Opening the mailbag 10/29

Welcome to the last October mailbag! As we open up these questions, there were a lot of good discussions. A lot of them pertaining to uniform stuff. I’ll shy away from that conversation and focus on the playing/off-season stuff. I reserve the right to make my judgement until I actually see it...fashion is not my forte.

We had a cameo from an old writing friend asking about current Padres that would make future Cardinals...apparently not satisfied with Jedd Gyorko’s 5.6 fWAR since the 2016. And yes, some of that total is with the Dodgers.

Either way, let’s dive into some other questions and see happens.

With the Padres willing to pay out some big bucks lately, what’s more likely? They spend more money on 1-2 big stars? Or they trade away some of these A-list prospects for someone under control for a couple more years? -Dslaps4dayz

I want to start here because to me this answer is simple. The better options, at least the way I see it, are going to be through the trade market. The Padres could pull of a trade and give away some talented prospects while remaining, relatively, unscathed. Noah Syndergaard will be brought up as the main trade target. Some other names might pop up, but from a money standpoint, it’ll likely be cheaper to go trade route.

The free agent market could bring in Gerrit Cole, but there are so many signs pointing to the Angels for Cole. If I were in the GM chair, I would go after Cole because I would want to keep my job. Other than that, if there is a world where Stephen Strasburg decides to opt out after his team is in the World Series, then many monies would be thrown his way.

To clarify, I think the best options is via trade. There are a couple free agents, well one and one potential, that would warrant money. Something needs to happen to that rotation. And yeah, bats are also an option, but my focus will be on the rotation. That has to be step one.

Is Margot on the way out? Is Jackie Bradley Jr a short term solution in Center Field? -Pr0late

Maybe? I think his days are numbered because of Taylor Trammell, but there certainly aren’t many more chances for Margot. He flashes his skill, for example in July he was worth 132 wRC+. There is a lot to dive into with his numbers, and I will do that on a completely separate occasion, keep an eye out this week for that deep dive.

To answer the question, he could be or he could not be. Trammell is the future at the position and if he picks up in 2020 where he left off in 2019, it won’t be long.

Keep in mind that Margot is still only 25 years old, and will be through next season. It’s really not impossible that the flashes of talent could flourish at any time. Who knows, maybe Jayce Tingler finds something that unlocks the talent on a consistent basis. Don’t give up on this guy yet, at least I’m not.

Can Wil Myers recover his 2016 All Star mojo and hit better than Hosmer? -Codswalloper

This one turned a short conversation that meant the focus should be on Myers, so that is what I’ll do. No Hosmer. Essentially, will Myers turn it around? Let’s take a look at some stuff. First thing I like to look at is the spray charts and since 2016 is the goal then let’s compare.

The top is 2016 and the bottom is 2019. The one major difference, well besides the amount of dots, is that Myers is pulling the ball a lot more. At least having more success doing it. Fangraphs has and 8.2 percent pull increase from 38.3 in 2016 to 46.5 percent in 2019.

What is weird about this is that Myers was essentially the same player in a lot of metrics, if not better. His hard hit percentage and exit velocity were both slightly higher and his barrel percentage was higher by just over four percentage points. Overall, on the surface, there is just one number with a massive change and that is that his strikeout rate was way up over 30 percent for the first time in his career.

There’s a lot to breakdown as far as what Myers looked like and what the numbers say, but as of right now I’ll say that if he can strikeout less he will instantly improve. To what degree, I’m not entirely sure.

Acquiring a top of the rotation starter is likely Preller’s primary pursuit, but lineup balance and an increase in veteran presence are also likely to be integral to any potential playoff run. How do you predict Preller solves these issues? -johnjprecoda

I don’t see a huge need for a veteran bat. That’s what Eric Hosmer can bring, especially come playoff time. Manny Machado can do the same. That doesn’t mean there won’t be something that happens. This is going to be a young team, and that youth should be a big part in bringing this team into October. One more veteran might be a helpful piece, but PLEASE address the rotation.

There were some names listed, but here’s the deal. If there are veterans go for the same prices they did last winter, then life will be all good. Essentially pick your favorite and hope it turns out better than Ian Kinsler.

As for my prediction I will go bold because why not. The veteran bat is a second baseman who will hold the spot until Owen Miller forces himself into the lineup. What happened to Luis Urias, you ask? He is a Met and Thor is Padre.

Thank you!

So many good questions and this seems to grow every week. Look out for some of the unanswered (and answered) questions to turn into long form posts during the week.