3 San Diego Padres who won’t be back next year after playoff exit

2. RP Craig Stammen

Stammen has had a fantastic career, putting up a 3.66 ERA and appearing in 562 games in 13 seasons with the Padres and Washington Nationals. Having said that, Father Time is starting to gradually win his battle against Stammen and his hard two-seamer, as this last season was below-average for someone of his caliber.

Stammen, who was left off the Wild Card roster, put up a 4.43 ERA, which is the second-worst mark he has amassed since the 2011 season with the Nats. Having become renowned for his ability to consistently throw strikes, seeing him post his highest walk rate per nine innings since 2012 was a bit concerning.

The San Diego Padres could part with Craig Stammen.

While it looked like the Padres were going to need every hand on deck to keep the bullpen afloat after Josh Hader’s horrendous start, he has since stabilized and returned to his old form. The farm system is not what it once was, but the pitching pipeline remains healthy.

Stammen can still pitch in the majors, but a team with eyes on a championship shouldn’t bend over backward to accommodate someone who will turn 39 in March and is coming off his worst season in years. Preller may replace him with a more high-end option available on the free agent market.