston for Straily and is 1-for-17 this season. The 36-year-old provides veteran leadership for the Astros and even made his major-league debut on the mound for the Astros last week in a blowout loss.
03-30-16 The San Diego Padres trade Nick Vincent to the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named later
The San Diego Padres ironically need relief pitchers and Nick Vincent has great numbers so far this season. He is 1-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 10 K’s in eight innings pitched. The Padres traded him to the Mariners for a player to be named later. That player has yet to be named, but there is some speculation that Jabari Blash could be the player. (As a Rule-5 pick, Blash has to remain on the major-league roster all season or be offered back to his original team. The Padres and Mariners could work out a deal where the Padres release Blash back to Seattle, who then send him back to San Diego as the PTBNL. Just a bunch of paperwork that would ultimately allow the Padres to send Blash to the minors.) Nothing has happened as of yet. So we will just wait and see.
That concludes Preller’s trades, but there will surely be more. Stay tuned Padres fans.
Well, you could have mentioned Justin Upton turned into an extra pick in the June draft, as did Ian Kennedy. With their protected #8, and all the free agent signings moving up their two supplementary picks to #23 and #24, the Padres now have, in effect, three first round picks in a very rich draft, especially in quick-developing college pitchers.
You also could have mentioned that Guerra looks like a better shortstop prospect than Trea Turner, and that Pomeranz is turning that trade into a steal. When you look at the trades as a group, you can see some of Preller’s strategy of sometimes taking a step back to set up two steps forward. Even the players acquired in so-so trades might be involved in the next moves.