San Diego Saturdays: Well, Now We’re Talking

Two weeks ago I wrote about why trading for outfielder Matt Kemp would be “a boneheaded move”. Last week, after the trade was reportedly agreed upon, I wrote about why the move was a bad idea for the club. If you remember I cited such things as lack of protection in the lineup, the added holes as a byproduct of the trade and problems with his ego if the team does not win. Well, many of those questions were answered this past week and today I bring you the final piece to the San Diego Saturdays “Bonehead Trilogy”. 

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As I’m sure you already know the Padres didn’t stop at Kemp. No, they didn’t even slow down at the yield sign.

Early this week they agreed to a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays to acquire the young outfield phenom Wil Myers, the 2013 American League Rookie of the Year. In that trade, the Padres also acquired catcher Ryan Hanigan and then flipped him to the Red Sox for third baseman Will Middlebrooks. They struck a deal with the Oakland Athletics to grab a rising star in catcher Derek Norris. Oh and it didn’t stop there, as they grabbed superstar outfielder Justin Upton from the Atlanta Braves. That’s one way to bolster the lineup.

So Kemp now has his protection in the lineup and General Manager A.J. Preller has thoroughly proven my previous complaint to be moot. As for the holes I previously pointed out, they locked down the other two outfield positions, revamped the backstop after trading away Yasmani Grandal to the Dodgers and replaced Yangervis Solarte with Middlebrooks. Oh, and to top it off, Preller did all this without sacrificing the team’s top starting pitchers and was still able to hold on to some of the organizations better prospects. Honestly, it’s the most interesting display of front office wheeling and dealing I have ever seen.

The Padres are still in need of a first baseman and a shortstop and they’re likely weighing their options on this front. Okay, so maybe I was wrong all along. Maybe  Kemp was the key to the entire puzzle and now that he and all the others are in San Diego the team will soon be contenders again.

Two weeks ago I labeled the Kemp contract as a bonehead move. Eventually I was proven to be completely wrong. Kemp is now a star player on one of the most interesting teams in 2015.

Hey, I can’t get them all right.

Take care Friars faithful.

#InPrellerWeTrust