“Is this a Mess?”

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I am not looking to push any panic buttons here, but we are 3-weeks into the baseball season, and this is not going well.

The Padres are not the worst team in baseball, but they are far from the best, and more games than not-just seem to be hanging on for dear life in games.

They are (4-9) and in the teeth of a pretty tough part of the schedule. There are flaws everywhere on Andy Green’s limited roster.

Yes they dazzled us with a couple of Arena League offensive outbursts in Colorado, but aside from scoring those 29-runs in two games, the lineup has been anemic, with very little cohesion.

Shutout the opening three games at home by the Dodgers, and the downfall has continued post-Rockies series.

If you take out the two slugfest games in Denver, the Padres have played 11-other games, and have scored justs 17-runs. Unless your pitching staff is made up of Greinke-Kershaw-Bumgarner, you are not going to get many wins.

For those of you math-challenged, that’s less than 2-runs an outing in those 11-games. They have scored just 10-runs in their last six games. And this team is (1-5) at home, a far cry from exciting baseball.

And a long distance from a year ago this week, when words like pennant contender, and play in October were part of every sentence.

There’s not much going on down on the farm. In El Paso, Hunter Renfroe is averaging 1-strikeout every 2-and-a half at bats.

The shine has been dimmed involving the 2-hot prospects, who came from the Red Sox in the Craig Kimbrel deal. Manny Margot is hitting (.156) at El Paso. Shortstop Javy Guerra is batting (.179) at Lake Elsinore.

Granted it is the proverbial small sample of work, but these are minor leaguers who had good seasons a year ago.

The potential of help on the way seems distant. James Loney is hitting just (.240) at El Paso, a bit of a surprise considering his track record in Tampa and with the Dodgers.

There will not be a ‘Panda-Bear’ sighting in San Diego, the trade talks for Pablo Sandoval dead, with the Red Sox 3rd baseman out with a shoulder injury, possibly facing surgery after today’s exam with Dr. James Andrews.

Add into that his 261-pounds, and the criticism of a former trainere, who says he has an eating addiction akin to alcoholism.

You can buy the sales pitch that when the International signing period rolls around, the Padres will be a buyer. But as we have seen, they weren’t willing to pay the price for Japaense pitcher Kenta Maeda, who has a (0.47) EREA at Dodgers Stadium.

We just saw Yasmani Tomas hit a couple of rocket shot home runs at Petco Park. The Padres didn’t bid the right amount to sign him coming out of Cuba.

Ditto with Yasiel Puig, Yoan Moncada and a number of others.

It’s is early in the season, sure. But it’s rather late in the game to think this team can be salvaged.

Already without starter Tyson Ross, still on DL, if anyone else goes down, this could really be a disaster.

Yes the Friars will have 5-of the top 65-picks in the draft, but remember, those players are 3-to-5 years down the road.

Not a good start. Not a good outlook this year.

Just asking, “is this a mess”?. Not yet, but it seems headed that way.

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