It looks...interesting.

I kinda get the same feeling with them that I had with the Braves last year; a ton of intriguing young talent with upside and a deep farm system with enough quality arms to make them pesky all season.

I expected the Braves to eventually peter out and win about 80-85 games last year and it just didn't happen; they kept going to win the division. I think they were out over their skis a little and expected some regression this year before they became annual contenders in 2020. The Padres may be in the same boat; 2 or 3 years away from being really damn dangerous.

And with the addition of Machado, they got their Freddie Freeman sort of young veteran anchor in the middle. They sure would look better without dragging that boat anchor of a contract around in Eric Hosmer, but they'll survive that well enough.

Paddack being more of a #2 starter than the #4 he looked to be would go a long way but he'll need to develop a viable 3rd pitch for that to happen. Gore could be their #1 by then and they have enough high-end arms to come up with a strong middle/back of the rotation. The IF looks set for a long time with Machado, Tatis and Urias and their OFers will eventually settle in. It's hard to say who their top 3 will be but Margot and Reyes are a nice start. I don't think Mejia will stick behind the plate but if he does he's gonna be a nice little offensive catcher for them. If not, I guess you put him in that OF mix as well.

I'm really surprised that Anderson Espinoza hasn't developed much. He looked like a hell of a get from the Bosox (for that shitty lefty they shipped out at the deadline; Pomeranz?). Sure seemed like a long-term top of the rotation starter but he's just spinning his wheels.

That's a fun team to root for though. Lots of long-term talent there.

its ridiculous that they are selling that he is just shaking the rust off. That’s fine and dandy except do that in Memphis. We can’t just give away games and innings while someone gets up to speed.

We are already giving up outs waiting for Fowler to shake the rust off. Still looks lazy in RF going after balls while looking lost in almost every AB. Really pisses me off. It’s way past time to give O’neil a shot at starting regularly.

Maybe we can trade Fowler for a prospect if we pay the $50 million for a team to take a chance in him. He doesn’t want to waive his no trade clause, sit him on the bench. He causes an issue, send him down or release him.

Andrew Miller sucks. Might as well roll out Cecil.

Mo is so ****ing stupid. Keep signing relievers north of 30 to 30 million dollar deals after they've shown obvious signs of decline. Surely it will work out, right?

Does Mo survive another mediocre season? I don’t see how this team wins north of 90 wins. I’m thinking 85 wins.

Thanks Andruw Cecil.

Man. I really thought Miller would bounce back and liked that signing. Looks like he is broken.

I wonder how long the current reliever usage trend will last. Will teams just be cutthroat and burn through those best guys in five years? Or will we go back to a more traditional and conservative usage of them to protect investments?

Mozeliak sure is great at stopping one move short of what he needs to do.

Can’t remember if I used this analogy here, but he reminds me of a project manager I work with... who always projects JUST to what the minimum requirements are, not recommended and definitely without any buffer.

Very Mozeliak-Esque.

He should have been fired with Matheny.

All three of those guys had their worst seasons in a while the year prior to signing.

How much money do you guys think Mozeliak put into Lehman Brothers in September '08?

This team is in full Lamar/Carl mode right now--too many fans keep coming through the turnstiles and ownership has realized how to do just enough to keep them coming in without making the necessary investments or risks to ensure that they have a chance at greatness. They're simultaneously cheap and foolish in their spending. It's amazing.

God, Fowler is just awful

Runners on 1st and 3rd, guy swings through a worse pitch than the one the pitcher doubled on in the next AB to cripple the rally. He and Ozuna single-handedly destroyed an inning where we should have put up 4 with an infield popup and a K.

My favorite part is that the guy is so focused on the game that he ran to 1st base on the dropped third strike. Uh...Dex - 1b is occupied buddy. You can't do that.

I just do not understand why we keep starting that clown against lefthanders when we have O'Neill and Martinez - guys who KILL lefthanded pitching - sitting on the bench. Gotta save those guys for RH power pitchers who will have them fighting uphill the whole AB in the 8th inning.

Just terrible managing from Shildt at this point. Fowler being trash is just to be expected. This is on Shildt for continuing to send him out there to fail.

I said it last year, but Schildt is a clown and proved himself such during September. The post-Matheny streak was due to positive regression and a dead cat bounce, but sure enough the early extension was given out with a near immediate nosedive.

The extension doesn't matter. It's a 2 year deal given to a rookie manager with no negotiating leverage.

If they see a better option come along, they'll throw Shildt over the side and grab him.

Shildt's smart and knows baseball, IMO. He simply lacks the organizational cachet to override team orders. When Moe demands Fowler starts against lefties, it's gonna get done.

I don't mind the extension and I don't think he's overmatched out there. I just don't think he feels like he has the freedom to make the moves that need to be made. I sure hope he starts to feel his oats soon because this Fowler thing (and the Ozuna thing) needs a serious change.