Free Agency Ideas…Getting Better with Age?

This Dodgers FA Shortstop could make a big splash for the Padres. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Hanley Ramirez

It wasn’t that long ago when Hanley Ramirez was considered one of the absolute best players in baseball. A shortstop with speed, power, defense, and hit for average? Sign me up. Move over Alex Rodriguez. Okay, so maybe it was a few years ago, but the man can still play baseball when he is healthy. In 2014 he played in 128 games, hit 14 home runs, batted .283 and drove in 71 runs. In 2013 he hit twenty.

The biggest concern with him is how much he will demand for his payday. On the Dodgers, he fit in with several other high-priced players on a team with a payroll nearly three times what the Padres can afford. On the Padres, we have seen with Carlos Quentin and Josh Johnson how one or two bad free agent signings can cripple the entire team. What if the Padres get Hanley, he gets hurt, and only plays in less than 80 games like he has done in 2013 and 2011? That would be devastating, as certainly Ramirez is expected to consume about 10% of the Padres payroll.

The upside though is pretty tremendous. He can play third or short, both spots the Padres have questions marks on going into 2015. At shortstop and healthy, he would immediately be the focal point for the offense. When was the last time the Padres had a shortstop you were afraid of offensively? Khalil Greene? And even with Greene, you knew those 15 homers were going to be tempered by a .240 batting average.

Right now at third base, the Padres have penciled in Yangervis Solarte and Everth Cabrera / Alexi Amarista at shortstop. Off the field happenings may automatically disqualify Cabrera before the season even begins, and none of those options are proven winning solutions. Let’s say though that Everth does play up to the level he did in 2013. Let’s say they get Hanley Ramirez and plug him in at third base. Now, we can use Solarte to plug in the games when either Cabby or Hanley need an injury reprieve.

In the end, going for Hanley would be a big gamble that I do not think the Padres should make. He is over 30, and will likely be priced simply out of the Padres payroll. If they do splurge and make him the highest paid player on the team – if not franchise history – he either would only disappoint with his on-field performance or leave the team with no flexibility to make any other needed moves if they do find themselves in contention come July.

World Series MVP and Champion Could Make a Difference at Third for the Padres. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Pablo Sandoval

The biggest obstacle of course in signing Pablo is that his own team will probably do whatever they can to keep him. After all, he just helped them win their 3rd World Series in 5 years and one of the only position players besides Buster Posey who has been consistent that whole time. On top that, he is often overweight to start the season but finishes it out strong before really coming alive in the playoffs. For a team like the Padres, that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2006, they may not have the luxury to just ‘wait for the playoffs’ to see a marquee signing come alive.

However, as mentioned in the introduction, one thing the Padres need to do is make a statement with their free agent signings. As the Fox announcers pointed out, Pablo winked at the cameras before coming to the plate in Game 7 of the World Series. The Giants were down, but he sparked a rally that would lead to their eventual victory and championship. That my friends is called swagger. Right now, the Padres lack that swagger. Or at least the play to back up the swagger. Playoff success may not be able to be statistically defined – but you also can’t erase this man has put up in the playoffs. In 2010, he was the World Series MVP hitting .529 with 3 HR in one game. In 2014, he hit .429 with 4 RBI. Started it out with a wink. A wink that says he has been there before – knows he can do it – and then goes out and does it.

One concern of course would be his weight. It seems like every year he comes to spring training and weighs more than he is supposed to. Yet, despite those concerns, it hasn’t stopped him from performing. The last two seasons he has averaged about 150 games, hitting .278 and 15 home runs. If he signs a long-term deal (which he deserves), the worry would be of course his motivation to stay in shape. The Dodgers can tell you there is a fine line between “chubby and good” to “overweight and a bust” after their disastrous signing of Andruw Jones.

Again, the Padres have seen Sandoval up close a lot, and it is always surprising just how nimble he is a third place. No one deserved to make the final out than him of the World Series, as his defense is often overlooked as a big part of his attribute to a team.

Overall, I like signing Sandoval over Hanley, but think the Giants themselves will do all they can to keep him in a Giants uniform. After all, according to their schedule another World Series Championship is only two years away.

Not a major splash – but the Padres could fill some gaps with

. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Emilio Bonifacio

So we’ve covered two BIG possible signings, but the reality of the Padres situation is that they likely won’t come close to either one. So an intriguing “realistic” look would be signing utility man Emilio Bonifacio.

He’s not one of the marquee players mentioned above, but might just be a valuable in-between player from now until more prospects are ready to go. Mallex Smith tore up the minor leagues this year and could be here by 2016. Hunter Renfroe has shown great progress and could be here sooner than later. Yet in the meantime, the Padres are stuck with guys like Will Venable, Cameron Maybin, and Carlos Quentin who seem to be stuck somewhere between cruise control and neutral. So what do you do? They’ve got Seth Smith signed to take up some time and he had a nice season in 2014.

Rymer Liriano was given a cameo the last couple of months with mixed results. Bonifacio could also provide some stability in the left side of the infield. We don’t know exactly what we have with Everth Cabrera – if he will play or disqualify himself due to his legal issues before spring training even starts. Amarista could plug that hole fine, or Solarte could take short and Bonifacio could cover third base. In fact in general Bonifacio has a lot of similar attributes as Amarista he’s just better at it. He only hit .260 last year between Atlanta and Chicago, but he did steal 26 stolen bases after 28 in 2013 and 40 in 2011. Speed is always good.

The world watched this year as the speed-driven Royals ran and hit all the way into the World Series before falling in seven games. Their GM Dayton Moore set out to build a team based on speed and defense 8 years ago, and this year watched his dream come to fruition coming within one game of being world champions. Bonifacio is NOT the answer – but would be a nice fit in the puzzle until more pieces are firmly in place at the major league level.

The Padres want to win the World Series – What is the plan to get there? Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Conclusion

In summary, the Padres have some questions ahead. I mentioned Dayton Moore earlier, and that case study looms large for the Padres. Just how will new GM AJ Preller proceed with the Padres? Is he setting a win-now mentality, or win in several years? This first off-season for Preller will be interesting to see what tone he sets and what direction he is setting for the Padres. The fans should look cautiously at making the wrong moves at the wrong time. One of the keys to the Royals push this year was a decision he made at the end of 2012 when he traded future ROY Wil Myers for ace James Shields and Wade Davis. Those big moves must be made, but I’m just not sure that the fall of 2014 is the time for the Padres to make a big decision. Too many question marks are in the year at key position battles! The only infield position that appears “set” is 2nd base, and that with a player who battled to stay above .200 last season.

My guess is that the Padres spend this off-season figuring out what their long-term plan is going to be and cleaning up the 40-man roster as time goes on. Then you can start plugging the gaps. I do like a signing of Bonifacio if nothing else, because he can fill multiple gaps based on who is and who is not performing well. If Yonder Alonso comes around this season – great. If Grandal finds his bat – awesome. But if they don’t, the Padres might find themselves needing to fill bigger holes next year. What they don’t want to do is make a multi-year committment this season that would handicap their growth for years to come.

They are closer than you might think. The pitching is solid across the board with more on the way, and that might prove a valuable trading chips when the time is needed and the Padres are in contention. Their record this year was better than it has been in several years. If ownership, the GM, and the same manager Bud Black can instill an attitude of winning with a few of the right pieces coming together at the right time, success is bound to find the Padres. If they have a plan. Free agency is here, and as GM Preller reads FriarsOnBase.com for ideas, we are all waiting to find out just what that plan will be.