San Diego Padres

A strong finish from Wil My

ers would be welcomed. Myers had an erratic first half this season. Unable to rally, he was hitting a meager .206 through 46 games after the All-Star break.

Disclaimer No. 1: Myers is still on track to hit nearly 30 home runs this season.

Disclaimer No. 2: He’ll be 27 in December. His best years might be ahead.

But the six-year, $83 million contract he got last offseason is looking rather bloated.

He has affordable salaries of $4.5 million and $5.5 million the next two seasons before salaries of $22.5 million come due in each of the following three years.

To move his contract, the Padres probably would have to eat money, take on money or add appealing pieces to a deal.

The Padres are paying off several veterans with whom they parted because of the same problem: Cost exceeded either performance or projected performance.

One of those traded players, Jedd Gyorko, turned his career around after joining the St. Louis Cardinals.

It’s audition time for newly promoted hitting coach Luis

Ortiz. Manager Andy Green, who fired Alan Zinter last week, seeks improved plate discipline from several hitters. As an instructor in the minor leagues, Ortiz worked with several Padres prospects.