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“PADRES–WHAT TO DO”
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What a week ahead of us.
The Padres baseball future will be decided by next weekend
Sweeping Texas, beating the daylights out of a bad Rockies team.
Then come home for a season deciding 4-game series with the Dodgers.
All that between now and next Sunday evening.

And also the trading deadline too.

Some type of debate too, should the Padres be a ‘buyer-or-seller’ heading to Tuesday’s afternoon trade deadline.

Of course there are a ton of variables you have to consider too.

What kind of message are the Padres sending to their fans, who have sold out 41-games this season in a record season of revenue.

It has also been a summer of record expenditures by owner Peter Seidler.  Heading to the deadline, the Padres payroll is at (253M) and the Padres total expenditures are now at a record (277M) that puts them over the third tier of the luxury tax, so there will be penalties next year, whether they make the playoffs or not.

And the playoff conversation would be decided by the time they finish next weekend’s series with the Dodgers.

The Friars are trying to pull themselves out of a proverbial ‘pot hole bunker’ in the wildcard race.  There are 7-teams fighting for the 3-wildcard spots, and the Padres are the 7th team in that chase with its sub-500 record.  They started the weekend 5-and-a half back of the Reds, who hold the last wildcard spot.

The next 48-hours will be the AJ Preller’s time, but there are limitations as to what he can do, from a budget standpoint and from a prospect standpoint.

He has twice cleaned out the farm system trying to build a World Series team.  He has been given a blank check by ownership and spent beyond it.  What he hasn’t done is put a consistent winner on the field.

So here we are.  Can he take on any type of big contract?  Doubtful.

Is he willing to trade any of his hottest young prospects in the lower minors?  He should not.

Aside from four top earners on the roster, and no one wants to take on the contracts , there’s not much else to move.  Unless someone thinks they can unlock the mystery of Ryan Weathers, or help get Adrian Morejon healthy, there’s not much ready made talent to be dealt.  The rest of the bottom of the roster is the reason the Friars are in a hole.  Not much talent.

And the next wave of kids are having very good years in the lower minors.  They should be untouchable if the Padres hope to have any type of future with all these extended contracts they have given out to the Fab 4 and a few starters.

And what do the Padres do?

JUAN SOTO..You traded bluechip prospects to get him and his booming bat.  He has been solid since May with power-walks.  He was a rental for 3-years before he becomes a free agent.  The wildcard is he is repped by Scott Boras, so you know he is headed to free agency.  Let him produce here.

BLAKE SNELL…Having a 2-month run that could qualify him for the Cy Young Award.  As dominant he was the year he won the Cy Young Award with Tampa Bay.  But he too is a free agent.  And he is repped by you know who?  Boras.  Think about that price tag.  But you need him in the front of the rotation.

JOSH HADER…The best closer in baseball but if you think you can play in October-you want him coming out of your bullpen.  A walk free agent too.  You cannot afford to move him.

San Diego is a great place to live.  The players are beloved in the community.  Why would you consider leaving aside from a mega contract offer in the offseason.  These players have a relationship with the GM, so that should carry clout.

The Padres built this to win, it hasn’t yet, but that does not mean it cannot forge its way into the wildcard race.  And in a 3-game series in the wildcard playoffs, would you bet against the Padres starters and potential of the batting order in a short series?

Preller should keep his roster intact.  He built it, he spent it, he should be accountable for it by the time we get to October 1st.

You have October-November to determine who to keep, who you can afford, who might be available, if you don’t get to the postseason, and how you change the bottom half of the roster.

Ride this thing out-and you can make changes in the offseason, whether that is roster, dugout or front office.

The deadline is Tuesday night.
The season gets decided next weekend with the Dodgers series.

What to do?  Stay the course and flash your Friar Faithful card.
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