The San Diego Padres’ acquisition of starter Rich Hill and first baseman Choi Ji-man from the Pittsburgh Pirates in trade is tantamount to declaring that they are buyers, not sellers.
Ahead of the 2023 trade deadline (August 2, 6:00 p.m. EST), the teams that drew the most media attention were the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, and Chicago Cubs.
This is because the Mets (50-55) and Padres (52-55) are teams ranked 1st and 3rd in major league annual salary, and their performance was sluggish by 40% below expectations. Salary and grades were inversely proportional. The Chicago Cubs of the National League Central Division were on the verge of becoming a buyer or seller with very ambiguous results.
The Mets chose Sellers when they traded the highest-paid Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers. After advancing to the postseason with 101 wins and 61 losses last year, the Mets even recruited Justin Verlander. On the 2nd, the club also traded Verlander to the Houston Astros. Last year, he won the American League Cy Young Award in Houston.
The Cubs (53-53) also announced last week that they would not be trading outfielder Cody Bellinger, making their declaration official as a buyer, not a seller. Bellinger signed a one-year contract and became a free agent after the season. A team aiming to advance into the postseason by clearing out the sluggishness of the Los Angeles Dodgers will inevitably use Bellinger highly. The Cubs acquired third baseman Heimer Candelario from the Washington Nationals on the 1st.
The Padres did not express their position through the trade. Only the press poured out articles saying that advancing into the postseason was difficult and that it was best to trade starter left-hander Break Snell and closer Josh Hader to get a promising player.
In the meantime, considering AJ Preller GM’s management of the club, the blockbuster trade should have happened first. However, it was quiet, and on the 2nd, ahead of the deadline, it sent a signal that it would not give up on advancing to the postseason by recruiting starter Hill and first baseman Choi Ji-man.
The Padres also missed a game they could have beaten the Colorado Rockies the day before. In the 10th inning of overtime, the bases were loaded safely without scoring, and third baseman Manny Machado’s tag play allowed the ball to go out and allow a sacrifice fly to end the game, resulting in a 3-4 loss. The Padres are 10-0 in overtime this year.
This is because the high-income earners, except Kim Ha-seong, are not good enough for their roles. We are not expecting a come-from-behind victory in the second half of the game. In the 9th inning, when the score was tied 3-3, Kim Ha-seong went on base with a double from second out, but Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out and failed to turn the game around.메이저놀이터
Currently, the Padres, with a win rate of less than 50%, are 5.0 games behind the 3rd place Miami Marlins (57-50) in the NL wild card race.
One of the reasons the Padres can’t give up on the season is because of their performance in July and the goal difference. The Cubs also turned into a buyer due to the difference in points earned.
The Padres had the best record in the NL West in July. The difference between 15 wins and 10 losses is +45, ranking first. Dodgers 13-10 +20, Giants 12-13 -20.
The Padres’ point differential throughout the season is +62, which is third in the NL. The Dodgers (59-45) are +88, and the Giants, who rank first in the wild card with 58-49, are only +23. The Cubs are also fourth in the NL at +56. The leading Cincinnati Reds (59-49) +4, second place Milwaukee Brewers (57-50) -16.
With these indicators, it is a situation where the preller GM cannot give up the season hastily. I have no choice but to look forward to it. The current Padres and the 2021 Atlanta Braves are very similar.
On August 1, 2021, Atlanta was 52-54, 5.0 games behind the NL East lead, and 8.0 games behind the Wild Card. The season ended with 88 wins and 73 losses, recapturing the district championship. Currently, the Padres are 52-55, 5.0 in the wild card race and 8.5 in the district.
It will be interesting to see what changes the Padres will make in the remaining 55 games.