San Diego Sundays: 5 Things To Watch For In The Off Season

Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres were officially eliminated from the postseason this week, and it’s not all that surprising. The team had a lot of problems scoring runs, and were often dysfunctional in other parts of the game. The sold off their stars in Chase Headley, Huston Street and Chris Denorfia and bulked up the farm system. The organization made some personnel changes and sent the franchise on a new course to return to relevancy.

The second half of the season was dramatic as the Friars somehow became the team to beat in the National League. Unfortunately, after a miserable first half, Hollywood movies couldn’t even write a tale that led San Diego to overcome the Dodgers and the Giants and make the playoffs. So, statistically, the Padres season is coming to an end and the bitter chill of fall is washing over us (Maybe not in San Diego but you get it.) as another uneventful summer has wasted away.

But, there’s still more headlines to come! The off-season will yield some interesting scenarios and ideas for the coming 2015 Padres’ campaign. Oh yes, there should be some fun stuff to watch and follow soon enough. Baseball never ends, so what do the Friars faithful have to look out for in the off-season?

How Actively Will The Padres Pursue Yasmani Tomas?

Mandatory Credit: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images AsiaPac

In a deep free agent pool, the belle of the ball may be someone who has never played in Major League Baseball. That man is Cuban defector Yasmani Tomas, who is said to possess legendary power out of the corner outfield position. With the success of current Cuban stars like Yoenis Cespedes (Red Sox), Yasiel Puig (Dodgers) and Jose Abreu (White Sox), the entire baseball world is flocking to the Dominican Republic this weekend to see him work out live.

The Padres have been linked to Tomas as a possible suitor, but his price tag may be a problem. According to league sources, Tomas is set to garner a contract of around $100 million dollars, which sounds like a steep price for the Friars, especially when they have to compete with other big market clubs like the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and Mets.

Recent reports are indicating that the Padres are expecting to significantly increase their payroll this off-season, and Tomas may be a part of that. Or the organization may decide that risking that much money on an unproven Tomas isn’t worth it, and they’ll let him go to another bidder. But Tomas (23), would be huge for this franchise if they decide to chase him and their new General Manager, A.J. Preller, has put a focus on international players, and a guy with a ceiling this high would be a fantastic start to the rebuilding process. He’s young, and extremely talented and his presence in PETCO Park could bring in new fans and draw a lot of attention to San Diego. The Tomas sweepstakes may rival last year’s Masahiro Tanaka bidding and is definitely something worth watching.

Will The Padres Exercise Josh Johnson’s Option?

Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

It was a move that made a lot of Padres fans very excited. One of the earliest moves of last year’s off-season saw former All-Star starting pitcher Josh Johnson head out west to Petco Park and many envisioned a big season from the former Marlin. People were expecting that the large dimensions of Petco Park would assist Johnson in regaining his old dominance, but unfortunately, the 30-year-old needed Tommy John Surgery before even throwing one pitch in the regular season.

However, Johnson’s contract contains a $4 million dollar option for the 2015 season, and the Padres may choose to pick up that option and add him to a rotation with Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross and Ian Kennedy. For $4 million dollars, I think it’d be worth it to take a chance on him, and hope for him to be a fraction of his former self. But, it wasn’t current Genral Manager A.J. Preller who gave Johnson that contract, and he might try to cut ties with him altogether instead of possibly having his predecessor’s mistake on the roster. Preller may decide to keep Johnson around in hopes that he’ll pitch well enough to bring in some decent prospects come Trade Deadline time.

It’s not a stretch to think that the righty hurler could have a big season in San Diego, but his injury history and recent struggles make his chances of being the same guy who came in 5th in the Cy Young voting in 2010 low. For this Padres team, who aren’t ready to even think about contending, it may be a smart idea to what Johnson has left in the tank.

Will Joaquin Benoit Be Traded?

Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

They Padres signed Joaquin Benoit last off-season to serve as the setup man to closer Huston Street, but is going to end the season as the team’s closer after they traded Street to the Los Angeles Angles. However, Benoit is 37-years-old, and doesn’t quite fit into the team’s youth movement.

With solid bullpen arms coming at a premium, teams will pay a high price to add someone like Benoit ( 1.58 ERA and 60 Ks in 50 games in 2014) to their bullpen. Many thought the Friars would trade him before the Trade Deadline when his stock was through the roof, but they decided to instead retain him for at least the current season. Of course, San Diego could always decide to sell him off during next year’s deadline, but it’s unknown if the 13-year veteran can replicate his success next season.

It may be best for the Padres to deal Benoit before the start of next season so that they can get a decent return. The Yankees, Tigers, Orioles, Dodgers, Giants among others, could all be interested in striking a deal for Benoit, as they each are in the market for bullpen support. The Padres likely won’t compete next season, and retaining Benoit makes little sense at the current time. He could get the team a few nice prospects that they can utilize in the future. For now, Benoit will be staying in San Diego but how long his stay will be is worth keeping an eye on.

If No Tomas Who Will The Padres Buy As Their Big Bat?

Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

While it’s nice to sit and dream about the possibility of a star like Yasmani Tomas patrolling right field for the Padres in 2015, you can’t bank on it, and you need to have a few backup options in case Tomas goes elsewhere. Like I said, A.J. Preller is looking to make an impression on the baseball market in his first off-season as a big league General Manager, and bringing in a big bat that the team desperately needs. [related-topic]

Sticking to the outfield spot, the team can choose to bring in someone like Nelson Cruz (Orioles), Melky Cabrera (Blue Jays), Torii Hunter (Tigers), Michael Cuddyer (Rockies) or Colby Rasmus (Blue Jays). But Preller could look to improve the third base spot and bring in someone like rival Pablo Sandoval, but that may be far too much of a grasp. The Padres are in serious need of an impact bat, and this market yields some, but not too many viable options.

With Preller’s experience in the foreign market, he’ll likely prioritize courting Tomas, but he can’t put all his eggs in one basket. If he loses Tomas, someone like Nelson Cruz, who leads all of baseball in home runs, could be the next best thing, although his home runs will certainly take a dip in Petco Park. Still, Cruz can be counted on as a power threat, and will likely cost less than Tomas’s predicted price tag of $100 million dollars. It’s clear the Friars need a big bat in their lineup, but who ends up taking on that role will be an interesting topic this winter.

Keep the Faith.