USA TODAY International Edition
PADRES’ OFFSEASON MOVES LOOK DICEY
As San Diego’s playoff hopes fade, dealt players thrive
With three huge deals in a 48hour span in December and another just before opening day, the San Diego Padres were the unofficial winners of the offseason, making a bold set of transactions expected to vault them into contention in 2015.
It can be argued the impact was more profound on four other franchises.
With the July 31 non- waiver trade deadline looming, the Padres might retool again and deal some of the players they acquired in the offseason. Meanwhile, the prospects and struggling veterans they scattered across the big leagues are grateful for the opportunities the Padres created.
“All of us are starting to establish ourselves a little bit,” said pitcher Matt Wisler, traded from San Diego to the Atlanta Braves in April.
The moves began Dec. 18, when the Padres made a fiveplayer trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers to acquire Matt Kemp. The next day, they acquired Justin Upton from the Braves and then came the big one — an 11player, three- team trade with the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays, with outfielder Wil Myers being San Diego’s biggest prize.
Finally, hours before opening day, they sent four more players and a draft pick to Atlanta for closer Craig Kimbrel and the other Upton brother, Melvin Jr.
That’s a lot of money, a lot of players — plus a draft pick — and a lot of clubs, but the end result was that five teams’ fortunes were changed drastically. And while the impact of the trades is far from complete, its effect on the 2015 landscape is undeniable.
From the Braves’ perspective, fans saw All- Stars going out and none coming in. But it appears Atlanta was on to something.
Gaining a few extra years of experience in the clubhouse and taking on $ 59.2 million in payroll for Kemp, Kimbrel and the Upton brothers — four of the team’s highest- paid players — was intended to get the Padres closer to contention. Instead, they are 4451 and face a deficit of 9 1⁄2 games in the division and seven games in the National League wild- card race.
They trail Atlanta by a game in the latter race.
The Braves appeared to initiate a vigorous rebuild with the deals. But contributions from a few newcomers have put them closer to the hunt than many expected.
Asked if he thinks about the lasting effects of those trades, Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez says no — not yet, at least, because the Braves have more help coming.
“But the guys that we have here? Yeah, I’m excited about them,” Gonzalez said.
KEMP’S REGRESSION HURTS
The first move the Padres made over the winter was for Kemp. A two- time All- Star and two- time Gold Glove winner while in his prime, Kemp regained some of his lost power in 2014, hitting 25 home runs for the Dodgers. But it hasn’t translated to this season, as he’s hitting .256 with 10 home runs in 363 at- bats.
Kemp is owed $ 21.25 million this season ($ 18 million of which the Dodgers are paying) and $ 21.75 million a year from 2016 to 2019, $ 3.5 million of which will be paid by the Dodgers each year.
In exchange, the Dodgers picked up catcher Yasmani Grandal, who at 26 became an All- Star for the first time this season. Grandal’s on- base- plus- slugging percentage ( OPS) is .930 ( Kemp’s has been hovering around .700), and he’s being paid $ 693,000.
“It feels great to be part of something, to be in the race,” Grandal said. “Obviously it’s something I haven’t experienced before. These guys have been through it for the past two, three, four years. It just feels great, the fact that you get to come in the second half, and you’ve still got something to play for.”
In Justin Upton, the Padres acquired a two- time All- Star who hit .270 with 29 homers in Atlanta last season.
But he hasn’t quite matched that in 2015, batting .252 with a .757 OPS and 15 homers in 326 at- bats.
In return, the Braves added a potential building block in 25year- old second baseman Jace Peterson, who has blossomed in the leadoff role this season. Though he has cooled off, he’s hitting .247 with a .671 OPS.
“He took the opportunity the Braves gave him and ran with it,” Wisler said. “Obviously he’s having a great year so far. He’s a hardworking dude. It’s great to see a guy like that perform well.”
Atlanta gave up an All- Star closer in Kimbrel but also got rid of Melvin Upton Jr.’ s contract, which totals $ 31.9 million in 2016 and 2017. Upton is hitting .203 with two home runs in 32 games. Kimbrel has converted 26 of 27 save opportunities but is owed at least $ 25 million over the next three seasons.
In return, the Braves continued to stock up, adding bigleague center fielder Cameron Maybin and Wisler.
Maybin, 28, is having a longawaited solid season, hitting .284 with a .350 on- base percentage and 16 stolen bases.
And after a terrific debut June 19, Wisler has continued to contribute, going 4- 1 with a 3.60 ERA in six starts.
Maybin, the 10th overall pick by the Detroit Tigers in 2005, played three seasons for Gonzalez after a trade to the Miami Marlins, years marked by injuries and inconsistency.
Gonzalez’s presence, coupled with the friendly atmosphere of the Atlanta clubhouse, made it an intriguing destination for Maybin.
“We got a really well- rounded group, so that always makes it fun to come to the ballpark and strap it on with these guys,” Maybin said. “I think that all kind of goes hand in hand with having success. When you’re having fun, it usually makes the game a little bit easier to play.”
Gonzalez knew about Maybin when the two reunited in April. He could not say the same about Wisler.
Wisler, a 22- year- old righthander, was the most polished of the minor league prospects the Braves received. In his big- league debut, he proved it, allowing one run and no walks over eight innings.
“To be totally honest with you, I was hoping we’d get him ( up) earlier,” Gonzalez said. “We didn’t. Our baseball people said he wasn’t ready, he wasn’t ready, but you keep looking at the numbers and you go, ‘ Wow, this guy’s pretty good.’
“This guy competes. He’s got composure. He’s got some presence on the mound. Those are things that are hard to teach.” NATIONALS BENEFIT, TOO The only Padres package that didn’t involve Atlanta was the 11player deal in December in which San Diego picked up 2013 American League rookie of the year Myers, who hasn’t played since June 13 because of a wrist injury, and three other players, in exchange for five players.
One has figured prominently in the Nationals’ pennant drive; another could be a key piece of their future.
Starting pitcher Joe Ross went 2- 1 with a 2.66 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 20 1⁄3 innings over three starts for Washington in June. With Nationals right- hander Stephen Strasburg back on the disabled list, Ross earned another start Tuesday and didn’t disappoint, allowing two earned runs and four hits over 6 1⁄2 innings and not walking a batter.
“He stepped in his first start and acted as if he’d been here before,” Nationals manager Matt Williams said. “And, of course, his other two starts were even better. We have a comfort level that he can come up here and do what he can do to help us win every game that he pitches.”
The club plans to keep him in the rotation until Strasburg returns.
Meanwhile, shortstop Trea Turner could supplant pending free agent Ian Desmond in 2016. Turner, the 13th overall pick in 2014, has hit .323 in the minor leagues this year.
In all, the Padres, the biggest players, gained five players who have played in the big leagues for them and lost seven. The five players they gained have totaled 3.7 Wins Above Replacement ( WAR) this season.
The seven they dealt — much younger and cheaper — have almost matched that number with 3.2.
General manager A. J. Preller did not respond to a request to comment for this story. In June, when asked whether he had any regrets over the offseason rebuild, he told USA TODAY Sports, “I’ll tell you in October.”
As for the Braves, they made their clubhouse a few years younger and, in doing so, might have recharged it.
“It’s still fun to be together more than anything,” Wisler said. “If you’re going to make a move, making a move with guys that you’re comfortable with and familiar with, that always just helps the process.”