Padres Press Clips Thursday, February 25, 2016

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1 Padres Press Clips Thursday, February 25, 2016 Article Source Author Page Padres want Chargers to stay; being neighbors could be tricky UT San Diego Acee 2 Friar talk: In right, Green trusting Kemp' UT San Diego Sanders 4 Roster rankings: No. 28 Tayron Guerrero UT San Diego Sanders 6 Padres mulling tablesetter options MLB.com Brock 7 Wallace a non-roster success story MLB.com Brock 8 Crank it up: Padres workout features tunes, optimism Associated Press AP 10 Padres manager Green a buzzsaw with a buzzword UT San Diego Acee 12 Padres Green impresses in introductory speech UT San Diego Lin 15 Green fires up Padres with first speech MLB.com Brock 17 Padres insist they re building a great organization USA Today Ortiz 19 1

2 Padres want Chargers to stay; being neighbors could be tricky Baseball team needs to know more about NFL team's plans to build downtown stadium By Kevin Acee 10:34 a.m. Feb. 24, 2016 PEORIA, ARIZ. Padres owners Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler have publicly stated their desire that the Chargers remain in San Diego in the interest of the region maintaining its major-league feel. But the city s football team s plan to build an East Village stadium, announced Tuesday, could cause some hassles for the baseball team that already occupies downtown. And the Padres need clarity. We re friendly with the Chargers and friends with the ownership of the Chargers, Seidler said Wednesday. We ll study the downtown proposal and talk to them privately about it. What we want is what s great for San Diego and also what is best for the Padres. There is every likelihood that is possible with what is being talked about right now. However, the Padres don t know much about what the Chargers are proposing. Speaking on the morning of the Padres' first full-squad workout of spring training, Seidler said he hoped the sides would meet in the coming days and the Padres would get a clearer picture of the Chargers plan. Traffic and accessibility during and after construction is a concern in an area already highly congested on game days. Parking around Petco Park is a challenge, and the proposed stadium and convention a few hundred yards away would eliminate at least one existing parking lot. Too, the Padres do a bustling business staging non-baseball events (concerts, parties and convention gatherings) at Petco Park, to the tune of more than $10 million in 2015 revenue. It s a big part of our business, Padres president Mike Dee said. We ve worked hard to build that. 2

3 While a new NFL stadium downtown would conceivably cut into that business, Dee said: There is inventory coming through San Diego. San Diego is a major market. The city is big enough. Seidler reiterated he s optimistic a Chargers stadium downtown is something the Padres can support. The team is simply in the same situation as many other parties, needing more information. 3

4 Friar talk: In right, Green trusting Kemp s track record Comfort level, improved mobility leading Padres to keep Matt Kemp in right field By Jeff Sanders 10:56 a.m. Feb. 24, 2016 PEORIA, ARIZ. Andy Green is aware of what the metrics might say about Matt Kemp in right field, where a minus-15 defensive runs saved was the lowest among all right fielders and a minus-17.2 ultimate zone rating was the worst among all position players. Whatever there is to make of such calculations those are from fangraphs.com the Padres new manager is trusting improved mobility and Kemp s track record in entrusting the position again to him in This guy is hungry to get better and hungry to improve, Green said. He has a lot of pride and he wants to go out there and prove he does not deserve a label like that. I don't think he deserves a label like that. To that end, Kemp arrived at the Padres spring training complex a week ahead of the reporting date to get a jump on both getting into shape and new positioning tactics with new first base coach Tarrik Brock. Beyond the work he s already been putting in on routes, footwork and positioning, the hope is that a bit more distance from the 2013 surgery on his left ankle will have the 31-year-old outfielder moving around quite a bit more efficiently this season. When you look at Matt, when you look at what he battled through last year, he had very little mobility in his ankle, Green said. He couldn't get out over his ankle, so he wasn't moving around the field like he'd like. The beautiful thing about him is he doesn t make excuses. He just goes out and does his job. That included throwing out 10 runners on the bases, third in the National League. The last time he threw out more 11 in 2011 and 14 in 2009 as a center fielder he won two Gold Gloves. While his range has diminished since those early days with the Dodgers, the Padres prefer to lean on Kemp s right arm and familiarity in Petco Park s expansive right field over a switch to the smaller patch of grass, at least at home, in left field. 4

5 You have to take into account a players' comfort level as well, Green said. He's been on that side of the diamond. He prefers the right side of the diamond. He's more than comfortable over there. He's a guy we trust in right field. THIS AND THAT For the first time, Padres manager Andy Green addressed the entire team. Watch the embedded video for a sense of how he expects the players to take ownership of the on-field product. Lead investor Peter Seidler and Padres president Mike Dee also addressed the team. Asked about the leadoff spot, Green identified 2B Cory Spangenbergand OF Jon Jay as two options in the mix for the job. Spangenberg posted a.333 on-base percentage in his first full season in the majors, while Jay owns a career.354 on-base percentage. Coming back from left wrist surgery limited Jay to 79 games in 2015 with the Cardinals (.210/.306/.257). RHP Kevin Quackenbush (hamstring) is expected to get on a mound by the end of the week, Green said. The other pitchers slowed in camp RHPs Fernando Rodney (hamstring) and LHP Buddy Baumann (back) continue to progress slowly. AROUND THE WATER COOLER Apparently, 16-year-old Cuban phenom Lazaro Armenterosis considering quite a bit as the baseball world awaits his decision to sign with a major league team. His American agent has dropped Lazarito as a client after receiving death threats from his Dominican Republic-based investor, according to FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi. The conflict reportedly stems from the investor s desire to see Armenteros sign as soon as possible over waiting for the next July 2 signing period. The Padres are among the teams hoping to pursue Lazarito later this summer, when several teams will be barred from spending more than $300,000 on a single player due to previous internationalspending overages. From a Wins Above Replacement standpoint, the Padres roster of position players this spring (11.9 WAR coming off the 2014 season) pales in comparison to last year s (5.1 WAR coming off the 2015 season). Here s a breakdown. 5

6 Roster rankings: No. 28 Tayron Guerrero Sizing up the players on the Padres 40-man roster By Jeff Sanders 8 a.m. Feb. 24, 2016 No. 28 Tayron Guerrero Position: Right-handed reliever 2016 Opening Day age: 25 Contract status: Has yet to make major league debut. Key stats: 1-5, 3.05 ERA, 14 saves, 61 Ks, 31 BBs, 1.29 WHIP, 56 IP (48 appearances between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso). Trending: Idle Though Guerrero s command regressed 3.6 walks per nine innings in 2014 to 5.0 last year the 6-foot-9 Colombian remained largely effective as he climbed into the upper rungs of the system. Armed with a fastball that approaches 100 mph and an out-pitch slider, Guerrero fanned 46 batters in 42 1/3 innings in Double-A (2.76 ERA). His ERA, however, jumped by more than a run as he moved into the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, largely because he walked (11) nearly as many batters as he struck out (15) in 13 2/3 innings after his promotion outlook: Holding PCL hitters to a.178 average suggests that Guerrero s command is the only obstacle standing between Guerrero, ranked 16th in the system by Baseball America, and a spot in a big league bullpen. With Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit traded out of town and Brandon Maurer trying his hand in the rotation, Guerrero is among a large contingent of relievers in a wide-open competition for roles. 6

7 Padres mulling tablesetter options Jay, Spangenberg among possibilities to bat leadoff By Corey Brock / 43 minutes ago PEORIA, Ariz. -- Early on in camp, Padres manager Andy Green made the plunge and named, in order, the first three starting pitchers in the rotation. The rest of the major decisions -- like who will hit leadoff -- will have to wait, he said Wednesday. "We're willing [now] to make decisions on half of our starting rotation out of the chute, but the rest can play itself out over spring games," Green said. Green did say that outfielder Jon Jay and second baseman Cory Spangenbergpeg best as guys who can hit at the top of the order. "When you look at candidates to hit at the top of the order, you're looking at a Jon Jay type who has traditionally had a high on-base percentage, you look at what Cory Spangenberg brings to the lineup," Green said. "But I wouldn't limit us to those two options at this time. But those two guys [can] fit up there; left-handed bats with some speed and past history of being able to steal bases." A year ago, the Padres had an unconventional leadoff hitter at the outset of the season in center fielder Wil Myers, who will now slide down into a spot in the order that would be a better fit for him. Jay, who has hit second in the order for most of his career, does already have 500 plate appearances in the leadoff spot, hitting.270/.343/.361. Spangenberg, who has only played in 128 big league games, might be better fit for No. 2 in the order, as he has a.307 average and.383 on-base percentage in 118 plate appearances there. "You're looking for a guy to set the table, get on base and have a productive at-bat," Green said. The Padres didn't have nearly enough production out of the leadoff spot in 2015, as they ranked 13th in the National League in team batting average (.247) and 14th out of 15 teams in on-base percentage (.303). 7

8 Wallace a non-roster success story By Corey Brock / 2:52 PM ET PEORIA, Ariz. -- While the odds generally remain long on making a Major League team as a non-roster invitee, it isn't impossible. The Padres know this about as well as anyone. In recent years, the team has had success with players who were originally inked to Minor League contracts impacting their big league roster. Reliever Dale Thayer (signed in December of 2011), catcher Rene Rivera (2012), and outfielder Chris Denorfia (2009) are examples of players who have done as much after signing Minor League deals. Last season, it was infielder Brett Wallace, who came to Spring Training with few promises -- other than the team would take a good look at him. Wallace, 29, ran with the opportunity after being promoted from Triple-A El Paso on June 19, hitting.302/.374/.521 with the second-most pinch-hits (15) in the big leagues in 64 games. So impressed were the Padres that they gave him a contract for $1 million for 2016, where he'll see time at first base and provide a left-handed bat with power off the bench. Wallace actually started to make an impact in Spring Training a year ago when he hit.391 with one home run and six RBIs, making a push for the 25-man Opening Day roster. When he was sent to El Paso instead, he didn't sulk -- he raked. "It's obviously disappointing anytime you don't make the team. Your goal in the spring is to make the team. But you can't control. When I went to El Paso, I tried to do something every day to prepare so that I was ready," Wallace said. "I didn't want to go down there and sulk and squander away any chance I had." Wallace hit.305/.380/.460 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs in 61 games before he joined the Padres in June. He just kept hitting from there, though in a different role. 8

9 Having been an everyday player for most of his professional career, Wallace took to pinch-hitting right away. "It's definitely something where you need to find your routine," he said. "Coming up through high school, college and the Minor Leagues, you're used to playing all the time. "But you just kind of get comfortable with it [coming off the bench] and just try to prepare daily. It was fine-tuning that early in the day and then late in the game. It was figuring out mid-inning what I was going to do to get my body ready to go. Once I got in the rhythm, I had fun with it. It was fun.... A lot of times you had chances in big situations." Wallace finished second to current teammate Skip Schumaker in pinch-hits, as Schumaker had 19 with the Reds. Schumaker is in camp as a non-roster invitee with a chance of making the roster. 9

10 Crank it up: Padres' first workout features tunes, optimism AP Feb 24, 2016 at 3:35p ET PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) The sights and sounds around the San Diego Padres' first full-squad workout Wednesday morning were much different than a year ago. Gone were many of the big names, all of the high expectations and most of the media attention from In were a rookie manager, lots of questions -- and a 196-song selection playing on speakers all around the complex. ''We have music down on the fields even this year,'' catcher Derek Norris said of the changes implemented by 38-year-old skipper Andy Green. ''He brings an energy, he's energetic, he's positive. He doesn't think about what's the worst that could happen.'' The worst did happen for San Diego in General manager A.J. Preller's offseason spending spree that brought in Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, James Shields and Craig Kimbrel flopped. The Padres, considered contenders, went and longtime manager Bud Black was fired. Now Upton, Kimbrel, Ian Kennedy and Joaquin Benoit are gone and the payroll is lower. The Padres aren't picked to contend in the improved NL West, but they've also resisted a complete rebuild. Kemp, Myers and Shields are still around, and that's no accident. President and CEO Mike Dee said they're not rebuilding, but ''building.'' ''Clearly we had higher expectations than what were realized last year. But there were significant strides made in the organization,'' Dee said. ''There was a lot of interest, I think it's fair to say, in parts of that core group from other teams. But our decision was to stay the course with this major league group and try to improve the team. We believe this is a roster that can compete.'' They've entrusted it to the second-youngest manager in baseball, who faced far fewer reporters than Black did a year ago. Green must find two starting pitchers, work in a new shortstop and center fielder, oversee Myers' shift from the outfield to first base and mesh the veterans with the youth. ''I wouldn't so much say that we're under the radar, but we didn't make a heavy splash as far as the media goes and signing a bunch of high-priced free agents,'' said Norris, another of the 2015 acquisitions. ''People want to get better. People want to make a lot of money. They want to make an All-Star team. They want to go to the postseason. I think that aura that he's trying to instill is positive for this team.'' Players experienced Green's enthusiasm when he addressed the entire team for the first time. 10

11 ''For me, it was about them taking ownership of this club,'' Green said of his speech. ''Them understanding it's been a players' game, it's always been a players' game and always will be a players' game. If we're going to be great, they've got to rise up and lead.'' Players scattered to different fields for the first workout amid music ranging from hip-hop to alternative to classic rock. Speakers and constant music are near every practice field, the clubhouse and weight room. The tunes don't stop even when players walk between the clubhouse and weight room thanks to a speaker on a table placed in the hallway. The players like it, keeping in line with Green's promise to empower them. Tweaks have already been made, with AC/DC and other hard rock now off limits until after 7 a.m. so the coffee can kick in. Managing partner Peter Seidler didn't need any caffeine as he squeezed a baseball in his hand while players stretched in front of him. ''I'm more excited this year than last year, frankly, because we're one more year into Preller's reign of building a great organization at all levels,'' Seidler said of his GM. ''There's a lot of work to do, but there are a lot of great, exciting things to come here.'' NOTES: Green said left-handed hitting OF Jon Jay and 2B Cory Spangenberg are the top candidates to lead off.. Green indicated they'll be cautious with expected closer Fernando Rodney (hamstring) because ''he doesn't need a full spring's worth of outings'' to be ready.. RHP Kevin Quackenbush (hamstring) could throw off the mound by the end of the week. 11

12 Padres manager Green a buzzsaw with a buzzword Rookie skipper is intent on changing franchise s culture of losing By Kevin Acee 3:27 p.m. Feb. 24, 2016 PEORIA, ARIZ. A week-and-a-half before he stood in front of his full team for the first time as a major-league manager and told a room full of players that the bar has been raised here, Andy Green ed his bosses. The Padres needed an area set aside to practice bunting. Just bunting. He was practically incredulous they didn t have one. They have one now. A small thing. One of many Green has already made clear he will piece together into a great thing. Will he? History hints at no. Wisdom requires an acknowledgement that we don t know. The only thing that is clear is that Green is intent on changing a woeful club s culture. The Padres worked out for the first time as a full squad under their rookie manager on Wednesday as a spring training much different than the one here a year ago began in earnest. Gone is the buzz created by the big names. Hovering over this camp is the buzzword proffered by a relatively little man. Culture. It s in every fine detail you do every day, Green said. That might be a bit of a platitude. But not the way Green says it. When the 5-foot-9 former utility infielder speaks, you can t hear the clichés over the passion. Green is here to win now, he says. To that end, and moreover, he s here to lead the building of a winner, to little detail by little detail alter the way a franchise that made its last postseason berth a decade ago thinks and practices and performs. 12

13 At the heart of that effort is that nebulous word. Culture. Andy Green looks at this particular ballclub, and I m sure he s aware what the Padres have done the past X amount of years, that the fans have kind of dwindled away because maybe we haven t played the right kind of baseball, catcher Derek Norris said this week. I think the change of culture is bringing the right fundamental things in and playing the game he right way. Maybe we re not going to be the most talented or highest payroll, but if we do the the little things right and focus on the thing things, we can change the culture and transform this into a winning ball club. Sure, this is similar to what is heard in any sport when a team changes its head coach/manager. Someone got fired because something was wrong, and the new guy must make it right. But this goes deeper. It has to. The Padres have been mostly bad for most of our lives. Yeah, no matter how long you have been around, you ve seen just two World Series appearances and five playoff trips since the Padres came into existence in This team has had a long history of coming up short, Norris said. Suffice it to say, we ve been underwhelming. The Padres won t be assigning Norris to create a promotional campaign, but neither can anyone challenge his veracity. One of the main things is to create a culture around here, and I don t think that has been created before, said pitcher James Shields, who has been on teams in Tampa Bay and Kansas City where expectations were exceeded and partial credit for that was given to a collective ideal. No one denies talent is requisite to thriving over a 162-game season. And it is likely those on the outside forecasting a dismal 2016 for the Padres are correct. But maybe not. And now is not all this is about either. Perhaps it will be a slow build, even if there is nothing gradual about Green s commitment. 13

14 He s not shy about talking about his staff coaching actually teaching hard and clear. For instance, pitchers are not only fielding their position in defensive drills but taking turns at first, second and shortstop in order to experience what those players see and have to accomplish on certain plays. I think Andy is on the right track, pitcher Tyson Ross said. We re going to do all the little things right, have our mindset in the right positon to be working toward winning. That s the bottom line, changing the culture to change this into a winning organization. Green has music playing over speakers in virtually every corner of the Padres facility, including during on-field workouts. The players seem to truly dig it. He told the team Wednesday that baseball is a players game and they were the ones who would determine the group s success. If we re going to be great, they have to lead, Green said. They have to stand up in places they haven t in the past. That s the culture he s creating, one little change at a time. 14

15 Padres Green impresses in introductory speech Rookie big-league manager makes strong impression before first full-squad workout By Dennis Lin 1:40 p.m. Feb. 24, 2016 Updated, 1:44 p.m. PEORIA, ARIZ. Skip Schumaker has played in 11 big-league seasons, won two World Series and spent extensive time around some of the game s more respected managers: Tony La Russa and Mike Matheny in St. Louis, Don Mattingly in Los Angeles, Bryan Price in Cincinnati. In short, Schumaker, a well-regarded veteran now trying to make the Padres opening-day roster as a utility player, has seen a little bit of everything throughout his career. A 15-minute speech from a rookie big-league manager, though, brought a new wrinkle Wednesday. Before the Padres took the field for this spring s first full-squad workout, Andy Green addressed a clubhouse of 62 players as owner Peter Seidler and president and CEO Mike Dee looked on. I ve been through a couple new manager speeches, Schumaker said following Wednedsay s workout. I m not going to compare what theirs were to Andy s, but I will say that that was one of the more inspiring speeches I ve been a part of. He hit home with from the rookie to the veteran, and if you weren t excited about getting started with spring training and the new culture he s bringing, you don t have a pulse. It was something different. Right from the beginning, he knew everybody s name in every department and their title without any sheet of paper. He didn t miss anybody. He knew their title, what they did, how they re going to help us. From the start to finish of that speech, it was incredible. That was the first time in a long time I ve been locked in on a speech and didn t waver. You can ask just about anybody. They d say the same thing. There has been no scientific study linking February speeches to October victories, let alone regular-season success and the Padres have been widely picked to finish fourth in the National League West but there is something to be said for first impressions. 15

16 I think everybody was very impressed by his speaking ability. I think everybody came out of there very motivated, first baseman Wil Myers said....every coach kind of says the same types of things, but Andy was very passionate in what he said. I think he had some things that were different than what I had heard in previous spring trainings. While the exact details of the message stayed inside the clubhouse, the players caught a glimpse of what wowed General Manager A.J. Preller and the Padres ownership in more than 20 hours of interviews. It s hard to walk out of Andy s 15-minute speech and not have a ton of enthusiasm, Seidler said. At one point, Mike (Dee) leaned over to me and said, Look at all the players nodding their heads. For me, it was about them taking ownership of this club and understanding it s a players game, and it s always been a players game, Green told reporters. If we re going to be great, they ve got to rise up and lead and they have to stand up in places they haven t in the past. The bar is being raised, this is how we re raising it. I would love to hear how they receive it in time. Whether Green becomes a winning manager remains to be seen. Wednesday, in a room full of mostly new acquaintances, he at least made a favorable introduction. He doesn t sugarcoat anything, Schumaker said. What he says, he means. For a player, that s huge. In this game, you get a lot of fluff in upper management and people telling you things you want to hear. And he s the opposite of that. He s going to tell you what he thinks and what he feels and what he means. As a player, you want nothing more than that. 16

17 Green fires up Padres with first speech New manager 'very inspiring, very to the point, very honest' in addressing full squad By Corey Brock / 4:41 PM ET PEORIA, Ariz. -- As someone who has spent parts of 11 seasons in the big leagues, Skip Schumaker figured he had heard it all in regards to the first-day speech by a manager. But Schumaker was dead wrong Wednesday, as the speech delivered by Padres first-year manager Andy Green, he said, blew away the room. Green hasn't won a game yet, but during his morning gathering in front of 60 or so players and assorted front-office staff, he certainly won over the room. "I have been through a couple new manager speeches. I'm not going to compare what theirs were to Andy's, but I will say that that was one of the more inspiring speeches I've been a part of," said Schumaker, in camp as a non-roster invitee. "You can ask the big-name guys. He hit home from the rookie to the veteran, and if you weren't excited about getting started with Spring Training and the new culture he's bringing, you don't have a pulse." Green has been working on the parameters of what he wanted to convey to his team for a while, with the structure of the speech coming from many of the six visits he paid to six players in five states over six days in January. The message he delivered touched on optimism, expectations and accountability, with a dash of humility that resonated with players. "For me, it was about them taking ownership of this club and understanding it's a player's game and it's always been a player's game," Green said when asked about his message. "If we're going to be great, they've got to rise up and lead and they have to stand up in places they haven't in the past. The bar is being raised.... This is how we're raising it." 17

18 Schumaker, who sat through a similar first speech by first-year manager Mike Matheny during the spring of 2012, gushed over the inspirational tone Green spoke with and the conviction with which he delivered his message. "It was something different. Right from the beginning, he knew everybody's name in every department and their title without any sheet of paper," said Schumaker, who has played for Tony La Russa, Matheny, Don Mattingly and Bryan Price in his career. "He knew their title, what they did, how they're going to help us. From the start to finish of that speech, it was incredible. That was the first time in a long time I've been locked in on a speech and didn't waver." Green's message resonated with first baseman Wil Myers, who is in his second big league camp with the Padres. He doesn't have nearly the service time Schumaker does, but the message still hit home. "I think that everybody came out of there very motivated. It was something I had never seen before in a head coach; it was very impressive," Myers said. "It was really good, very inspiring, very to the point, very honest." San Diego team president and CEO Mike Dee and lead investor Peter Seidler were in the clubhouse as well for Green's speech. "What made today special, with what Andy said to the team, was the work he did in the offseason, visiting players, getting to know them, what they think, what they want here," Dee said. "It's going to be a lot of empowerment to the guys in the clubhouse. That's his style, and I think it's tremendous." There figure to be more speeches along the way for Green, but nothing likely as substantial and important as the one he delivered on this day. "He doesn't sugarcoat anything. What he says, he means," Schumaker said. "For a player, that's huge. In this game, you get a lot of fluff in upper management and people telling you things you want to hear. "He's the opposite of that. He's going to tell you what he thinks and what he feels and what he means. As a player, you want nothing more than that." 18

19 Padres insist they're building a 'great organization' Jorge L. Ortiz 6:35 p.m. EST February 24, 2016 PEORIA, Ariz. A year ago almost to the day, thesan Diego Padres top brass greeted a large contingent of news media members at the club s spring training facility and spoke enthusiastically about the star-studded team new general managera.j. Preller had assembled in the offseason. The outfield was totally revamped, with Justin Upton, Wil Myers and Matt Kemppromising to add thump to the club s previously feeble offense. There was a new catcher in Derek Norris, and a new staff ace in James Shields. Shortly before the season started, Preller struck again and traded for the game s premier closer, Craig Kimbrel. San Diego managing partner Peter Seidler and president Mike Dee, two of the main participants in that news conference, returned to the same spot outside the team s clubhouse Wednesday, just as the Padres were beginning their first full-squad workout. Only this time the media turnout was much smaller, with only one national outlet present, and the two executives efforts at projecting excitement seemed forced. A turbulent season that included the firing of longtime manager Bud Black had made it clear it would take more than a series of flashy acquisitions to turn the Padres into contenders. Upton and Kimbrel are now elsewhere, and while Kemp, Shields, Myers and Norris remain in place, they didn t do much to improve San Diego s fortunes last season. The Padres finished 10th in the National League in runs scored and 10th in ERA, prompting them to reassess their approach in the offseason. Upton left as a free agent, while Kimbrel was sent to the Boston Red Sox for a package of four minor-leaguers that included high-level prospects Manuel Margotand Javier Guerra, part of an attempt to replenish a farm system that was badly weakened by the previous offseason s trading frenzy. With all the excitement, what was lost is that we are building a great organization, Seidler said. If you go back to a year ago, what A.J. Preller thought is we had a chance to make some trades where we got some good baseball value back. The core of that group Matt Kemp, Shields, Wil Myers and Derek Norris they re still here. They re just not as exciting because they re not new, I suppose. They re exciting to me. In a year when they re hosting the All-Star Game at beautiful Petco Park, the Padres don t want to dampen fan enthusiasm or lower expectations. New manager Andy Green often talks about changing the culture and taking ownership, and club officials refuse to use the term rebuilding to describe what San Diego is undertaking. And clearly, it s by no means the kind of overhaul currently being done by teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. After much offseason trade speculation, the Padres retained starting pitchers Tyson Ross, Shields andandrew Cashner, although their collective record of last season doesn t exactly inspire confidence. Candidates for the other two spots in the rotation include converted reliever Brandon Maurer, Carlos Villanueva and Colin Rea. None pitched as many as 65 major league innings last season. 19

20 The bullpen is undergoing a makeover following the trades of Kimbrel and setup manjoaquin Benoit, along with Maurer s move to the rotation. Veterans Fernando Rodney and Casey Janssen, both coming off rough seasons, are among the experienced candidates for the back end of the bullpen. And while the Padres have upgraded at shortstop by signing Alexei Ramirez, they will be trying to replace left fielder Upton their top home run hitter and second-leading run producer with Jon Jay, a fine defensive outfielder with a total of four homers to his credit over the last two seasons. On paper, at least, San Diego s roster evokes the kind of reaction rubberneckers get from cops clearing the scene of a traffic accident: Move on, nothing to see here. The Padres executives, however, insist their team will put up a fight in the tough NL West. There s nobody in that clubhouse that believes there s rebuilding, taking a step back, Dee said. This is about the here and the now, I can tell you there are guys there who believe in what we re doing and believe in where we re going this year. 20