San Diego Padres: The Process Is Moving In The Right Direction

The process is moving in the right direction for the San Diego Padres.

Things seem to be trending favorably for the San Diego Padres. No, not in wins on the diamond, but towards the future success of this franchise. The front office made a few gambles in the offseason that clearly haven’t worked out, and here they are cleaning up the mess. Alternatively, a number of veterans are finding success in 2018, leading to a potentially overall beneficial trade season.

Tyson Ross is clearly back to his 2014-2015 form. He’s striking out a career-high 26.6% of hitters while walking just 9%. Armed with one of the best sliders in baseball, which he’s using more than ever, Ross has worked a 3.28 FIP as opposing batters hover around the Mendoza-line at .207 against him.

The new Jordan Lyles seems to be working well too. Showcasing a highly effective curveball and changeup, Lyles has flourished in his two starts since replacing Bryan Mitchell. He went five innings against St. Louis, giving up five hits, two runs, one walk, and striking out six.

Related Story: Padres Need To Build On Outstanding Start From Lyles

You may have heard about what he did with his next start, taking a perfect game into the eighth inning. Lyles struck out 10 hitters before allowing a single and walk in the eighth. He was smartly removed from the game immediately after.

Neither Ross nor Lyles will bring in major hauls but they can bring valuable assets. As long as both of these veterans continue to show their worth, contending teams will pay-up for renting either player.

An overlooked aspect of the trade deadline is acquiring role/depth players. Take the current backup catcher situation in San Diego, for instance. If one of these surging veterans can bring in a valuable backup catcher and a mid-level prospect, that’s a win for the organization.

Relying on players like Jordan Lyles and Tyson Ross to continue succeeding is risky, however, the Padres have many pieces like this (Jose Pirela) that need to be moved in return for complementary parts to the high-profile prospects fans are waiting for impatiently.

Aggressive decisions are playing well for the San Diego Padres.

Aggressive decisions made by the front office/coaching staff are also helping the rebuilding process. Luis

More from Friars on Base

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• Padres got steal with Xander Bogaerts after Carlos Correa’s mega-deal
• Failed Padres top prospect makes stunning return with minor league deal
• Padres fail to land ideal Xander Bogaerts teammate at catcher

Perdomo and Bryan Mitchell were dismissed from the rotation, along with veteran Chase Headley, who was dismissed from the team altogether. The Padres are letting the rookies sink or swim, which is a valuable strategy in this team’s position. It’s important to find out which of these youngsters can cut it and which ones can’t now, instead of in two years when the organization is hoping to be in line to compete.

Franchy Cordero has earned regular playing time with unbelievable success and growth. Christian Villanueva wasn’t slapped with an instant demotion but instead, he was allowed to work through an 0-37 slump.

Even Franmil Reyes was called up to the major leagues to earn his playing time. With nothing left to prove in AAA, Reyes will have a few weeks to shut down the critics and prove his supporters right.

Everyone knows what Luis Urias and Fernando Tatis, Jr bring to the table. No one is doubting their future worth to the franchise (scratch that…just one guy, apparently). Giving prospects like Villanueva, Cordero, and Reyes significant playing time now help answer the big questions surrounding them and their role with the team going forward.

Next: Thank you, Chase Headley

It’s hard to tell fans of a team who hasn’t won a World Series since their inception in 1969 to remain patient. The pieces are there, the prospect pool is there, the trade bait seems to be there. The franchise is moving in the right direction, hang in there.