Padres should push reset button says Buster Olney

Want to read a depressing article?  Try Buster Olney's latest on ESPN Insider.  Basically he breaks down every exciting trade the Padres made in the offseason and tells us how the team would have been better off if they'd never happened.  Reading it is like the opposite of watching It's a Wonderful Life.

The GM Rockstar, A.J. Preller was our hero last winter, but now I'm reminded of that Indiana Jones bit on Big Bang Theory. The Padres were losers prior to Preller and even with all of his heroics, the team would have lost with or without him, he'll play no role in the season's outcome. Actually maybe that's a bad comparison because Olney thinks the prospects the Padres gave up would have made the Padres better in the near future.

As a Padres fan it's hard to watch as the farm system that seemingly never produced talent might suddenly be blooming as it is traded away.  How is that even possible?  The team has such a strong and consistent track record of failure.  What are the chances that everyone that was traded would suddenly make good?  I watched Cameron Maybin for years, he never played like this.  I'm bitter about that.  Plus, now as Olney points out the team will be burdened by these pricey contracts for years to come.

Olney seems to have a solution though.  The pieces the Padres picked up fortunately still have value, but unfortunately not for the Padres.  If the team admits that their get good quick scheme failed and can sell a fire sale to fans, then they can exchange some pieces for young talent and wait... and wait... and wait until one day they all peak at the same time and make the Padres a great team.

Time for the San Diego Padres to hit the reset button - MLB - Buster Olney Blog - ESPN ($)

The Padres wouldn't have to execute the course shift right away, but the sooner the better, because the expectation among GMs is that by July 20, more and more teams will jump in as sellers, and San Diego's pieces wouldn't look quite so exclusive.

But this is the right thing to do, to get the franchise back onto a more sustainable course.

I frankly don't like either option because undoubtedly once they sell players off they will carry their new teams to glory, then we'll have to read another article about how patient the Padres should have been.  Like I said, depressing.