2020 Padres season preview: Time to take the next step
The San Diego Padres enter the shortened season with a lot of hype surrounding their club.
New manager Jayce Tinger's lineup will include stalwarts Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer, electric sophomore Fernando Tatis Jr., and new additions Trent Grisham, Jurickson Profar, and Tommy Pham.
General manager A.J. Preller also added to a position of strength by acquiring Drew Pomeranz, Emilio Pagan, Tim Hill, and Pierce Johnson for a bullpen that finished 2019 with the National League's highest WAR.
Padres ownership is expecting a winning product by season's end, which makes the 60-game campaign an important one for a club that hasn't been to the postseason in 14 years.
2020 Breakdown
2019 record: 70-92 (5th in NL West)
Payroll: $150,645,833
Projected record: 30-30 (3rd)
World Series odds: +2500
3-year trend: 2017 (4th); 2018 (5th); 2019 (5th)
Key addition: Tommy Pham
Key subtraction: Hunter Renfroe
Highest projected WAR: Manny Machado (1.7)
X-factor: Garrett Richards
Prospect to watch: MacKenzie Gore
Winter report card: B
Projected Lineup
| Order | Player | Pos. | Proj. WAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | SS | 1.4 |
| 2 | Trent Grisham (L) | CF | 0.7 |
| 3 | Manny Machado | 3B | 1.7 |
| 4 | Tommy Pham | LF | 1.0 |
| 5 | Eric Hosmer (L) | 1B | 0.3 |
| 6 | Wil Myers | RF | 0.2 |
| 7 | Josh Naylor (L) | DH | 0.2 |
| 8 | Jurickson Profar (S) | 2B | 0.5 |
| 9 | Francisco Mejia (S) | C | 0.3 |
Bench
| Player | Position | Proj. WAR |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Hedges | C | 0.6 |
| Ty France | IF | 0.1 |
| Jake Cronenworth (L) | IF/OF | 0.0 |
| Greg Garcia (L) | IF/OF | 0.1 |
| Edward Olivares | OF | 0.0 |
The Padres boast a talented lineup, but in order for it to reach its full potential, Machado and Hosmer will need to improve on the combined 2.7 WAR they provided the club last season. Additionally, Tatis needs to stay on the field, which might be difficult considering his aggressive style of play. Adding a disciplined, no-nonsense veteran like Pham should help both on and off the field. The 32-year-old was an important member of the Rays last year when they went to the postseason.
Rotation
| Pitcher | Throws | Proj. ERA |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Paddack | R | 3.98 |
| Dinelson Lamet | R | 3.88 |
| Garrett Richards | R | 4.02 |
| Zach Davies | R | 5.23 |
| Joey Lucchesi | L | 4.47 |
It appears like the training wheels are off with Paddack after a phenomenal rookie campaign. The Texan looks ready to be the ace of a promising Padres rotation that also includes former Angels ace Richards, who looks healthy for the first time in years. Keep an eye on Lamet, who opened eyes during last season's second half after striking out 98 across 68 frames.
Bullpen
| Pitcher | Throws | Proj. ERA |
|---|---|---|
| Kirby Yates | R | 3.37 |
| Drew Pomeranz | L | 3.56 |
| Emilio Pagan | R | 3.67 |
| Matt Strahm | L | 3.95 |
| Craig Stammen | R | 4.13 |
| Tim Hill | L | 3.58 |
| Pierce Johnson | R | 4.51 |
| Luis Perdomo | R | 4.08 |
| Gerardo Reyes | R | 4.10 |
| Javy A. Guerra | R | 4.68 |
| Cal Quantrill | R | 4.43 |
The Padres enter 2020 with one of the most formidable bullpens in baseball. Yates authored a 1.19 ERA while saving 41 games last year and the newly acquired Pagan was impressive as Tampa's closer (12.3 K/9). Expectations will be high for Pomeranz, who signed a multi-year deal after a successful conversion into a reliever in 2019. Johnson, who was nearly unhittable in Japan, is a wild card.
Key injuries/Absences
| Player | Position | Absence |
|---|---|---|
| Jorge Mateo | IF | Undisclosed |
| Jose Castillo | RP | Strained lat |
| Andres Munoz | RP | Tommy John |
(Projected WAR/ERA source: FanGraphs)