This is interesting to maybe three other people, but you'll have that sometimes. I was over at Baseball Reference checking out all the players who have worn 39, because that's just the sort of thing I do, and the list of 39ers seemed a lot longer than all the other ones. I checked, and 39 is indeed the most frequently issued Padres uniform number. 33 Padres have worn 39 through the years, edging out the 30 who have worn 8.

• Frieri is the team's all-time leader in games played wearing 39, with 103. Florie is second with 95, and Cunnane rounds out the top three with 81.
• Outfielder Jim Williams, first baseman Eddie Miller, catcher George Williams, and infielder Wilson Valdez are the only non-pitchers to wear 39 for the Padres.

Pitcher Kyle Bartsch heads to the Padres in return.

The Royals have made their first trade of the off-season, sending minor league pitcher Kyle Bartsch to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Reymond Fuentes, according to Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star. Fuentes, 23, is a left-handed hitting centerfielder who was drafted in the first round by the Boston Red Sox in 2011. Fuentes was dealt to San Diego as part of the Adrian Gonzalez trade in 2010.

Fuentes hit .294/.363/.416 in 372 plate appearances across AA San Antonio and AAA El Paso, swiping 25 bases in 28 attempts. Fuentes had a fantastic 2013 season, hitting .330/.413/.448, mostly for AA San Antonio. Before this season, John Sickels had given Fuentes a C+ grade, ranking him the 17th best Padres prospect, writing:

I had given up on his bat but he proved me wrong last year, improved contact ability and thrived in Double-A/Triple-A. I wouldn’t expect him to hit .330 again but I think he can be a good fourth outfielder with defensive skills, speed, and occasional offensive contributions.

Fuentes is the cousin of former Royals outfielder Carlos Beltran. He will be added to the 40-man roster.

Kyle Bartsch was a seventh round pick by the Royals in 2013 out of the University of South Alabama. The 23-year old left-hander posted a 2.29 ERA in 55 innings for High A Wilmington with 52 strikeouts and 12 walks, all out of the bullpen.

The Royals pick up Fuentes as a nice depth piece because they had available 40-man roster spots while the Padres did not. Fuentes is still young enough to have some upside, while Bartsch is really organizational filler. Fuentes also has Major League experience, making 36 plate appearances for the Padres in 2013, hitting .152/.222/.152.

The Royals also announced they added SS Orlando Calixte and OF Jorge Bonifacio to the 40-man roster. That brings the total players on the 40-man roster to 38. The deadline to add players to the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 draft is midnight ET tonight.

Outfielder Reymond Fuentes heads back to the American League while Blaine Boyer and Yeison Asensio are DFA.

The Padres have finished making changes on their 40 man roster and one of their latest moves sends outfielder Reymond Fuentes to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for left-handed pitcher Kyle Bartsch.

Fuentes spent 2014 in San Antonio and El Paso batting .294 with 5 HRs and 25 stolen bases in 88 games overall. He made his major league debut with the Padres in 2013 and batted .152 in 36 PA to go along with 16 strikeouts. The Padres acquired Fuentes, along with Anthony Rizzo, Eric Patterson, and Casey Kelly, in the trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox in December 2010. The Padres would have had to protect Fuentes if this trade had not been made.

In exchange for Fuentes, the Padres add Bartsch who spent 2014 in Wilmington with the Royals Single A affiliate. The 23 year old finished the season at 5-5 with a 2.22 ERA to go along with 7 saves in 41 relief appearances. Bartsch was drafted by the Royals in 2013 in the 7th round of the ML draft out of the University of South Alabama.

Quick scouting report on Padres newcomer Kyle Bartsch: low-to-mid-90s fastball w/nice life, curve, slider, change. Could be a decent LOOGY.

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) November 21, 2014

The Padres 40 man roster was finalized with the addition of RHP Tayron Guerrero, INF Taylor Lindsey and OF Alex Dickerson. Blaine Boyer and Yeison Asencio were designated for assignment. The developments surprised Padres reporter Corey Brock in regards to who the Padres did not protect going into the midnight deadline.

#Padres add RHP Tayron Guerrero, OF Alex Dickerson and INF Taylor Lindsey to 40-man roster. Surprised RHP Justin Hancock was not protected.

— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) November 21, 2014

Nonetheless, the 40 man roster is finalized thus ending this step in an offseason in which the Padres seemed primed to make "a big splash".

Well, I never!  I never thought I'd see the day that the Padres put a $90+ million offer out on the table, but apparently that's what has happened.  And for Pablo Sandoval of all people.  I'm still having trouble comprehending the fact that the Padres are in a bidding war with the Red Sox and Giants.  Who do they think they are?  They're not supposed to be in competition for anything right? I mean that's what I grew up believing.  And yet here we are.

Among Red Sox, Giants and Padres - little separation on money being offered to Sandoval - in that 5-year, $90-95m range. Jays wavering..

— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) November 21, 2014

Maybe Pablo Sandoval is the big "splash" that Buster Olney was referring to in his tweet this morning.

Evaluators with other teams believe the Padres are looking to make a big headline-grabbing splash--like signing Yasmani Tomas, for example.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 20, 2014

OR MAYBE the Padres will sign both Sandoval and Yasmany Tomas.  That's not a big splash, that's diving into free agency with the Triple Lindy.

See what progress the Friars, Missions, TinCaps, Storm, and Chihuahuas have made so far.

The Padres organization has been keeping very busy this offseason. Preller is putting the roster into motion, and players from the 40-man and beyond are seeing plenty of practice and rehabilitation.

Cameron Maybin OF - Toros del Este

New .324 AVG, 34 AB, 5 R, 11 H, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 10 SO, 1 SB, .807 OPS

Prev .350 AVG, 20 AB, 1 R, 7 H, 3 2B, 6 SO, .850 OPS

Maybin has only played about 5 games since the last posting. He has done a little bit for the Toros in his limited play time. Three of his four starts in November have seen hits, his best recent game coming off November 10th along with Grandal against the Leones del Escogido. Cam went 1-2 drawing two walks and scoring twice. The night before, Maybin went 1-4 but with a 2-run RBI. Cam has only played 9 games, fewer than any of his Friar-Toros teammates.

Yasmani Grandal C - Toros del Este

New .406 AVG, 32 AB, 3 R, 13 H, 3 2B, 8 RBI, 9 BB, 8 SO, 2 SB 1.024 OPS

Prev .273 AVG, 33 AB, 3 R, 9 H, 5 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 10 BB, 10 SO, 947 OPS

Yasmani's last ten games have been productive and well-rounded. His best game was a week and a half ago against the Leones del Escogido. Yaz went 1-3 drawing 2 walks and smacking an RBI-double, only striking out once. He has been very active and a consistent starting catcher for the Toros, and currently has a 7 game hitting streak. He is currently in the top 10 batting leaders for the winter league.

Tommy Medica 1B - Toros del Este

.148 AVG, 29 AB, 6 R, 3 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 13 SO, .442 OPS

Playing his 10th game since being brought onto the Toros on November 5th, Medica hasn't had a very friendly time at the plate in the Dominican League. His best game, along with Grandal and Maybin, was on the 10th where Tommy went 1-3 with his first home run, 4 RBIs, and two walks.

Rymer Liriano OF - Tigres del Licey

New.321 AVG, 28 AB, 4 R, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 SO, 1 CS

Prev .235 AVG, 34 AB, 2 R, 8 H, 3 RBI, 8 SO, 1 SB, .533 OPS

Liriano has been active for the Tigres in November. He had a big game after the first week of the month against his teammates on the Toros, going 2-4, hitting his first home run of the season, and notching 3 RBIs. On the 19th against the Gigantes he was red hot, going 3-4. The lone Friar-Tiger is seeing plenty of productive playing time, despite going hitless through the second week of November.

Frank Garces LHP -  Toros del Este

Garces has seen 6 appearances in November thus far, and on average he's facing about two batters per appearance. In November he has only given up one walk, and collected 7 strikeouts. He pitched a full inning at the beginning of the month; conceding nothing.

Donn Roach RHP - Gigantes del Cibao

Picked-up-off-waivers as heck, now a Cubbie.

Luis De La Cruz RHP - Estrellas de Oriente

Currently active with his previous appearance on October 25th where he faced 2 batters giving up a run and a hit.

Chris Rearick LHP - Estrellas de Oriente

The Chihuahuan has seen consistant play through the month. His current inning count is up to 6.2, and has collected 7 strikeouts so far (6 this month) and has yet to give up a hit or a walk in November.

Genison Reyes RHP - Estrellas de Oriente

Still hasn't seen play since his last appearance November 2nd where he struck out a guy, but is still listed as active.

Yeison Asencio OF - Estrellas de Oriente

Made one plate appearance on the 8th where he went 0-3 against the Tigres.

Jerry Sullivan RHP  - Aguilas Cibaenas

Activated and seeing a good amount of playing time. In November he has thrown about an inning and a half worth of stuff, striking out five, walking two, and giving up two runs on two hits (one being a home run on his latest game last Sunday where he went 1.1 innings.)

Diego Goris 3B - Aguilas Cibaenas

Hasn't done much with 7 at-bats, going hitless and striking out twice.

Stephen Kohlscheen RHP - Leones del Escogido

This Chihuahua is seeing a lot of play. Averaging at just about an inning a game, this season Kohlscheen is up to 14 strikeouts posting a 3.00 ERA. He has only given up 4 walks and 4 runs on 5 hits, 3 of them earned, collecting 3 saves as well. Definitely the most active arm representing the San Diego organizations.

Jeudy Valdez 2B  - Leones del Escogido

Also gone to the Cubs.

"The filth of Saruman is washing away"

The former first-round pick was a key cog in ex-GM Jed Hoyer's signature Adrian Gonzalez trade.  This was of course before Hoyer's epic heel turn where he betrayed the White Council and aligned with Sauron bolted for a cushy big-market GM job.  Reymond Fuentes is also Carlos Beltran's first cousin, which along with typical Red Sox prospect hype ("he's got a retaahded good swing"), built an expectation for the speedy Puerto Rican that he never quite lived up to.

Like the overly-polished G-body Buick in your neighbor's driveway, Rey Mysterio Fuentes' best asset has always been his wheels.  The former sprinter was never a natural defender in center field, but he has worked hard on plying is craft in center and certainly looked to be at least a passable defender with room to improve.  With very little power and occasionally spotty strike zone management, Fuentes will have to make strides as either a hitter or defender to stick on a big league roster.  Tony Gwynn Jr. was similarly underwhelming as a center fielder at the beginning of his time with the Padres, but he steadily re-invented himself into one of the game's elite defenders - carving out a role as a defensive specialist who hit just enough to be a useful piece on a winning team.

Heading into the offseason Fuentes was probably third on the Padres center field depth chart behind the oft-injured Cam Maybin and the consistently inconsistent Will Venable.  If the Padres had stayed the course there would probably have been some opportunities for Fuentes to get a few at-bats, but not the kind of consistent playing time that would help groom a future everyday player.  It would be nice to have Fuentes riding the shuttle back and forth from AAA as needed in 2015, but two factors make that difficult:

Roster Crunch

Fuentes needed a spot on the 40-man roster in order to be shielded from the Rule V draft.  As a prospect entering his age-24 season and the present ability to fill in as a Major League roleplayer, there is a good chance that a team would have snapped him up and chanced keeping him on their big league roster.  If he develops into a quality big leaguer, the GM who picks him up would be even more smug and annoying than the guy in your fantasy league who has been stashing Josh Gordon all year long.  With the Padres looking to do some major roster reconstruction in the offseason, 40-man slots are currently at a premium.  The Padres need everyday players and it doesn't make sense to pour resources into trying to develop Fuentes as a fourth or fifth outfielder.

The Padres were likely to lose Fuentes to a competitor in the Rule V draft, so getting some return for him via trade is a preferable outcome to letting him go for nothing.

A Fresh Start

When you get involved with a girl things can get serious faster than you think  Before you know it you're leaving sweatpants at her place.  The thing is, your sweatpants can't peacefully coexist with another guy's sweatpants.  Wars have been fought over less.  Fuentes is a relic of a past administration - two GMs ago.  The trade that brought him to San Diego is still a touchy subject for some Padres fans - like the time I asked Andrea to prom and she no-showed which I am totally not bitter about.

Well-run organizations tend to take on the characteristics of their leadership.  While moving peripheral pieces that may never make a big league impact might seem inconsequential, the minor moves and role players that surround an organization are also an important part of a team's makeup.  The best teams and organizations conform to a cohesive philosophy from top to bottom.  An old GM's prize may be a square peg going into a new GM's round hole.

As reported by Grantland, Fuentes is part of one of the longest active transaction trees on any team.

The Return

There isn't much we know yet about Kyle Bartsch.  The 2013 7th round draft pick hasn't put together a huge body of work yet, but his early returns have been encouraging.  The 23 year old lefty reliever has amatuer and professional experience closing ballgames and pitching in high leverage situations.  He shows no major platoon split and his k:bb ratio has been better than 4:1 as a pro.  Though not much of a "prospect" per se (he will be 24 next season and has yet to even taste AA), it will be interesting to watch his development.  Bartsch is a flyer at this point and doesn't represent a tremendous amount of upside, but he told me he would make the majors:

The free agent third baseman will reportedly choose his next team by Thanksgiving.

The free agent sweepstakes for third baseman Pablo Sandoval appear to be coming close to an end. The San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and incumbent San Francisco Giants are all "close" in offers made to him, per multiple reports.

Gustavo Vasquez, Sandoval's agent, told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports that the third baseman has offers in from all three teams and will decide next week.

The Red Sox made a reported offer of five years, $95 million to Sandoval, but the Padres and Giants were said of have "pulled even" with Boston, per Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the Padres made the highest offer, with both Cafardo and Shea noting a sixth year would likely get the deal done.

All Vasquez would confirm to Rosenthal is that offers from the three teams were "close."

Sandoval hit .279/.324/.415 with 16 home runs and 26 doubles in 157 games for the Giants in 2014. He also set a major league record with 26 hits in the postseason, hitting .366/.423/.465 in 17 games in October. San Francisco won its third World Series title in five years, all with Sandoval at third base.

The 28-year-old, signed by San Francisco as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela, is a two-time All-Star and is a career .294/.346/.465 hitter with 106 home runs and 192 doubles in parts of seven seasons. He made $8.25 million in 2014, his final season of arbitration eligibility.

As MLB Awards Season continues, let's take a look at the players and moments nominated for this year's GIBBYs.

The Greatness in Baseball Yearly Awards (GIBBYs) honor major league players and highlights from the past season, as voted on by broadcasters, reporters, front office personnel, past MLB players, SABR members, and fans. The Awards will be presented on December 6th at 5pm PT on MLB Network and MLB.com and voting can be done online here. While 2014 was a generally awful experience for Padres fans, there were sporadic instances of "greatness" - of which three in particular were nominated for GIBBYs.

Category: Closer of the Year
Nominee: Huston Street

Street was sensational in 2014, posting a 1.37 ERA with the Padres and Angels. That mark -- which ranked third among all relievers with at least 50 innings pitched and tops among full-time closers -- helped the veteran stopper save a career-high 41 games.

As stated above and on MLB.com, Huston Street had a brilliant 2014 season. More than half of it was spent in a Padres uniform. Street pitched in 33 games for San Diego while posting a 1.09 ERA and collecting 24 saves in that stretch, up until his last appearance with the team on July 11th.

Category: Play of the Year
Nominee: Chris Nelson's catch in the stands

Chris Nelson showed little regard for his body on a play against the Rockies, tumbling into the stands while snaring a popup off the bat of Charlie Blackmon.

One of the best defensive plays of the season for San Diego (thought it was beat out by Will Venable's catch in D.C. for the SBN Award nominees). As I stated before, I think a lot of credit for this play should be shared with the Padres fans in the stands who helped allow the play to happen rather than selfishly trying to snag themselves a souvenir foul ball.

Category: Oddity
Nominee: Cashner in left field

Andrew Cashner proved to be a team player in an April extra-innings affair, entering the game late as a defensive replacement. The Padres' Opening Day starter spent just one-third of an inning in left field, exiting after one batter as part of a double switch.

Oh, Cash. One of the biggest, if not the biggest, Padres names in recent years. When he's not mowing down batters from the mound; he's either in the dugout being a supportive, if prankish, teammate or helping out the team in any way he can. When Buddy Black put him out in left field for 1/3 of an inning back in April, we all watched and listened in hopes that a ball would come his way and we would get to see his skills as an outfielder. Alas, Tim Stauffer's pitching and defensive prowess saved Cashner from having to do much in that short period of time in left field, but the moment was still a memorable one.

So there you have it. The three Padres nominees for the Greatness in Baseball Yearly Awards: an All-Star pitcher we traded away, a catch by an infielder who spent less than three months with the big league club and then elected for free agency, and a player standing in left field for one out of an inning.

GO PADRES!! (Is it 2015 yet?)

All signs seem to be pointing towards Pablo Sandoval signing a contract with the Boston Red Sox for somewhere in the $100 million for 5 years range.

Sandoval agrees to Red Sox deal, as Boston looks for free agent sweep - CBSSports.com

Sandoval will receive close to $100 million for five years, people familiar with the deal say, following news Hanley Ramirez is close to a deal with Boston, as well. The Red Sox were reported by the Boston Globe to have originally offered $95 million, but they may have gone up a bit from there.

The deal apparently isn't quite done and Sandoval's agent says that the Padres are still contenders but it doesn't look promising from the tweets I'm reading this morning.

Pablo Sandoval appears headed for Boston; Padres can turn attention to Yasmany Tomas | UTSanDiego.com

8:14 a.m.: Asked if the Padres are still in play, Vasquez said, "Yes. Pablo will make his decision today."

With the news still up in the air I'm unsure if I should proclaim that I never liked him anyway or just be excited that the Padres are at least attempting to make a big free agent acquisition.  In truth even if the Padres do sign Sandoval, their rebuilding can't end there.  He's not going to carry this team into playoffs by himself.  The Padres had Chase Headley for years and years and were still incapable of doing much of anything.  Still it'd be one less position you'd have to worry about and focus could be then put on the many other weaknesses.

What other moves are possible now that the third baseman nicknamed Kung Fu Panda has left for the east coast?

The Padres' alleged chase of the former San Francisco Giant, Pablo Sandoval, has come to an end. Supposedly the Padres were one of the final teams being considered and had offered the 3B a contract that was close to what he ended up signing for. If true, the Padres have moved up in the world from being the acquaintance that doesn't get invited to weddings to being the bridesmaid and not the bride. They are still a few more of these away from saying they are "always the bridesmaid and never the bride."

Padres fans aren't used to this kind of disappointment. Typically we feel the lost of players as they reach free agency or get traded. However in this scenario nothing was gained, but nothing was lost. The team is still the team it was before these rumors began. So where do they go from here?

Reports are that the Padres did not have all their eggs in the Pablo Sandoval basket. Even before this disappointment, the Padres reportedly made inquiries on Jason Heyward before he was traded to St. Louis. Similarly there was some kicking of the tires on free agent, and now Chicago White Sox 1B/DH, Adam LaRoche. Of course, they have been connected to Cuban free agent Yasmany Tomas since before the offseason started. There were rumblings about some talks about Reds OF Jay Bruce and Dodgers OF Matt Kemp. More recently there are some rumors about a trade with the Red Sox for Yoennis Cespedes (possibly involving Ian Kennedy) as well as one about some trade exploration with the A's Brandon Moss.

Tomas is interesting because of his youth, promise and mystery. He should attract plenty of their attention up until eventual signing and rightfully so. Bruce and Moss are coming off 2014 seasons that weren't as good as 2013 (and in Bruce's case other previous seasons) and would be buy low candidate. Teams hate to sell low, so it's a tough negotiation for either player unless the selling team is pretty comfortable moving on. Moss fits well since 1B was a void for offense despite it needing to be a position where a team gets the most. Putting Bruce in a corner OF spot muddles up things with Seth Smith, prospects Rymer Liriano and Hunter Renfroe, and potential signing Tomas, but those are things you can work out down the line. Cespedes could also end up in a corner OF spot, but putting him CF would surely upgrade the offense at the position.

In free agency the pickings are getting slimmer. The Padres could upgrade 1B with a signing like Mike Morse, but it not be as big of a bang for the buck as his 2014 numbers would lead you to believe since previous seasons were nearly as good (except for 2012). Kendrys Morales could also work at 1B, but is coming off an awful 2014 after not getting the contract he was looking for. A return to form would be a boost for the Padres. Asdrubal Cabrera is another that could use a return to form, but wasn't nearly as bad as Morales in 2014. The price could be right to attract the former all star. Chase Headley is still available, but whether either party wants to go down that road again is a big question mark. I would have no problem welcoming him back even if it comes with a pretty big raise.

The outfield free agents are almosst all corner guys and come with the same caveats as mentioned above with Bruce. Nelson Cruz and Melky Cabrera also carry the additional cost of losing a first round draft pick if they signed here. The Padres were seemingly willing to do that with Sandoval, so maybe they are still willing. Cruz's 2014 was fantastic, but he'll be 34 and his defense in LF is only slightly better than Carlos Quentin's. At least he doesn't seem likely to get hurt doing it. Cabrera is 3 years younger and offers a possibly similar amount of offense but with far less power. Alexis Rios is another player who is coming off a bad 2014, but has a nice history of providing offensive impact. Colby Rasmus can play CF and his power plays at Petco Park then he could be an upgrade there, but it's pretty risky given that it comes with an all or nothing approach.

Even with a free agent signing "splash" or too there is a pretty good case that the needle wouldn't move enough to impact the 2015 season in a major way. The team has a number of holes and question marks on the offense that aren't all going to addressed. They also have a handful of players that could be interesting if given major league time to prove (or re-prove) themselves. That means giving at bats to retreads like Cameron Maybin, Everth Cabrera and Yonder Alonso. More time to the similarly-aged Yangervis Solarte. And handing out time to Rymer Liriano, Tommy Medica, Cory Spangenberg and eventually Hunter Renfroe. While relying on Jedd Gyorko, Yasami Grandal and Seth Smith to be your core for the time being. It's not sexy, and it will infuriate people who want to see the ownership spend money, but it might help clear things up about where the money needs to be spent. Unfortunately it would come with Ian Kennedy and Joaquin Benoit's time ticking to free agency after 2015 and other pitchers like Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross getting one year closer. Every path is risky. As Buddy Black would say, "That's baseball."

All the rumors over the past week had suggested that the Padres had offered Pablo Sandoval a 5-year contract in the $90-95 million range.  Sources told the UT's Dennis Lin Monday night however, that the Padres actually offered more than the Red Sox and Giants, but their contract offer didn't include a 6th year as an option which is apparently what Sandoval wanted, among other things.

Source: Padres offered over $100M

Sandoval, the top third baseman on the market, declined an unprecedented Padres bid of more than $100 million, according to a source. The offer was for "more than five years," though it was unclear by how much. No option was included.

$100 million! Reading about such a hefty contract offer reminds me of a a time prior to last season when Padres President Mike Dee and his squad met with some of the Padres bloggers for the first time.  He was talking about all the grandiose plans he had for the team.  It was all the same stuff we'd heard before from past leadership and I told him so.  I asked him skeptically what would be different this time around.  As he pushed himself away from the table and started to leave he said in a dismissive way "Because this time we've got money."  It was a both an attack on previous ownership and pure arrogance.  I thought to myself, "wow, this dude is super cocky".  But look at them now, putting their money where their mouth is.  Now they just have to find someone willing to take their money.

Preller commented on his next steps after losing out on Sandoval.

"But you have to be prepared that, at the end of the day, he has other options he may take. We took a good run, and now we have to move on to other options."

Maybe they don't get an award but they get a participation ribbon in my book.  Nice to see that they're at least in the discussion for highly sought after players.

Padres GM A.J. Preller: "We’re not looking to get any awards for pursuing players, just doing our due diligence." http://t.co/OS0zeZxRBy

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) November 25, 2014

New GM of the Padres AJ Preller pulls the trigger on his first trade, sending outfielder Reymond Fuentes to the AL Champs for High-A reliever Kyle Bartsch.

Last Thursday the Royals picked up a former top prospect and first round pick for a left handed bullpen piece, sending Kyle Bartsch to the Padres in exchange for Reymond Fuentes. It may not have received much press at the time due to the 40-man roster crunch, but now looks like a good time to break down the two players involved in AJ Preller's first trade as a General Manager.

OF Reymond Fuentes

Photo courtesy of NJ Baseball

A first round pick in 2009 (28th overall) out of Fernando Callejo High School in Manati, Puerto Rico, Fuentes signed for a cool $1,134,000 bonus with the Boston Red Sox. Cousin of Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran, he was sent to the Padres following the 2010 season in a package including Anthony Rizzo and Casey Kelly for Adrian Gonzalez. He made his major league debut in 2013 for the Padres after hitting .330/.413/.448 between AA and AAA with 35 stolen bases, 25 doubles, six home runs, and 51 walks to 81 punch outs. FanGraphs had him down for a 145 wRC+ and .388 wOBA between the two stops and he went 5-33 in a stint in September with the parent club that didn't inspire much confidence.

This past year he once again split time between AA San Antonio and AAA El Paso, hitting .324/.386/.453 in 194 PA's in AA and .261/.337/.376 through 178 trips to the plate in AAA. All told he made 372 plate appearances with 25 stolen bases, 15 doubles, five homers, five triples, and 33 walks (8.9%) to 64 strike outs (17.2%). He hit a combined .294/.363/.416 with a 116 wRC+ and .354 wOBA, scoring 54 runs with 33 RBI's and was only caught stealing three times. The left handed hitter provided more thump away from home, hitting .297/.363/.456 in 206 plate appearances  while only managing a .290/.362/.366 line at home, but he was 19 for 19 in stolen base chances in El Paso and San Antonio. He was also much better against right handed pitchers than same handed throwers, posting an OPS 151 points better against righties (.805 vs RHP and .654 vs LHP). His game really picked up after a slow start, hitting .355 with a 15:27 BB:K ratio and was 13 for 13 in stolen bases from June 1st until his last game on July 26th when he suffered a leg injury.

Photo courtesy of Bill Center/Padres.MLBlogs.com

Fuentes' main tool is his speed which translates to both sides of the ball. He's a plus runner with good base stealing instincts and excellent range and defense in left field or center field. He doesn't show anything in the power department, probably maxing out at 5-10 homers per year at his peak. Scouts are down on his hit tool, despite posting at least a .315 average his last two trips through the Texas League spanning nearly 600 plate appearances. A red flag there is a .381 BABIP in 2013 and .392 BABIP in 2014 at the AA level. He's a career .302 hitter in 245 AAA plate appearances though with a .310 BABIP in 2014. His arm isn't quite noodle status but it's also not a strong point in his profile, grading out anywhere from fringy to a tick below average. Overall, I believe he could handle holding down either left or center field in a starting role for a team out of contention. Going to the Royals though, Fuentes looks like a 4th outfielder and another speed option on the bench. With limited time spent in AAA, he's most likely to head to Omaha to kick off the 2015 season.

The trade was necessary for the Padres as they had to make a decision on whether they should protect Fuentes from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. By deciding to deal him, its obvious he was not going to make the cut, and they were at least able to get another player in return. After the trade, he was added to Kansas City's 40-man roster.

When John ran through the San Diego system in his book, he had this to say about Fuentes -

I was quite negative about Reymond Fuentes in the ’13 book, writing that while he was a great athlete, "he can’t hit." Ahem. Well he sure made me look bad, hitting .330/.414/.448 combined between San Antonio and Tucson. Texas League observers felt that while he was luckier last year compared to ’12, he also made very genuine improvements, showing much better plate discipline and a sharper, more consistent swing. He did have trouble making contact during a major league trial, but overall his chances appear much better than they did before. Fuentes has a weak arm but is otherwise a very good fielder, excellent in left field and solid in center. He played some right field at San Antonio, which is fine if you don’t mind the arm. My guess is that Fuentes will be something like a .260/.330/.370 hitter, not enough to start for most teams but good enough to hold a roster spot as a defense-oriented reserve and platoon bat. Grade C+.

LHP Kyle Bartsch

Photo courtesy of Alan Dobbins Photography

An unknown in almost all prospect circles, Kyle Bartsch was selected by the Royals in the 7th round of the 2013 draft out of the University of South Alabama, signing for a pittance of $10,000. The 5'10, 210 pound senior sign made 21 appearances out of the Idaho Falls pen after signing, totaling 29.1 innings of relief with 37 strike outs (31.6%), nine walks (7.7%), 20 hits and zero homers, good for a 2.45 ERA, 2.49 FIP, and 0.99 WHIP.  He limited Pioneer League hitters to a measly .190/.250/.305 triple slash with an incredible month of August where he surrendered just five hits in 14.1 innings, walking two with 20 K's.

Going into his age 23 season, the Royals front office decided to push Bartsch up two levels to High A Wilmington where he was more in line age-wise with the rest of the league. He made 41 appearances for the Blue Rocks, putting together a 2.29 ERA and 2.99 FIP in 55 innings with a 1.04 WHIP, 52 strike outs (23.6%), 12 walks (5.5%), 45 hits and three homers allowed. Bartsch tallied seven saves in nine opportunities while also racking up ground balls 47.4% of the time with a 1.85 ground out to fly out ratio. The opposing Carolina League hitters only mustered a .227/.268/.323 line against him with a .275 BABIP and 77.7% strand rate.

Photo courtesy of Jen Nevius

Looking at his splits, you can tell he's harder for left handed hitters to make solid contact off him, with lefties hitting just .213/.258/.262 against him with one extra base hit, a home run. He was also especially lethal once again in the month of August, limiting hitters to a .111/.158/.167 triple slash with 13 strike outs to just two walks, with two doubles and two singles allowed the entire month. Right handed hitters fared slightly better, hitting .234/.272/.350 off him.

The scouting report on Bartsch is pretty simple. He utilized a low 90's fastball with good life that tops out at 94 mph and gets good sinking action in the lower bands. He also works with a pair of breaking balls and a change up. He's got a high 70's curve and low 80's slider that look very similar and each flash potential. The change up is in the 79-81 mph range and is clearly his fourth pitch.

*****

I like this deal for the Royals, taking advantage of a 40-man roster crunch to add a young outfielder that still has potential with a first round pedigree, only costing a relief prospect currently with a LOOGY cieling. If the BABIP gods continue to bless Fuentes and he maxes out he could potentially be a .290-.300 hitter with 10 HR and 20-30 stolen bases and good defense. Bartsch could end up being a useful bullpen piece in a year or so if everything breaks right for him.

Since I'm in a bit of a rush I'll give a little tweet round-up from what's going as of this morning as it pertains to the Padres in the free agent and trade market.

First Yasmany Tomas is still up for grabs and the Braves and Padres are thought to be the front-runners even though the Diamondbacks and Giants are coming on strong.  Maybe a little too strong.

Sources: #DBacks among teams pushing hardest for Tomas, along with #SFGiants, #Padres and #Braves.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 25, 2014

The Padres are playing hard to get by letting their offer sit out there in a take it or leave it fashion, even though we learn now that it's not the highest bid.

Padres shift offseason focus to trade market | padres.com

A source told MLB.com that the Padres have not made the highest current bid for Tomas, who is reportedly seeking a five- to seven-year deal with an annual salary of about $15 million.

Meanwhile the UT's Dennis Lin is hearing that A.J. Prellers life and career may very well depend on whether or not he signs Tomas.  I don't see what the problem is here?  Does he want to be a GM forever? Make the deal!  I remember Paul DePodesta saying that the moment you're hired a as a GM, it's only a matter of time until you're fired.  I think it was DePodesta that said that, could have been Peter Brand.

Have heard the untested Yasmany Tomas talked about as a player who could either boost or sink AJ Preller's GM career.

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) November 26, 2014

Meanwhile if the Padres can't improve their team through free agency then they'll be forced to attempt to improve it through trade.  The Padres' top 3 pitchers have been a topic of trade talks for the last month.  Peter Gammons sees that as a problem since all of them come with their own problems.

Pads problems trading P:Cashner's never made 27 starts, Ross threw 41.2% sliders and had 4.91 Sept ERA, Kennedy FA after '15

— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) November 26, 2014

I was talking to a Padres fan about this a bit in the parking garage yesterday.  Now might be a good time to deal Cashner because he's an injury risk and he feels like a ticking time bomb.  I don't want to see him go, it's just what we were talking about, it'll be a tough decision.  Tyson Ross seems like the guy the Padres should try and hold on to the most even though he did tire toward the end of the season.  Ian Kennedy while he has value as an innings eater a team will only be able to control him for one year before he hits free agency.

While starting pitching is always in demand, now more than ever catching is also in demand and the Padres have depth at that position.  Yasmani Grandal seems the most valuable at this point, although the Padres could sell high on Rene Rivera who just came off a career year.  Austin Hedges' bat seems to have cooled the anticipation of him becoming a superstar, but by all accounts he's defined by his defense.

Sources: #Padres getting "ton of inquiries" on their catchers - Grandal, Rivera and top prospect Austin Hedges. Talks active.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 26, 2014

The Padres still need to sign Korean player Kim, while they have an exclusive window to negotiate with him.  The Padres are procrastinating but promise to get around to it after Thanksgiving.

The Padres are expected to begin negotiations with LHP Kwang-hyun Kim in San Diego after Thanksgiving. Deadline to reach a deal is Dec. 11.

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) November 25, 2014

The Padres have inquired on the Dodgers' Matt Kemp, but they're not the only ones.

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Matt Kemp's name has come up in discussions between the Dodgers and Padres, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

He details that nothing is close, and the talks weren't all that recent as the Padres continue to look at multiple scenarios, but it's possible they may zero in on Kemp in the wake of one of those options (Yasmany Tomas) signing with division rival Arizona. While intra-divisional trades involving a star of Kemp's caliber are fairly rare, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman noted that it makes sense for the two teams to discuss Kemp given that the man who drafted him for LA, Logan White, is now an executive with San Diego. Further complicating any deal between the two NL West clubs, though, is that Boston's signing of Hanley Ramirez leaves Kemp and Puig as the only sources of right-handed power in the Dodgers lineup.

The Padres aren't the only West Coast team inquiring about Kemp, as Heyman also reported that the Marinersare interested in Kemp's right-handed power. While the M's are dead-set on balancing their lineup, it's unclear what their priority is among the five sluggers they've focused on: Kemp, Justin Upton, Evan Gattis, Nelson Cruz and Yoenis Cespedes. Kemp is the priciest of the five when it comes to contract status, as he'll earn $107 million over the next five years. Upton and Cespedes each have one year remaining on their contracts, earning $14.5 million and $10.5 million respectively. Cruz is a free agent, and is requesting a five-year deal, and would also cost Seattle its first-round pick if it signs him. Gattis has four years of team-control remaining, and is set to earn the major league minimum.

It's been a rough year for Padres fans, but we're going to find something to be thankful for, even if we have to scrape the bottom of the barrel.

Before you settle in for a turkey coma tonight, we'd like to take a moment to acknowledge today's supposed purpose: The giving of, um, thanks. We've had more downs than ups this year, but seeing as how we're Padres fans and not Cubs fans, there's still plenty to be thankful for.

A New Scoreboard

We had some really good times with Petco Park's original scoreboard, but technology moves forward at a relentless pace. Our new board will be the third largest in baseball, and the largest in the National League. No longer will we visit other ballparks and have scoreboard envy. No longer will we suffer through dead pixels and off-color panels! There's obviously no guarantee that what we see on the board is any good, but at least it will be in high definition.

Andrew Cashner's Dominance

We didn't see as much of the Camouflaged Crusader as we'd hoped to this year, as he made only 19 starts, but he made the most of them. His two most memorable starts were his one-hit shutout of the Tigers in April and his 129 minute, 2-hit, 92 pitch Maddux against the Phillies in September.

Not Signing Pablo Sandoval

Sure, having a third baseman would be nice, and we'd be thankful if we had signed him, too. But now we don't have to suffer through stupid panda hats or ditching a lousy contract in three years. (Sorry folks, but I don't think I can spin a way to be thankful about not signing Tomas.)

Jerry Coleman and Tony Gwynn

We lost two heroes this year, and I don't know if that will ever stop hurting. But I'm incredibly thankful for them, and every minute of their lives that they so generously shared with us. I'm thankful for every time Jerry told Ted what he did that day, and every time we heard Tony laugh. Thank you, gentlemen, for everything.

You

Not to get all Time Person of the Year 2006 here, but we are thankful for all of you. Well, most of you. Yeah, we see you, guy who voted for Lobshots in CityBeat's Best Of poll. From everybody at Gaslamp Ball, happy Thanksgiving!

While we were all distressed that the Padres lost out on Yasmany Tomas to the Diamondbacks, Padres GM A.J. Preller didn't seem to care so much, which I guess means that after doing his due diligence he didn't come away all that impressed and was unwilling to spend anymore of his budget on him.  That's a good thing if you're the type to blindly trust Preller's evaluations and a bad thing if your evaluations, having never seen Tomas play, were different than the GM's.  Either way the Padres are still in desperate need for mo' better players, that's for sure and for certain.

Padres continue search for offensive upgrade | padres.com

"As we went through the process, we felt comfortable with our evaluation and our offer," said Preller told MLB.com. "There were no surprises at the end. We just weren't able to connect."

When asked how Preller would explain the missed connection to us fans, he rambled on about something or another.

"From a baseball ops standpoint, at the end of the day, you keep moving forward toward deals, both in terms of trades and free agents," he said. "But you need to make sure it lives up in the short and long term. We're going to keep moving forward. But you really can't force anything."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, good, good." would be what I'd be saying about half way through Preller's statement.  Preller isn't much of a communicator.  It's times like these when I miss Jed Hoyer. That dude could sweet talk me off a ledge any day.

Also as a postscript to discussion, Corey Brock learned that the Padres are in no way interested in reclaiming Chase Headley.  Sure they'd be willing to pay a Panda $100 million but a mopey Chase Headley gets squat.  I'm okay with that actually.  We've seen the Padres with Headley for a lot of years and they weren't much good then either.

Kevin Brown is the best player of the current era whose Hall of Fame case may never be properly heard.

Kevin Brown was not a great Yankee. At 39 and 40 in '04 and '05, in the final seasons of his career, he was a band-aid on a rotation that needed sutures. But Kevin Brown was an overwhelming opponent. He was the best pitcher in Texas throughout the early '90s when they were a lousy team, and he was their best pitcher when they won AL West in the strike-shortened '94 season. He pitched Miami to a World Series title in '97. In '98, he took the San Diego Padres from fourth to first. They were steamrolled by one of the greatest teams in baseball history in the World Series, but when the Los Angeles Dodgers made Brown the first $100 million dollar man in baseball history, the Padres fell right back into the basement.

Of the thousands of starters in baseball since 1968, Brown ranks 15th in WAR. For a pitcher many Yankee fans remember as "fragile," Brown pitched over 3200 innings, 25th since '68 (Andy Pettitte ranks 24th all time- 3256 vs 3316) , and Brown cleared 230IP in seven different seasons. Despite playing in the middle of the easiest era to hit home runs in baseball history, Brown's HR/9 is #13 since 1968.

What frustrates me most about Brown's aborted candidacy is that given a different path, he would have been regarded entirely differently. What if he hadn't followed free agency to Baltimore then Florida then Los Angeles? Subconsciously or not, the baseball writers still punish great players for chasing the highest dollar. But why should a player take less than the most he can make? As best I can tell, in the history of modern North American sports, ten franchises have files for bankruptcy, and six of those ten have been in the NHL (the Penguins seem to have done it twice).

But because Brown was a "mercenary," that means he doesn't have a fan base really pulling for him. Kirby Puckett is a Hall of Famer (it seems) because the Twins needed to have a Hall of Famer to represent their championship runs in '87 and '91. Jim Rice is a Hall of Famer (it seems) because a generation of Red Sox fans spent 20 years insisting that he was "the most feared hitter of his era."

In a different context, I always thought Brown could have been beloved by a fan base the way Yankee fans of a certain age will always love Paul O'Neill. Maybe if Brown had stayed in Miami or in San Diego, and had the exact same career that followed - the All Star appearances, the 2000 ERA title, the 1.10 WHIP and the 147 ERA+ from 1999-2003 - maybe the exact same career inspires works like "competitor" and "professional" and "passionate."

It's one things for the fans to have never truly embraced Kevin Brown. I don't look back on the careers of Gary Sheffield or Randy Johnson with any particular nostalgia as a Yankee fan, but as a sports fan, I can recognize their place in baseball history. And that's what the writers should have done. Now we're left to wait and hope that the Veteran's Committee can correct the BBWAA's mistake because Kevin Brown belongs in baseball's Hall of Fame.

Buster Olney gives us news that Yasmani Grandal is being marketed aggressively by the Padres.  Keith Law backed up Olney's tweets saying he too has heard this, which sparked a hilarious list of lay people replying "Me too" on Twitter.  General Manager A.J. Preller has mentioned time and again that the Padres will be open to opportunities to trade from their positions of strength, which in their case leave some catchers and starting pitchers available. Keeping pitchers Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross would be preferable for the Padres says MLB Trade Rumors' Steve Adams:

Padres Marketing Grandal More Aggressively – MLB Trade Rumors

The team doesn’t necessarily need to move him, but it’s possible that the Friars feel Grandal’s value is near its peak due to his strong finish, his remaining team control and the dearth of available catching options. Moving Grandal appears to be be a more palatable option than entertaining offers for controllable arms such as Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner.

I should also note that there were unconfirmed rumors in late August that Grandal was unhappy sharing catching duties and was demanding a trade or release.  Maybe there was something to these rumors and maybe not.  Either way it looks like Grandal will be used as a trade chip to bring in talent at other positions.

Other teams say the Padres have gotten more aggressive in marketing catcher Yasmani Grandal in trade discussions.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 1, 2014

Hearing this too. "@Buster_ESPN: Other teams say the Padres have gotten more aggressive in marketing Yasmani Grandal in trade discussions."

— keithlaw (@keithlaw) December 1, 2014

UPDATE:

Not only are they aggressively marketing Grandal but they are aggressively looking for hitters too.  So aggressive.

Padres said to be aggressively looking for hitters who can help them contend for NL West title immediately.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 1, 2014

Multiple reports have the Friars' catcher on the market. Should the Cubs be interested?

Russell Martin signed with the Blue Jays. You probably heard that. You also probably heard that the Cubs were interested in signing Martin and in any case, are interested in upgrading their catching situation from Welington Castillo, who had a rough season. But with Marin off the market, the list of available catchers is a short one. In the free agent market, the best choices are uninspiring third-tier choices: Geovany Soto (done that) and A.J. Pierzynski (not going to touch that one).

The trade market is a little better, with the Diamondbacks making Miguel Montero available. Al laid out the case for Montero two weeks ago. But the reasons that the Diamondbacks are making Montero available are the very reason that the Cubs would want to shy away from him. He's past 30, his production is declining and he's owed $40 million over the next three seasons.

But a new name has come on the market in the past few weeks.

Other teams say the Padres have gotten more aggressive in marketing catcher Yasmani Grandal in trade discussions.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 1, 2014

Grandal is available because he's lost his starting job in San Diego to the surprisingly good Rene Rivera. Should the Cubs make an offer for Yasmani Grandal? Grandal has a lot of positives. For one, he's only 25, two years younger than Castillo. Grandal doesn't hit for much average, but he draws a lot of walks and has good power. While his career numbers look superficially similar to Castillo's (other than Grandal's better OBP), Grandal put up those numbers at Petco Park rather than at Wrigley. Grandal's career triple-slash line in 216 games is .245/.350/.412, but his numbers away from Petco are .260/.358/.443, which is an impressive line for a catcher in this day and age.

The Cubs were interested in Martin in part because of his pitch framing skills. While accepting that Grandal only caught 76 games last season and small sample size caveats apply, Grandal was better at pitch framing than Martin was last season. According to these stats, Grandal was the eighth-best pitch framer in the majors last season whereas Martin was 10th. (Rene Rivera, the guy Grandal has lost his job to, was fifth-best.)

Grandal was the 12th pick in the 2010 draft by the Reds out of the University of Miami. Coming up through the minors, he was a top 100 prospect who was expected to be a solid hitter with good receiving skills. The Padres acquired him as a part of the Mat Latos trade, although he's never been able to establish himself as the number one guy in San Diego. But at only 25 (26 next season), the upside is still there.

I'm not the only one who thinks that. In an ESPN Insider article, Mike Petriello writes about Grandal as a breakout candidate. He even lists the Cubs as a team that should be interested in Grandal.

There are counter-arguments, of course. For one, Grandal's defense last season wasn't good. He led the league in passed balls with 12 despite only catching 76 games. He only threw out 13% of base runners trying to steal. You can make some excuses for Grandal there. For one, he missed most of 2013 (more on that later) and had to spend a lot of time at first base filling in for the injured Yonder Alonso in 2014. His reputation before last season wasn't that bad.

But then there's this.

Grandal does a few things well but receiving isn't one of them. Pitchers preferred throwing to Rene Rivera.

— keithlaw (@keithlaw) December 1, 2014

Is that something the Cubs could fix? Maybe, although they really haven't been able to fix it with Castillo. But Grandal is younger than Castillo and again, his reputation wasn't bad before last season.

And then there is the 2013 season and the reasons why he barely played. Grandal was suspended for the first 50 games of the 2013 season after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone and was connected to the Biogenesis scandal.

When he returned from suspension, he blew his knee out a month later and missed the rest of the season. He then rushed back to be ready for Opening Day of 2014 as he tried to win his job back. He probably wasn't ready yet and that might explain some of his problems defensively last year. With the knee injury a year farther behind him, it is logical that his offense and defense would improve.

So if the Cubs were interested in getting Grandal, what would it take for the Cubs to land him? The Padres aren't just going to give him away, but he also wouldn't command a top Cubs prospect either. The Padres might take a flyer on a guy in the low-minors with upside (such as Jeferson Mejia), but they would most likely want major league ready talent.

As evidenced by their pursuit of Pablo Sandoval, the Padres need infielders. The good news for the Cubs is that they have a surplus of infield talent. The downside is that the Cubs infield prospects are way too good to part with for Yasmani Grandal. But Luis Valbuena would be a great fit in San Diego and there might be a trade to be made there.

Should the Cubs trade for Grandal? I like him better than their other options at catcher. My biggest concern is whether or not he's enough of an upgrade over Castillo to be worth parting with an important trade chip for. As I said, although you can toss a lot of "buts" in there, Grandal just wasn't a good defensive catcher last season, despite the first-rate pitch framing. And unlike the Padres, the Cubs aren't likely to have first base open if Grandal can't catch.

Still, I like the gamble. Grandal has the kind of upside that a team in the Cubs position should take a chance on. Of course it's going to depend on what it would take to land him, but teams don't win pennants with lots of league average players.  Grandal might bust, but he has a good chance to be at least better than average and maybe even more than that.

Mark Kotsay was named Padres hitting coach. Let that sink in.  A guy with no coaching experience at any level was just named hitting coach for one of the worst hitting team's in baseball.  I hope Bud Black knows what he's doing with this hire.

Padres Name Mark Kotsay Hitting Coach " Friar Wire

"We’re excited to bring Mark on board to our Major League staff," said Black. "Mark’s career as a player, teammate and team leader speaks for itself. His knowledge, work ethic, competitiveness and personality will greatly impact our Major League club as well as our entire organization."

When former hitting coach Phil Plantier was fired GM A.J. Preller described what he was looking for in a new hitting coach.

Padres fire hitting coach Phil Plantier | UTSanDiego.com

He added: "You want someone that you think can connect with hitters and get to their abilities, get them to overachieve, have a plan and vision and get them to institute it."

Not far removed from being a player, Kotsay can surely connect with hitters on some level but as a former teammate can he garner the same respect as an outsider could?  More importantly can he get them to connect with the ball?  That's what I'm worried about.  Without any track record it's really tough to say how he'll do, but I guess we have no choice but to cross our fingers.  I'd have preferred if he started his coaching career in the Padres farm system instead of jumping right into this critical position.  Consider my confidence low and my general outlook to be concerned.

Kotsay: "I'm looking at this as an opportunity to get back into a game I love. Going in a direction where we foresee contending to compete"

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) December 1, 2014