It's time to look back at every team from around the MLB and what they each showed us during the 60 game sprint!
We are going to explore a few things for each team: Review in-season transactions, what we learned, what we loved, what we didn't love, the most significant need(s), and lastly, the biggest takeaways. We are going to work from playoff teams out. We are going to start with the San Diego Padres to begin.
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Some of the moves that we saw the Padres make to bolster their roster:
-Seattle Mariners traded RHP Austin Adams, C Austin Nola, and RHP Dan Altavilla to San Diego Padres for RHP Andres Munoz, C Luis Torrens, Taylor Trammell, and 3B Ty France. I loved this movie for both teams. Nola is a solid bat, plus defender, and can play the OF and every IF position. Adams and Altivilla made solid depth and bullpen contributions. The pieces they gave up helped the other team more and will end up being a min win for both sides over the next couple of years. The move was incredibly impactful because of Kirby Yates being lost for the year.
-Cleveland Indians traded RHP Mike Clevinger, LF Greg Allen, and Player To Be Named Later to San Diego Padres for C Austin Hedges, RHP Cal Quantrill, RF Josh Naylor, Gabriel Arias, Joey Cantillo, and Owen Miller.
Great trade for the Padres getting Clevinger, who ended up getting hurt into the playoffs, but it made great sense for the Padres rotation who needed a boost and an Ace!
Boston Red Sox traded 1B Mitch Moreland to San Diego Padres for 3B Hudson Potts and CF Jeisson Rosario. Another excellent trade for Padres as they needed an extra boost at 1B while Hosmer needs rest, and they needed help at DH, which filled a need.
Kansas City Royals traded RHP Trevor Rosenthal to San Diego Padres for CF Edward Olivares and a Player To Be Named Later. Another great move for the team needs after the Yates injury.
Overall: The Padres won all their trades in season and didn't hurt their future too much either.
What did we learn from 60 games? We learned that Tatis Jr is THE REAL DEAL! El Nino is fantastic and will be a thorn in the side of all the NL West for many many years to come. We learned why Machado got paid as much as he did. We didn't see elite production, but we saw the mega contact come in clutch consistently and win ball games. We also learned about SLAM Diego. We learned that they are built with contributors up and down and are deep from 1-9.
What did we love this season? I loved SLAM Diego; I love the energy of the Padres. If there would have been fans for any games this season and even next season, there will be games won by the crowd noise and excitement alone. The energy of the Padres is contagious on the field, and we will see it in the crowd next season.
What do I personally not love? I don't love that you aren't using the extra storage space you have in the garage, the shed, the attic, or basement. You could be making money off of it. You could buy 1 $20 storage rack at Lowes and then rent that space out. Do I need to say no more, great! My friends over at Stash-It Self Storage has you covered; use the promo code "YOUNG" when you're done posting to let them know I sent you.
What didn't we love this season? I didn't love that Clevinger got hurt in the playoffs, which stretched the bullpen and set an ominous tone for the Dodgers series. I didn't love the injuries to Yates and Pham early on that hurt them long term. Besides those two small things, the Padres showed us a lot of good things.
What do the Padres need? Offense- No. Offensive/defensive depth- No
Bullpen depth- Yes/No. I see both. The staff, the Padres, have now is good. Could it be better, of course? Giving up nine runs in the NLWC and then outscoring the Cards 15-9 in the series. The pen got them past that.
However, they got bested by the Dodgers, getting outscored 23-9. The pitching staff can't always be the ones to win, and neither can the offense against the Dodgers. But giving up 23 runs gives the offense no chance. The Padres need to go and get some depth. I would love to see Stroman or Bauer come to SD!
The big take away of 2020- The Padres showed they are a contender and need to be taken seriously. El Nino showed he is the next big thing for the MLB! Bring on 2021 and more Fernando bat flips!
Thanks for reading today, I am so grateful for your time reading, and I hope you enjoyed reviewing the winners as much as I have. I also want to thank my partners over at Repp Sports for RAZE Energy. Thanks to this clean and sufficient energy, I can have the intense focus to deliver content to you guys consistently. Click here to save 15% right now with the code "BALL BOY" at check out.