Need Help-Padres & Me”

Someone help me figure this all out.

I need a roadmap, a GPS system, a blueprint, a guide dog. Or maybe the San Diego Padres need that instead.

So the Friars trade away another high draft pick, the young veteran Jedd Gyorko, to the Cardinals for soon-to-be 31 year old outfielder John Jay, who has a good glove, and a career (.287) batting average as a slap hitter. Gyorko showed inconsistency in two plus years in San Diego, but also showed he can hit homers (49) in his 2-plus year span here.

Just asking though, how does this get us to where they want to be, out of last place, and back into the playoffs.

Let’s follow the trail marked by new General Manager AJ Preller.

A year ago this week, at the downtown Marriott, at the Winter Meetings here in San Diego, he went wild. When he was done, he had made seven trades, and brought in established bats like Matt Kemp and Justin Upton, the promising Wil Myers, the surprising Derek Norris. All that followed by the signing of James Shields and the opening week of the season trade for Craig Kimbrel.

And impressive haul, but at a very costly price I might remind you. So follow me on this.

The Padres swept aside 11-young players in all, including 7-pitchers, the bottom of the farm system, to make all those transactions. What followed was a disappointing season.

The off season has started in strange fashion too.

Preller acquired 11-young players, to replenish the farm system, but it cost him the top two relievers out of the bullpen, Kimbrel, and Joaquin Benoit. So he brings back some quality young players, to replace the players he jettisoned last December, but now there are holes on the roster.

He removes a lefthanded bat in first baseman Yonder Alonso, to go get back of the rotation starter Drew Pomeranz. I guess the Oakland A’s southpaw becomes the replacement for Ian Kennedy, whom they could not sign.

But now they need a lefthanded bat. Remember, Preller removed Will Venable and his left handed bat, in a late season deal with Texas.

So in need of a bat from that side of the box, he deals for the Cardinals John Jay, established veteran player. But it cost him Gyorko, one of the few deep ball threats still left on the roster, and 7M in cash.

See where all this is going? Making a move to make up for the last move he made, which he had to do, because the prior move before that created a vacancy on the roster.

The Padres still have Matt Kemp, his bat, big contract, bad hips and ankle. They still have James Shields, his massive contract, his 6-inning starts, and his propensity to give up homers. They still have the other Upton (Melvin) and his 16M a year contract for two more seasons, which they cannot give away.

Are the Padres better now roster-wise? Definitely not, with Upton gone, Alonso gone, Kennedy gone, Gyorko traded, and more to come. San Antonio, the Double A farmclub, looks like it might have a good team. I can’t say the same right now for the Friars. There don’t see to be many bargaining chips left to use to go get established major leaguers.

Sure they may be more transactions to come before Friday, but can anyone really describe what the Padres GM is doing. My favorite phrase from last winter, after talking to people from other clubs, “they’re all over the place”. It seems to be their mode of operation.

I’m trying to connect the dots on all these deals, but I feel like I have vertigo, getting dizzy trying to figure out what the game-plan is.

GPS, Mapquest, Rand McNally, a guide dog, something-anything. I need help figuring out what they are doing. Maybe Padres leadership needs help too.

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