San Diego Padres News: Spring training cuts, Chris Paddack focused

The San Diego Padres have trimmed their roster down to 61, with Edward Olivares and Gabriel Arias among those sent to minor league camp.

After two weeks, the San Diego Padres reduced their roster from 72 to 61 on Sunday, sending several players to minor league camp. Edward Olivares, Gabriel Arias, and Luis Campusano were among those who were either optioned or reassigned.

Olivares had put together a phenomenal spring, slashing .389/421/.722 with one double, triple, and a very loud home run. The 24-year-old is expected to begin the year at Triple-A El Paso after posting a .801 OPS with 18 home runs and 77 RBI in 127 games for Double-A Amarillo last season.

Arias recently turned 20 years old and played 120 games for High-A Lake Elsinore last season. He slashed .308/.438/.308 in eight games, and he wasn’t expected to make the big-league roster anyways.

I find it interesting that Campusano was part of the first wave of cuts. The 21-year-old had a breakout year for High-A last year, posting a .325/.396/.509 line with 15 home runs and 81 RBI while playing solid defense behind home plate. The Padres catching situation is a mess right now, and Campusano is likely to begin the year at Double-A Amarillo. However, I thought there was a chance the Padres would keep him around a bit longer.

Other News

• Chris Paddack had a bit of a rough outing on Sunday, allowing four runs on six hits in 4.0 innings of work. He told the San Diego Union-Tribune that while the results weren’t there, he was able to work in various scenarios. Paddack noted that his biggest hurdle this year will be to “throw away what just happened” and still pitch six or seven innings.
• The fact that Taylor Trammell was not part of the first wave of cuts likely means that he’s in the mix for an outfield spot on the big league roster. He indicated that his “goal in camp was to not leave any doubt in anybody’s mind that I did not give it my all.” I am what you would call a Trammell fan-boy. It’s hard not to like the kid.
• Arias was part of the first 11 cuts, but General Manager AJ Preller indicated that the 20-year-old had checked all the boxes that the team had set for him prior to camp. He’s likely to stick at shortstop, according to Jayce Tingler, which likely makes him a valuable trade asset given Fernando Tatis Jr.‘s status.
• Speaking of, Tatis will return to the lineup Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Richard Justice, of MLB.com, pegged Olivares as one of nine prospects in baseball as being the “real deal”.

I hope everyone has a good start to their week.