Padres Press Clips Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Transcription

1 Padres Press Clips Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Article Source Author Page Suspension over, Preller has work cut out MLB.com Cassavell 2 Donald Trump once considered purchasing Padres UT San Diego Sanders 4 VanMeter, Maton off to fast starts in Arizona Fall League Padres.com Center 6 1

2 Suspension over, Preller has work cut out By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com SAN DIEGO -- A.J. Preller's 30-day suspension ended on Wednesday, and the Padres general manager returns to duty with a busy offseason on the horizon. In September, Preller was suspended by Major League Baseball as a result of undisclosed medical information in the trade that sent left-hander Drew Pomeranz from the Padres to the Red Sox in July. Preller is returning to an undoubtedly different environment, as the Padres recently parted ways with team president and CEO Mike Dee, who hired Preller in 2014 and largely oversaw Preller's decisions. The Padres are leaning toward a structure in which Preller would report directly to ownership, while the new team president handles the business side. With that in mind, here are the key baseball decisions awaiting Preller and the Padres this offseason: Extending Wil Myers: Both the Padres and Myers have expressed their interest in coming to an extension that would keep Myers in San Diego past the earliest he would be eligible for free agency. The Padres believe Myers could eventually be a veteran piece on a perennial contender. Myers is only 25, meaning he'll still be in his prime when some of the organization's talented prospects arrive on the scene. Filling out the rotation: Injuries have put Tyson Ross, Colin Rea and Jarred Cosart in question for the Opening Day roster. Erik Johnson and Robbie Erlin are question marks for the 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery, and the Padres will likely be in the market for at least two starters -- preferably proven innings eaters. Clayton Richard and Edwin Jackson are free agents and have expressed a desire to return. Preller could look to the open market, which is weak at the top but at least somewhat deep. Developing a plan for Ross: The 29-year-old Ross pitched on Opening Day before missing the remainder of the season with an inflamed right shoulder. He underwent Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery last week, and the Padres are hopeful he will return in Spring Training. Ross is a free agent after the 2017 season, and given his injury, it's doubtful Preller would trade him during the offseason. But it's worth testing the market for Ross, who -- if he returns to form -- could be one of the most sought-after commodities at next year's non-waiver Trade Deadline. Adding some veteran presence: Among Padres under contract for 2017, 30-year-oldBrett Wallace is the only player past his 20s. In many ways, that's a very good thing for the Padres, whose recent youth movement could portend a bright future. Veterans like Jon Jay,Adam Rosales and Carlos Villanueva had strong voices in '16. If Preller decides not to bring those players back, he'll at least be looking for players to fill similar roles. 2

3 Trading a catcher: Presumably, this would be Derek Norris, with the Padres poised to hand the keys to 24-year-old Austin Hedges. After a lackluster 2016 season, Norris' value wouldn't seem to be high. Still, he's the club's likeliest trade candidate entering the offseason. The remainder of the roster is full of young players who are -- presumably -- part of the future. Then again, Preller has never been shy about making offseason trades. 3

4 Donald Trump once considered purchasing Padres Jeff Sanders Contact Reporter Donald Trump, Chairman of the Padres? Before his controversial run for president, before becoming a reality TV star, before he purchased the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, the real estate mogul briefly toyed with purchasing the Padres in the winter of 1986 from then-owner Joan Kroc. Trump was contacted by Padres first baseman Steve Garvey as he was entering the final years of his playing career. He said he was interested, Garvey told the Los Angeles Times. Garvey added: He wondered if he could take the (Padres) franchise and move it back East, because he really wasn t on the West Coast at the time. He said, Gosh, if I had been out there already it would be a great compliment. A postseason hero in the Padres run to the 1984 World Series, Garvey flew to the East Coast to discuss Trump s inclusion in a potential consortium to purchase the club. Trump previously bought the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League a rival league of the NFL that lasted only three years but opted against the Padres as his initial investment in California, Garvey told the LA Times. It would have been interesting, Garvey said. To be a Major League owner and have a presence on the West Coast would have been a great foundation for him out there. Kroc might not have been interested in selling to Trump, either, according to reporting in the San Diego Union in December 1986 that largely dismissed the likes of Trump and 20 th Century Fox investor Marvin Davis as viable suitors: Word is that the baseball establishment considers them unwelcome mavericks a bit too independent and ostentatious to play ball with the rest of the owners. 4

5 Kroc who inherited the Padres when husband Ray died in 1984 ultimately sold the team to Tom Werner and 14 other Southern California-based investors for $75 million in

6 VanMeter, Maton off to fast starts in Arizona Fall League Padres prospects have 3.00 ERA in AFL By Bill Center / MLB.com Right-handed reliever Phil Maton has allowed one baserunner with six strikeouts in his first four innings in the Arizona Fall League while infielder Josh VanMeter is off to a 6-for-15 start with a homer and four RBIs after four games. The 23-year-old Maton, who finished the 2016 season as the playoff closer for Triple-A Pacific Coast League champion El Paso, has allowed one hit with no walks in four scoreless innings for Peoria of the AFL. He has one of Peoria's three wins. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Maton was the Padres 20th-round pick in the 2015 draft. He pitched for three teams during the 2016 regular season - Single-A Fort Wayne, Advanced Single-A Lake Elsinore and El Paso - posting a combined 1.74 earned run average over 51 2/3 innings in 38 appearances. He had 78 strikeouts during the regular season against 11 walks and had a 5-3 win-loss record with 11 saves in 13 chances. In the PCL playoffs, Maton appeared in four games allowing no runs on three hits with five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. He also had four saves. VanMeter, 21, has a.400 batting average, a.500 on-base percentage and a.600 slugging percentage through his first four AFL games. He ranks ninth in the AFL in batting. The second baseman, a fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft, had a combined.251 average between Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio this season. He had a combined 14 homers and 56 RBIs. Franchy Cordero and Michael Gettys are sharing center field for the Javelinas. Cordero, 22, is off to a 4- for-14 with three RBIs. Gettys, who turns 21 Oct. 22, is 4-for-19, with a home run, a steal and three runs scored for the Javelinas. Left-hander Kyle McGrath, 24, has allowed a run on a hit with a strikeout in three AFL innings. Lefthander Brad Wieck, 25, has allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts in two innings. Right-hander Jason Jester has allowed two walks with two strikeouts in two hitless and scoreless innings to earn a save. 6