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Sooner than the grime settled on the 2020 MLB alternate minimize-off date, the San Diego Padres had been a legitimate postseason contender.
Now, after a flurry of moves culminating on Monday, the Pads bear a loftier goal: annoying the Los Angeles Dodgers for supremacy in the Nationwide League West—and the Senior Circuit as a complete.
First, to recap. In separate presents with Cleveland, the Kansas Metropolis Royals, Boston Crimson Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners, the Padres added: unbiased correct-hander Mike Clevinger, outfielder Greg Allen, catcher Austin Nola, unbiased correct-hander Austin Adams, unbiased correct-hander Dan Altavilla, unbiased correct-hander Taylor Williams, first baseman/designated hitter Mitch Moreland, catcher Jason Castro, unbiased correct-hander Trevor Rosenthal and a participant to be named.
The Padres surrendered some key objects, including excessive-upside outfield prospect Taylor Trammell, unbiased correct-hander Cal Quantrill, outfielder Edward Olivares and catcher Austin Hedges, amongst others.
On balance, though, they obtained measurably better. Adequate to bear interplay goal on the mighty Dodgers? Perchance.
Coming into play Monday, San Diego sat at 21-15, five games in the lend a hand of L.A. in the NL West but in position for the No. 4 seed in the recent, expanded playoff format.
Of the Padres’ 23 September games, 15 will likely be against the Angels, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and the Mariners, all teams with .500 or worse records. They are going to additionally play a three-sport position against the Dodgers on Sept. 14-16.
It must be every other for San Diego to measure itself against what’s, unless extra analysis, essentially the most easy crew in baseball.
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The Dodgers bear MLB’s most attention-grabbing convey at 26-10. They’ve baseball’s most attention-grabbing flee differential at plus-90. Their pitching team paces both leagues with a 2.76 ERA, and their lineup ranks fourth with an .805 OPS.
By statistics and the eyeball take a look at, they seem to be a deep, harmful and complete crew. So complete, in truth, that they made no main moves on the alternate minimize-off date despite rumors linking them to Texas Rangers unbiased correct-hander Lance Lynn.
With the Dodgers standing pat, the Padres had a gamble to end the outlet—and they took it.
The biggest addition for San Diego changed into Clevinger, who handled controversy and a non permanent demotion in Cleveland after violating the crew’s COVID-19 security protocols and angering teammates.
Now, the 29-year-archaic will get a fresh beginning with the Pads. Clevinger flashed ace-stage stuff and ends in 2019, posting a 2.71 ERA with 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 126 frames. Over 22.2 innings with Cleveland this season, he posted a 3.18 ERA with 21 strikeouts.
He’ll join a team headlined by Dinelson Lamet (2.35 ERA, 12.0 Okay/9), Zach Davies (2.61 ERA, 8.1 Okay/9) and Chris Paddack (4.43 ERA, 8.9 Okay/9). Plus, the Padres managed to retain their high two pitching potentialities, unbiased correct-hander Luis Patino and left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Patino is already in the mammoth leagues, and Gore might additionally soon note.
The Padres additionally shored up a bullpen that lost nearer Kirby Yates to elbow surgical treatment and entered Monday ranked 23rd with a 5.20 ERA. Rosenthal, in enlighten, presents San Diego with a confirmed unhurried-inning arm who posted a 3.29 ERA with seven saves and 21 strikeouts in 13.2 innings for Kansas Metropolis.
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Offensively, San Diego reshuffled its catching corps with the subtraction of Hedges and the additions of Castro and Nola, however the supreme bat it obtained changed into Moreland.
In 22 games with the Crimson Sox, Moreland hit .328 with a 1.177 OPS and eight dwelling runs. He’ll present the Padres with an experienced left-handed vitality possibility who can spell first baseman Eric Hosmer and accumulate reps at designated hitter.
He joins an offense that already ranks No. 1 in OPS (.836) and runs scored (205) thanks to the dynamic duo of shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (13 HR, 1.052 OPS) and third baseman Manny Machado (11 HR, 1.005 OPS), as wisely as a deep supporting forged.
These Padres can hit. They added impression fingers to the rotation and bullpen. With the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, the present leaders in the NL Central and East, and other NL contenders no longer doing virtually as important on the minimize-off date, San Diego now looks to be love the supreme possibility to the Dodgers.
Catching Los Angeles in the division in such a short time will likely be a large repeat. Nevertheless the 2 teams might additionally simply collide in the postseason.
David Zalubowski/Connected Press
The Dodgers bear the brink in postseason expertise as many of the Padres’ young stars such as Tatis bear by no technique been on that stage. And L.A., despite its minimize-off date inaction and the Padres’ myriad moves, doubtlessly aloof has a cramped edge in expertise.
Nevertheless the Padres and fashioned manager A.J. Preller worked laborious to narrow the outlet and position up a attainable Southern California showdown strategy playoff time. Pop your popcorn.
“We knew A.J. might well be aggressive,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told newshounds. “We stay up for playing them in September and, who is conscious of, possibly October.”
San Diego changed into a postseason contender outdated to it made a single alternate. Now, the Dodgers are listening to footsteps.
All statistics present as of Monday and courtesy of Baseball Reference.
