Offseason state of the Padres

Last Tuesday’s MLB playoff play-in game between the Twins and Tigers brought back tough memories for Padres fans across San Diego.

It was only two seasons ago when a controversial Matt Holliday play-at-the-plate ended the Padres’ season and their World Series hopes. And even if the fans have not moved past that game, it has been evident over the last two years that the team is far removed from that level of competition.

As discussed in the Padres 2009: A season in review, the Padres struggled for the majority of the year. Although they were one of the better teams coming down the stretch, they still finished a depressing 20 games behind the division-winning Dodgers.

The bright side of this experience, of course, is the fact that it gave the team the ability to play their younger players like Kyle Blanks and Everth Cabrera without putting the pressure on them of having the need to perform immediately.

The 2008 and 2009 lack of success for the Padres should not, and will not, fall completely on Bud Black. Black is a well-qualified manager whose lack of success is a result of only being able to play the talent that he is given by the front office.

This has already resulted this offseason in the firing of GM Kevin Towers. When Jeff Moorad took over as CEO and majority owner of the Padres, it was speculated that Towers’ job may be in jeopardy because Moorad would want to install one of “his guys.”

Towers’ time with the organization probably bought him more time as GM, but once the season ended with the Padres in the bottom 10 in the league again, he was as good as gone.

The Padres lack several major pieces but none are more obvious than the need for some genuinely exciting young players.

The Dodgers have Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw; the Giants have their trio of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner; the Rockies have Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez and Ubaldo Jimenez; and the Diamondbacks have Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds.

Meanwhile the Padres have an unproven Mat Latos and Kyle Blanks backing up Adrian Gonzalez, the only certified star on the team.

This lacking piece is one of the main reasons Petco Park ranked 20th in attendance in the majors this year. Don’t get me wrong. I know that San Diego is a great sports town but when there is nothing to get excited about, what is going to make them cheer?

The Padres finished in the bottom five in every offensive category besides on-base percentage this year, which needless to say, does not make for an exciting team. Granted, San Diego has much to offer on an average weekday at 7 p.m. But there is no reason that the eighth largest city in the country should have games of fewer than 20,000 fans unless there is something severely wrong with the product.

Spending money on talent

It does seem that the Padres have realized this fact, which is evident by the signing of top draft pick Donovan Tate. Tate fits the mold of the players that I spoke of earlier, and he made the Padres pay for it. New ownership made a splash by signing Tate to a bonus that nearly doubled the previous high given to Matt Bush in 2004 ($6.2 million and $3.15 respectively). Rest assured Padre fans. This top pick has shown a much better chance for success than Bush.

Tate represents more than just a talented player; he represents a new organizational direction. If you look at many of the teams that are in contention every year, one common thread is willingness to spend on the draft and on international free agents.

Up to this point the Padres had not shown the ability or desire to spend and get the top talent, which is reflected by their 29th-ranked farm system. The Padres’ farm system is filled with disappointing players and injury letdowns, but Tate represents a hope for the future of the organization under the open wallet (so far) of Jeff Moorad.

Competing or Rebuilding?

The Padres, and whomever they hire as GM, must make an important decision in the next few month — whether they are competing or rebuilding. For the Friars this will come down to the handling of Gonzalez, Heath Bell, and Kevin Kouzmanoff. If the team decides to rebuild, then they should immediately look to trade veterans for groups of younger players to fill all the holes they have in the organization.

If the Padres do decide they want to win now, in a few years the team will be stocked with talent from one of the worst farm system in the league.

Obviously this does not make for a promising future, so the new GM will have to be absolutely sure where he wants to take the direction of the team, despite the popularity — or lack thereof — of his decisions are among the fan base.

It is possible that Moorad will want to see immediate results from the team and GM. As mentioned in a previous SDNN article, a veteran bat such as Vladimir Guerrero may be just what the Padres’ lineup needs to get going next season. The natural cautionary tale here is to not sign a big name just to sign a big name. For years after their glory days, the Yankees signed washed-up veteran after washed-up veteran (see Carl Pavano) to no success but a higher payroll.

One thing is for sure; the times are changing in San Diego for the Padres. With new ownership, and soon a new GM, the Friars are sure to make a big splash somewhere.

With another top 10 pick in next year’s draft and money to spend from expiring contracts, the team that finished out the 2009 season will not be the one that takes the field in 2010. In Moorad we trust.

Jeff Creps is an SDNN intern and sports contributor.

Tags: Adrian Gonzalez, Jeff Moorad, Kevin Kouzmanoff, kevin towers, Mat Latos, Padres, SDNN

This entry was posted on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 6:39 am and is filed under Padres . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.