Padres Press Clips Monday, December 10, 2016

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1 Padres Press Clips Monday, December 10, 2016 Article Source Author Page Padres complete trade for Luis Torrens, send infield prospect to Reds UT San Diego Lin 2 Padres complete trade for Rule 5 pick Torrens MLB.com Cassavell 3 Hoffman s first days as a Padre were rough Padres.com Center 5 1

2 Padres complete trade for Luis Torrens, send infield prospect to Reds Dennis Lin Contact Reporter The Padres on Friday announced they had dealt infielder Josh VanMeter to the Cincinnati Reds as the player to be named later in Thursday s trade for Rule 5 catcher Luis Torrens. VanMeter, 21, was considered one of the Padres top 30 prospects by some scouts. The former fifth-round draft pick reached Double-A last season, hitting.251 with 14 home runs across stints for San Antonio and High Single-A Lake Elsinore. He subsequently played in the Arizona Fall League, hitting.265 with one home run. With experience at second base, third and shortstop, VanMeter projects as a utility player or a bench bat in the majors. Torrens, meanwhile, could be fast-tracked to that level in The Rule 5 draftee must stay on the Padres 25-man roster all season or be offered back to his original organization, the New York Yankees. The Reds on Thursday selected Torrens second overall in the Rule 5 draft and immediately traded him to the Padres. The 20-year-old, who hasn t played above Single-A, is a long shot to stick in the majors, though that didn t deter his acquiring team; the Padres also acquired the first (right-hander Miguel Diaz) and third (shortstop Allen Cordoba) selections in the Rule 5 draft. 2

3 Padres complete trade for Rule 5 pick Torrens Friars send VanMeter, cash to Reds for catcher By A.J. Cassavell / December 9th, 2016 NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- The Padres and Reds have finalized the trade that sent Rule 5 Draft pick Luis Torrens to San Diego -- and the details are quite telling. On Friday, San Diego sent infield prospect Josh VanMeter to Cincinnati as the player to be named in the deal, which netted Torrens -- one of three acquisitions in an eventful Rule 5 Draft. VanMeter isn't a highly touted prospect by any means, but he showed plenty of promise at Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore. His inclusion in the deal would seem to signal that the Padres are confident Torrens will remain at the big league level for the entire season. If he doesn't, Torrens could be offered back to the Yankees, his original club -- meaning the Friars would essentially lose VanMeter for nothing. In eyes of the Padres, who also sent cash to the Reds in the trade, the risk is worth it. "You want to be able to bring in as many catching options as possible," said Padres general manager A.J. Preller. "It's really hard to find catching prospects, so we felt like this was a creative way to try to add one into the system." Torrens, whose selection was pushed by Padres scout Tyler Tufts, has reportedly shown some big-time potential behind the plate -- both with his arm and his pitch-framing abilities. At the plate, he's got work to do, however. And there's some concern that a season in the Majors might slow his development. Torrens missed all of the 2015 season and part of '16 after surgery to repair a torn labrum. He's never recorded more than 227 at-bats in a year, and he could certainly use a full season's worth of playing time. He won't get that in San Diego. But there could very well be room for him on the roster as a third catcher. Austin Hedgesis the presumed starter, and Christian Bethancourt is being groomed to become a super-utility man - - possibly even one who can pitch. Bethancourt's versatility could clear room for Torrens. 3

4 "He's a guy that, overall, has a chance to be a quality receiver, throwing out runners," Preller said. "He can control the strike zone and has a good swing. You're always looking for catching." Indeed, the Padres are still in search of another catcher to provide some depth. But Friday's completion of the trade indicates they're confident the 20-year-old Torrens will be ready for the show in

5 Hoffman's first days as a Padre were rough Performance turned boos into cheers By Bill Center / San Diego Padres December 9th, 2016 Trevor Hoffman didn't receive the warmest of welcomes during his first appearance with the Padres on June 25, In fact, he was booed at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. And he was booed again on June 27 and June 29. Actually, the fans weren't booing Hoffman -- although he struggled in his first three home outings as a Padre -- as much as they were the events that brought him to San Diego. The day before his Padres debut, Hoffman had been acquired from the Florida Marlins along with pitchers Andres Berumen and Jose Martinez for Gary Sheffield and Rich Rodriguez. This was the pinnacle of the Padres' infamous "fire sale." Sheffield had won the National League batting championship in 1992 with a.330 mark and nearly claimed the Triple Crown. In 214 games with the Padres, Sheffield hit 43 homers with 136 RBIs. He was hitting.295 in 1993 when he was traded to the Marlins. One San Diego writer said the return for Sheffield was beans "and not magical ones." Ouch. This was the environment that Trevor and Tracy Hoffman entered. The fans were not happy. And Hoffman met the challenge by "stinking." That is his word. "It wasn't pretty for the whole homestand," Hoffman said recently. "It looked like I never pitched before. The fans were very unhappy -- not so much about me, but not being happy about the trade. And I didn't do anything early to make it better." Hoffman's first outing as a Padre was at home against the Reds. He gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk with a strikeout in an inning. Boo! Second outing two days later: two innings, three hits, one run allowed. Boo! 5

6 Third outing at home another two days later: four runs (three earned) on four hits without retiring a hitter. Boo! "I thought, 'What have we gotten ourselves into?'" Tracy Hoffman said years later, days before her husband became the Major Leagues' all-time leader in saves. "Those first weeks were terrible." "It was tough," Trevor Hoffman said recently. "Everybody wants to be liked and accepted." It didn't get better when the Padres went on the road. After his first nine games as a Padre, Hoffman had a 9.00 ERA. He had allowed 13 runs (11 earned) on 19 hits and eight walks with 13 strikeouts in 11 innings. But Hoffman soon experienced a mental watershed. "First, I had to move past my start in San Diego," he recently said. "Once I got grounded, I felt better and just started concentrating hard on pitching. Those early days in San Diego taught me to not worry about what is being said. The way I played would be my loudest voice." Things quickly began to improve. Over his last 30 appearances of the 1993 season, Hoffman had a 3.12 ERA, giving up 13 runs (11 earned) on 37 hits and 12 walks with 40 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings. By the start of the 1994 season, Hoffman was the Padres' closer. The rest is Hall of Fame-worthy history. 6