Padres Rumors: Should They Pursue Chris Davis?

In a recent MLB Trade Rumors post by Tim Dierkes, he looked at where free agent-to-be Chris Davis might end up and how the Padres might be a possible fit for the slugging first baseman. Would this be a good thing?

In his post, Dierkes notes this about the Padres:

"Padres: Yonder Alonso doesn’t present much of a roadblock, and Padres GM A.J. Preller seems to consider all possibilities. The salaries of Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy will be coming off the books, and the Padres could probably fit Davis in assuming ownership has the appetite for it after taking on commitments to James Shields, Matt Kemp, Melvin Upton, Jr., and Craig Kimbrel. I don’t find this all too likely, but I won’t rule it out."

It is certainly tough to argue that Yonder Alonso would stop the Padres from pursuing a top power threat for 2016, but perhaps the next level question is how and where Wil Myers will fit into the long-term picture. He showed that he can do a good job manning first base and in theory it would help him avoid more injuries that have plagued him since basically the start of his professional career. You can have all the talent in the world but it does not good if you can’t play more than 80 games(see Carlos Quentin).

Dierkes also points to the Astros, Mariners and Giants as other plausible options if not the Orioles themselves, who let Nelson Cruz walk away last year and continue to mash for the Mariners all season long while the Orioles certainly could’ve used his offense.

After an off year in 2014, Davis returned to form this season hitting over 40 homers and hit over 50 in 2013. He battled an oblique injury and has faced some suspicion over various exemptions from Adderal and other medications for ADHD.

If this year did prove one thing – it is that you can bring in power hitters to Petco Park and they can continue to hit home runs. With Jedd Gyorko‘s second half resurgence as reason to think he can return to a 20 home run middle infielder in 2016, the club needs to find a way to replace the power that will likely leave with Justin Upton. Whether or not the Padres want a power hitter who hits .240 is the big question though. While the team evaluates young speedy players at the end of this season like Travis Jankowski and Cory Spangenberg, would Davis be a hindrance to the style of play the club plans on implementing in 2016 and be an expensive sacrifice fly hitter?

As interesting as last off-season was as GM A.J. Preller introduced himself to the baseball world, as curious as his lack of deals at the trade deadline, perhaps it is this off-season that we truly see what kind of general manager A.J. Preller can be. Will he be able to admit to some of the mistakes last season? Can he re-build around the core he brought in last year or jettison many of the same pieces he brought in like Craig Kimbrel and Derek Norris? Can he build a winning team in San Diego sooner than later?

I think the Padres should come up with three power hitters as candidates and make their best offers to all three. Last year Preller appeared to be more on the free-wheeling side and I hope that he can be more focused this season. I think Davis would be a good fit – but I’m not convinced a better idea would be to pursue a free agent outfielder who can give more flexibility with Myers even in a kind of platoon at first with Alonso.

The regular season ends in six days, and the GM Winter Meetings will be here before we know it. We shall see what these Padres looks like come March 2016.

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