Is anyone else rooting for the SD Padres?

[Chuck]

Admittedly they're my only NL team, but they've been bottom feeders for so long. 

Now with the best farm system in baseball and a good (but not great 40-man roster), I'm hoping they trade for Realmuto, Kluber and sign Machado and PUNK the F out of the Dodgers in the NL West. 

Can you imagine an infield of Hosmer, Urias, Machado and Tatis... Outfield of Renfoe/Reyes in LF Margot/Cordero in CF and Myers in RF, with one of Meija or Hedges catching (one will have to go in a trade for Realmuto). 

[Lhalo]

I'll always root for any other team in the Doyers division unless it's 2002.

[Angelsjunky]

The Hosmer contract was beyond stupid - it was Heyward Part 2, but worse. He is, at best, an average player who has the occasional good season.

But it is hard not to root for the Padres. After the Angels, I tend to cheer for the perennial underdogs, and the Padres certainly fit the bill.

[Dtwncbad]

I lived in San Diego for many years and it was typically very easy to root for the underdog Padres.

Except you get worn out.  It was always the same cycle.  "If we can just (fill in the blank with the issue of the day), then we can compete with the Dodgers and Giants."

Well you get tired of the built in excuse, and you really get tired of a new excuse when they can't use the old excuse anymore.

It was like Lucy yanking the football away from Charlie Brown.

At some point Charlie Brown says screw this I am not going to try and kick this football AGAIN and AGAIN have her pull the ball away.

So here we are.  They are close and they have massive amounts of young talent and they did sign Hosmer (not that this was a smart signing in hindsight, but it matters in the analysis).

Will they really add the pieces they will need or will they become decent and then make excuses for adding the right pieces?

The only time I saw the team make the aggressive moves to really compete was 1998 when they had the pending vote on the ballot to get public financing for the ballpark.

And that was supposed to be the ticket to be able to compete with the Dodgers and Giants.  They got the votes and then pulled the football away and Charlie Brown found himself on his back again.

Yes I pull for them to be different and to be truly significant in the NL.

Let's see what they actually do.

Edited January 28, 2019 by Dtwncbad

[floplag]

100% yes, but man oh man the whole "lets suck for a decade to build a top farm" thing... had to be hard to be a fan down there. 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

I always pull for the Padres, Giants and Rockies as long as they aren't playing us! F* the Dogs~

Now, to watch the Padres load up and knock the snot out of the Dogs would be outstanding!!! They're salary is so low (74.2M) that they could even bring in Keuchel,/Gio Gonzalez and Kimbrel.....

Manny, Keuchel and Kimbrel would be an added 60-75M that much of a salary increase would bring them up to around 9th-11th  in the MLB.

 

[GrittyVeterans]

I'm rooting for them, but I find this idea that they have any chance of being better than the Dodgers by 2020 to be absurd personally. I know, I know, their farm is stacked. But they are so far behind at the MLB level right now that it's going to take at least until 2021 IMO.

Obviously getting an impact superstar or two can change things but I'll believe that when it happens.

[jsnpritchett]

No.

[Chuck]

4 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

No.

[Lou]

1 hour ago, Lhalo said:

I'll always root for any other team in the Doyers division unless it's 2002.

that's what made the 2002 WS even better. dodger fans didn't know who to pull for. either way, they were screwed 

[ten ocho recon scout]

52 minutes ago, floplag said:

100% yes, but man oh man the whole "lets suck for a decade to build a top farm" thing... had to be hard to be a fan down there. 

It wasnt by design. They made a flurry of moves circa 2014(?) Where they tried to become a powerhouse, and it blew up in their face badly. 

[Chuck]

6 minutes ago, Lou said:

that's what made the 2002 WS even better. dodger fans didn't know who to pull for. either way, they were screwed 

Dodgers fans during that World Series... Except, nowhere near as cute.

[greginpsca]

1 hour ago, Chuckster70 said:

Admittedly they're my only NL team, but they've been bottom feeders for so long. 

Now with the best farm system in baseball and a good (but not great 40-man roster), I'm hoping they trade for Realmuto, Kluber and sign Machado and PUNK the F out of the Dodgers in the NL West. 

Can you imagine an infield of Hosmer, Urias, Machado and Tatis... Outfield of Renfoe/Reyes in LF Margot/Cordero in CF and Myers in RF, with one of Meija or Hedges catching (one will have to go in a trade for Realmuto). 

The Pads tried the Free Agent route a few years ago with the new GM. They shit the bed that year and started trading as many of those guys as they could , at the trade deadline and the next off season. I think they will do the same thing this year.  

[totdprods]

I’ve always liked the Padres and hope their farm works out for them and they become a powerhouse in that division. Being in Texas, the regional Dodgers rivalry and all that doesn’t mean much to me, but San Diego has always been an interesting team to follow.

I also want to see the Reds bizarre strategy pay off this year. They have quite the uphill battle but I kind of want to see a team succeed against the odds and follow a path that differs from a big intentional tank or money splurge. 

[floplag]

26 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

It wasnt by design. They made a flurry of moves circa 2014(?) Where they tried to become a powerhouse, and it blew up in their face badly. 

I dont recall them making any wow moves, yeah i think for 15 they got Upton and Kemp but that only lasted one season, i dont think that was trying to actually build anything.  Perhaps im mistaken I dont really know much about them but the following year Myers led them in virtually every offensive category.  

[totdprods]

And I actually liked the Hosmer move for them specifically. Yes, he’s dramatically overpaid and his offensive and defensive contributions are overrated, but for a club that young with that much open payroll, there is a huge benefit in having a young vet with that caliber of playoff experience and consistency on your team to help bridge the generations. 

[UndertheHalo]

I’m rooting extremely hard for the Padres to fu*ck over the Doyers on Realmuto. 

[Pancake Bear]

I don’t hate any NL teams - closest would be SF - but the Pads would be up there in teams I’d root for in the NL. Doesn’t look like they’re interested, but I’d be stoked to see them sign Harper. I doubt he’d consider them, though - San Diego doesn’t have enough lights (nationally speaking) to interest him, IMO. 

[Pujols4MVP]

1 hour ago, floplag said:

I dont recall them making any wow moves, yeah i think for 15 they got Upton and Kemp but that only lasted one season, i dont think that was trying to actually build anything.  Perhaps im mistaken I dont really know much about them but the following year Myers led them in virtually every offensive category.  

They also traded for Kimbrel too. Like the 2012 Marlins they tore it down just as it started.

[Pujols4MVP]

One thing i've always admired about the Padres is their ability to find good relievers.

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, floplag said:

I dont recall them making any wow moves, yeah i think for 15 they got Upton and Kemp but that only lasted one season, i dont think that was trying to actually build anything.  Perhaps im mistaken I dont really know much about them but the following year Myers led them in virtually every offensive category.  

They were trying to win so they upped their payroll by more than 20% from 2014 to 2015..   

They got Upton and Kemp, then traded for Kimbrel and the other other Upton (15 mil per) -- to get Kimbrel they had to take on the awful contract..   They also were part of the four team trade that saw them move Trea Turner and Joe Ross to get Wil Myers and then traded for Derek Norris.  Then just because they wanted to play with the big boys they agreed to a 4 year 85 million dollar contract with James Shields.

The only reason it only lasted one year is because it was a total disaster.   The Upton's, Kimbrel and Shields were four of their top 5 salaries - Melvin made more than Justin BTW.  The saving grace was they were able to get Tatis Jr. when they moved Shields and 40 million dollars to Chicago after that first season.

It was only after "trying to go for it" that they realized the better course of action was to wait on their farm to actually be ready..   

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by Inside Pitch

[Jeremiah]

I’m glad to hear they’re going back to their “mustard and mud” color scheme for 2020.

[Second Base]

The Padres are my NL team. I'm always rooting for them, except when they play the Angels. 

[totdprods]

1 hour ago, Second Base said:

The Padres are my NL team. I'm always rooting for them, except when they play the Angels. 

The Astros were that for me before MLB inexplicably moved them to the AL. Haven’t quite found an NL team yet that sparks my interest enough but San Diego has been a contender, as have Arizona and Milwaukee.

[ettin]

Just like Highlander, @Chuckster70, there can be only one!

 

Pick a side MF'er!!!!