[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Bufkin

This really pisses me off and it shouldn’t. Why the **** do the padres want Eric Hosmer? A terrible team with one good player, who incidentally plays first base. So they pay 100,000,000 for another first baseman, which happens to be the most useless position in baseball.

**** the Padres and their mediocrity. This is James Shields all over again.

See below.

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

If you're wondering why Hosmer is interested in the Padres, and why they're interested in him... it's about their window and how he complements.

They have a lot of good pieces with more coming soon from an elite farm system.

Wil Myers is a good major league player.

Manny Margot (CF) is a dynamic young player. Similar to Cain in his all around skills, but with more power.

Austin Hedges and Hunter Renfroe look like good to above average MLb regulars. Hedges is a plus defensive C with power. Renfroe is a classic RF.

Dinelson Lamet is a young pitcher who can really miss bats and has great stuff.

Brad Hand is an elite bullpen arm.

And then in the minors...

Fernando Tatis Jr is an elite, elite SS prospect. Switch hitter with power who can stick defensively (the Padres somehow got him from the White Sox for James Shielfs).

And the Padres have pitching prospects abound. Michel Baez and Mackenzie Gore are two of my favorite 3-4 pitching prospects in the minors and both have ace stuff and few questions (durability/workload - both very young). Anderson Espinoza was the jewel of the Kimbrel trade and has a huge arm.

And Cal Quantrill leads a quintet of pitching prospects who have less upside but still could be mid-rotation starters in the show.

It all adds up to a team that, with Hosmer still producing at the tail end of his prime, looks to be a legit contender in 2020 and 2021.