The team’s total payroll is over $240 million. They are the third most expensive team out of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball, but they are on the verge of missing the postseason. Before attempting to sign Kim, 28, to an extension, critics say the team should take a hard look at itself.
“Before signing more extensions, San Diego needs to address its internal issues,” said the East Village Times, a local San Diego media outlet, on Feb. 30 (KST), adding, “The Padres have been lauded for their big spending spree over the past two years, but with a deeply flawed roster, it’s time to take a step back.
Since February 2021, San Diego has signed seven players to contracts totaling $1.3 billion. The team extended Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 years, $350 million), Manny Machado (11 years, $350 million), Jake Cronenweth (7 years, $80 million), Darvish Yu (6 years, $108 million), Joe Musgrove (5 years, $100 million), Robert Suarez (5 years, $46 million), and signed free agent Xander Bogaerts (11 years, $280 million).
As the outlet notes, “San Diego has Machado, Tatis, and Bogaerts locked up for 10 years through the 2030s. At the time of the signings, it seemed like a smart move to lock up good players for a long time, but things quickly changed after just one season. San Diego’s playoff hopes are all but extinguished. The team has only a 3% chance of making the playoffs. As of the 30th, the Padres are 62-71, in fourth place in the National League West and seventh in the wild card.
The media outlet continued, “San Diego’s inability to get the most out of its players is showing. The player development and analytics departments need to be completely overhauled. “San Diego is behind the times when it comes to utilizing analytics and giving players the best support to succeed in a Padres uniform. There is little preparation or effort to help players. This should be the first thing San Diego looks at.
The article goes on to say, “It’s not uncommon for proven veterans to come to San Diego and underperform. The reason is likely internal to the organization. Compared to other teams like the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Houston Astros, the Padres are far behind in player development and analytics. They also lack a team identity. Firing Bob Melvin and hiring another manager would make him the fifth manager under A.J. Preller. This has been a long-standing problem in San Diego, even before Melvin arrived, and it’s been festering for years,” he said, citing free agent and trade busts like Eric Hosmer, Drew Pomeranz, and Will Myers. Conversely, San Diego traded away Trey Turner and Max Freed, whose potential was realized elsewhere.
The media outlet concluded, “San Diego needs to take a hard look at itself before entering into extension talks with players like Juan Soto and Ha Sung Kim. The top priority this offseason is not to sign another big contract or make a flashy trade. It’s about evaluating how your organization is doing on all fronts. Evaluate your own scouts, including in the minor leagues, and make the necessary changes to the way you develop and prepare players. Signing players to extensions before these improvements are made could be detrimental to the players themselves,” he said, emphasizing the need to improve the organization’s structure before making rash signings.온라인카지노
Furthermore, the media said, “It’s possible that Preller will sign Soto to an extension and the team will turn things around. For that to happen, the analytics and player development programs need to improve under Preller. Otherwise, the same old story of underachievement will repeat itself. If Preller is not willing to do that, owner Peter Siedler will have to find a new coach,” he said, urging Preller to change.