Is San Diego really legit contenders for the pennant?
Since being hired as general manager and executive vice present last August by San Diego, A.J. Preller has taken significant strides to make the Padres a legitimate contender. As they watched fellow National League West rival, the San Francisco Giants complete their task of becoming a dynasty with yet another World Series victory; the Padres quickly adding Matt Kemp, Will Myers and Derek Norris in the winter meetings.
Today, they add another star bat, bringing in silver slugger winner Justin Upton from the Atlanta Braves. The Padres are in dying need of some pitching, but they manage to keep key components of their farm system – one of the major’s best over the last two seasons. With the team having a completely new outfield of sluggers featuring horrific defending capabilities, San Diego legitimately has aspirations of finally become relevant again.
Since 2006, the team hasn’t made the playoffs, and now gains much needed confidence for team morale in just the last 48 hours – to move up from the worst offensive teams. Upton is entering the final season of his contract and is expected to earn $14.5 million this year. Following a 29 homer and 102 RBI season in 2014, those numbers will drastically increase with added depth for their lineup, as skippers look to pick and chose who to pitch to.
