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The San Diego Padres and first baseman Wil Myers finalized their agreement on a new six-year contract extension.

The Padres officially announced Myers’ extension will run through 2022 with a team option for 2023.

Jim Bowden of ESPN first reported the new deal last week. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports noted the contract was expected to be worth “more than $80 million.”

Myers, a former top prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, finally started illustrating his high-end potential during a breakout 2016 campaign. The 26-year-old infielder posted a .336 on-base percentage with 28 home runs and 28 stolen bases this past season.

The converted outfielder has handled the transition well, posting a plus-eight defensive runs saved figure in his first full season at first base, according to FanGraphs. His speed also gives the Padres something most teams don’t receive from the traditionally power-heavy position.

The extension doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Myers told Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune coming out of the All-Star break that he was interested in staying put for the long haul:

I love being here. I do really, truly believe that (General Manager) A.J. Preller has a plan for the future, and that’s a big deal when it comes to extension talks. I love everything about (Manager) Andy Green, what he’s done here. I think he’s going to be a great manager. As far as being here long-term, I could see myself doing it. I could see trying to build something here.

It’s a smart move by the Padres based on the first baseman’s talent. He merely scratched the surface of what he’s capable of this season. He has the skill set to become one of the top hitters in the National League over the next few years.

The only real question mark is his health. He’s dealt with a variety of injury issues since breaking into the big leagues with Tampa Bay in 2013. Those setbacks are why it took him so long to back up his strong debut campaign, and they likely played a role in the Rays trading him two years ago.

The Padres have had six consecutive losing seasons, but general manager A.J. Preller made a series of deals last season to greatly improve the farm system with high-end talents like Anderson Espinoza and Manuel Margot. 

Combine the talent making its way through the system with Myers’ natural hitting ability, and when all the pieces converge in San Diego over the next couple of seasons, the Padres will be a serious threat in the National League.

With the new contract in hand, Myers will now hope to leave those injury concerns in the rearview mirror and remain an important cog in the San Diego lineup for the foreseeable future.

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When the San Diego Padres acquired Wil Myers in December 2014, he was a talented, injury-prone enigma. Two years and change later, he has a chance to be a franchise cornerstone.

On Friday, Myers and the Padres agreed to a six-year extension worth “more than $80 million,” per Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. 

The deal buys out three of Myers’ arbitration years and three years of potential free agency and keeps him in San Diego through his 31st birthday. Essentially, the Friars just went all-in on Myers’ prime.

If you’re in a pessimistic mood, Myers has flaws. We’ll highlight them shortly. The Padres, however, haven’t had a winning season since 2010, haven’t tasted the postseason since 2006 and have defined dysfunction under general manager A.J. Preller. 

Let’s start with the positive.

Myers enjoyed his best big league season in 2016, hitting 28 home runs with 28 stolen bases and 94 RBI. He made his first National League All-Star team. He graded out as an excellent defensive first baseman who also has experience at all three outfield spots, per FanGraphs.

It was, by almost any measure, the year Myers boosters had been waiting for since 2013. That’s when Myers won American League Rookie of the Year honors with the Tampa Bay Rays after posting a .911 OPS in the minors and appeared ticketed for stardom.

Now, he belongs to the Pads for the foreseeable future. And, more good news, they appear to have gotten him for below market rate. The ZiPS projection system pegged his value considerably higher than the amount Rosenthal reported, as ESPN.com’s Dan Szymborski noted:

So there’s the glass-half-full take: The Padres inked a special player who appears to be coming into his own for a relative bargain. He can anchor a young core that figures to include top outfield prospects Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe and help usher San Diego back to contention after years in the woods.

After jettisoning veterans such as Matt Kemp, Melvin Upton Jr. and James Shields, the Padres can turn to Myers for leadership, as well.

CBS Sports’ Dayn Perry called it a “sensible” move, which counts as high praise given San Diego’s recent track record. 

Alright, now for the caveats. 

Last season was the first time in his MLB career Myers played more than 100 games. He’s made multiple trips to the disabled list in his brief big league tenure, centered around lingering left wrist issues. In his first season with San Diego, the wonky wrist landed him on the 60-day DL.

Myers played 157 games last season, so you could argue he put much of that behind him. His performance, however, tailed off significantly in the second half:

“I know I’ve been horrendous in the second half,” Myers said in September, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “This is just a learning tool. I’ve not been this bad for this long of time in any level of baseball. It’s just the way it goes sometimes.”

Myers insisted he wasn’t injured. Instead, he suggested, it was merely him getting used to the rigors of a full MLB campaign.

“Being my first full season here in the big leagues and my first full season in three years, you find out what the grind is like,” he said, per Lin.

That’s something to keep an eye on in 2017. If Myers can replicate his 2016 production, though, he’ll be worth every penny of his reported deal.

The Padres are more significant now. With the Chargers moving to Los Angeles, the Pads become San Diego’s only professional sports franchise.

With monopolistic power comes great responsibility. Perhaps Myers can shoulder the load. 

We’re talking about a guy who knocked on the door of a 30/30 season. If his injury issues are in the past and last year’s second-half slide was an issue of conditioning, it’s easy to imagine him getting MVP votes.

Nothing is guaranteed. Pads fans have every right to be skeptical based on recent history. From most angles, though, this looks like a savvy move.

Smile, Friars faithful—you’ve earned that much.

All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.  

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Under normal circumstances, a pitcher coming off a major shoulder procedure who posted an 11.81 ERA in extremely limited action the previous season wouldn’t be a winter head-turner.

These aren’t normal circumstances.

The free-agent shelves are bare, especially in the starting pitcher department. Marquee trade options may require ludicrous expenditures of young talent. 

Enter Tyson Ross. Flawed as he is, he’s a name worth following.

On Friday, the San Diego Padres didn’t tender Ross a contract, making the 29-year-old right-hander a free agent.

Ross underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in October. The recovery time is usually between four and six months, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, which means Ross could be available at the start of the 2017 season if not before.

It’s always a gamble to sink dollars into a player recovering from a debilitating injury, especially a pitcher. Not so long ago, however, Ross was a sizzling hot commodity.

In 2014, he posted a 2.81 ERA with 195 strikeouts in 195.2 innings and made the All-Star team. In 2015, he fanned 212 in 196 innings with a 3.26 ERA.

His name floated through the trade-rumor mill last winter, but the Pads had some justifiably sky-high demands, as CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder noted:

It’s easy to conjure Javier Baez’s breakout performance in the 2016 postseason and scoff at the notion. It shows, however, how high Ross’ stock was soaring.

Coughing up seven earned runs in his only 2016 start—on Opening Day, no less—and eventually going under the knife knocked Ross down several dozen pegs. 

But in a dismal class headlined by 36-year-old Rich Hill followed by a mishmash of middling options such as Jason Hammel, Ivan Nova and Doug Fister, Ross sparkles with high-reward possibility. 

There are high-profile trade candidates such as the Chicago White Sox‘s Chris Sale and Detroit Tigers‘ Justin Verlander, but they’ll cost a trove of prospects.

Ross, on the other hand, won’t take minor league chips and could be had on a shorter-term, incentive-laden deal. 

Other pitchers have returned successfully from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. Jaime Garcia underwent the procedure in 2014 and posted a 2.43 ERA the following season for the St. Louis Cardinals. 

It’s not all sunshine and roses. It’s an uncommon surgery, and the results are often less than stellar, as Nick Lampe of Beyond the Box Score starkly spelled out.

Still, Ross will surely draw attention from a number of clubs, including—but by no means limited to—the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. Phil Rogers of MLB.com said Ross has been “a favorite” of the Chicago Cubs front office for some time.

Even the Friars aren’t slamming the door.

“The interest is there for us,” San Diego general manager A.J. Preller said after the Padres non-tendered Ross, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “We know what kind of competitor he is, what kind of worker he is.” 

The Pads, CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder noted, would likely have had to pay Ross upward of $10 million in arbitration, so any reunion would require a significant cut from that high-water mark. 

More likely, Ross will don a different uniform and become a classic reclamation project.

He’s not a sure thing. He might even be a long shot. He’s a possible diamond in the rubble, however, the type of player we could be looking back on in nine or 10 months while talking about bargains and rebirths. 

The projection systems are bullish, with Steamer foretelling a 3.41 ERA in 181 innings. That’s the stuff of a solid mid-rotation starter.

What if Ross could regain his 2014-15 mojo, though? What if he could transform back into the All-Star who warranted Javy Baez rumors?

Is that probable? No. Possible? You bet.

If you can’t dream in early December, when can you?

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San Diego Padres manager Andy Green said starting pitcher Tyson Ross underwent surgery on Thursday to address symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

He could be ready for spring training.

Continue for updates.

Ross’ Surgery Successful

Thursday, Oct. 13 

The Padres announced Ross underwent successful thoracic outlet surgery on Thursday, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. 

Latest on Ross’ Recovery Time

Wednesday, Oct. 12

Lin noted the surgery typically brings a recovery time of four to six months, hence the possibility that Ross will return by spring training.

Ross made just one start in the 2016 season and allowed seven earned runs in 5.1 innings of work. According to Lin, he was placed on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation shortly thereafter and never made it back to the mound the rest of the year.

He could have been back earlier, but he twisted his ankle while doing exercises in a hotel room in July before an extended bullpen session as he continued his rehab, per Lin. 

This was a pitcher who was expected to be the ace of a pitching staff that once featured Drew Pomeranz and veteran James Shields. But with his inability to stay on the field and Shields and Pomeranz being dealt to the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox, respectively, the Padres’ starting rotation slumped to one of the worst groups in baseball. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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MLB suspended San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller on Thursday for 30 days, per Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported earlier in the day members of San Diego’s front office could face punishment for failing to properly disclose players’ medical information when negotiating trades with other teams.

In a statement on MLB.com, the league cited the July trade that sent pitcher Drew Pomeranz to the Boston Red Sox:

Major League Baseball has completed an investigation into the July 14th transaction in which [Pomeranz] was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox. MLB’s Department of Investigations conducted the thorough review, which included interviews with relevant individuals from both Clubs. The findings were submitted to Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr.

As a result of this matter, Major League Baseball announced today that A.J. Preller, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Padres, has received a 30-day suspension without pay.

MLB considers the matter closed and will have no further comment.

The Padres released the following statements after the announcement:

According to Olney, the Red Sox, along with the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox, complained about potential deception by the Padres.

Olney explained that MLB teams are supposed to log any medical information about a player into the Athlete Health Management System (formerly known as Sutton Medical System). The database is then used by other teams interested in trading for a certain player. The Padres, however, used a separate database in addition to the Sutton Medical System to gain a competitive edge:

The athletic trainers were told to post the details of any disabled-list-related medical situations on MLB’s central system, but they also were instructed to keep the specifics about preventive treatments only on the Padres’ internal notes. One source defined the distinction in this way: If a player was treated for a sore hamstring or shoulder without being placed on the disabled list, that sort of information was to be kept in-house, for use within the organization only.

According to the two sources with direct knowledge of the meetings, the athletic trainers were told that by splitting the medical files into two categories, the Padres would benefit in trade discussions.

After going 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA in 17 starts with San Diego this year, Pomeranz was 2-5 with a 4.60 ERA in 11 starts in Boston entering Thursday. His FIP has also climbed over a full run (4.81) from his half-season with the Padres (3.14), per Baseball-Reference.com.

“Sources within the Boston organization say it wasn’t until after the deal was made that they became aware of some of the preventive measures that had been provided for Pomeranz,” Olney wrote.

Colin Rea is a more clear-cut case of the Padres’ strategy backfiring. San Diego agreed to a deal with the Miami Marlins on July 29, which sent Rea and Andrew Cashner to South Florida. Days later, the Marlins traded Rea back to the Padres in exchange for pitching prospect Luis Castillo.

Rea exited his only start with the Marlins on July 30 with right elbow soreness and hasn’t pitched since.

It’s not a stretch to say Preller’s job could be in jeopardy.

Hardball Talk’s Craig Calcaterra highlighted one potential problem the GM will face going forward:

Preller’s 30-day suspension comes on top of what has been an underwhelming two years with the team.

His initial strategy to turn the Padres into a World Series contender overnight failed, as almost all of his marquee moves were busts. San Diego gave up the farm to add Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, Derek Norris, Matt Kemp, B.J. Upton and Wil Myers.

In return, the team won 74 games in 2015 and had a 62-84 record this year entering Thursday. While Preller bolstered the minor league system by flipping Kimbrel and trading Pomeranz, few teams have a bleaker long-term outlook than San Diego.

If ownership was looking for any more pretext to consider firing Preller, the revelations about the Padres’ trade tactics could be the tipping point that results in his departure.

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The San Diego Padres are in hot water with Major League Baseball because of their lack of medical disclosure regarding players on their roster.

On Thursday, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported Padres officials instructed their athletic trainers to keep two distinct files of medical information for players on the team, with one being used only by the Padres and the other to be used by other big league teams.

As a result of the investigation, Padres general manager A.J. Preller was suspended 30 days without pay, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported there is no further punishment coming for the Padres.

The Padres released the following statements on Thursday:

Olney, citing two sources, reported that “trainers were told in meetings during spring training that the distinction was meant to better position the team for trades.”

Olney noted MLB teams feed their medical information into a central database that protects the privacy of each individual and is accessible to teams when necessary. Each time a player receives treatment in the training room, no matter what it might be, that information is supposed to be filed.

In San Diego, however, Olney noted that “athletic trainers were told to post the details of any disabled-list-related medical situations on MLB’s central system, but they also were instructed to keep the specifics about preventive treatments only on the Padres’ internal notes.”

On Aug. 6, Olney reported MLB was looking into the Padres’ exchange of medical information for their trades with the Miami Marlins and Boston Red Sox. The Padres dealt Drew Pomeranz to Boston on July 14 and Colin Rea to Miami on July 29. 

Per Olney, “Sources within the Boston organization say it wasn’t until after the deal was made that they became aware of some of the preventive measures that had been provided for Pomeranz.”

Rosenthal reported Pomeranz and other players were taking oral medications that were not disclosed by the Padres. 

Meanwhile, Rea made his Marlins debut July 30, throwing 44 pitches in 3.1 innings before being removed with an elbow injury. Miami sent him back to the Padres on Aug. 1—getting minor league pitcher Luis Castillo back in return—and four days later, it was announced Rea would undergo Tommy John surgery and likely miss all of next season. 

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Major League Baseball is taking a closer look at the San Diego Padres following two of their recent trades prior to the August 1 deadline. 

Per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, MLB is looking into the exchange of medical information regarding deals that sent Drew Pomeranz to the Boston Red Sox and a package trade that sent Colin Rea to the Miami Marlins. 

“In response to several unrelated issues that arose during the trade deadline, we are reviewing our policies regarding maintenance of medical files to ensure uniformity between clubs,” an MLB spokesperson said in a statement included in Lin’s report.

Lin also noted a Padres spokesperson had “no comment” on the review being conducted by MLB but added the team “is confident it will be cleared of any alleged wrongdoing.”

Rea made his first start for the Marlins on July 30 against the St. Louis Cardinals but lasted just 3.1 innings due to an elbow injury. He was traded back to the Padres the following day, with Luis Castillo coming to the Marlins after he was included in the original deal.

On Friday, Padres manager Andy Green announced that Rea would undergo Tommy John surgery. Lin said the Marlins asked Rea if he was “taking any medications, presumably for elbow discomfort” and the right-hander admitted he was, which the Marlins said was not disclosed when the original trade happened.

Lin added the Padres’ deal with the Red Sox involving Pomeranz will stand, but “the Red Sox have raised concerns about the exchange of medical information in that deal.”

Lin reported that MLB does not have established “hard-and-fast rules” for governing the exchange of medical records before a trade.

Before any transaction is completed—whether it is a trade or a free-agent signing—teams will go through all of the medical information to ensure players are in peak physical condition.

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San Diego Padres manager Andy Green announced on Friday that starting pitcher Colin Rea will undergo Tommy John surgery.

Continue for updates.

Rea’s Odd Season Ends Early

Friday, Aug. 5

After he started the season with a 5-5 record and 4.98 ERA, the Padres dealt Rea to the Miami Marlins in July. But after Rea suffered an elbow injury just 3.1 innings into his first appearance with the Marlins, Miami returned him to San Diego before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.

He was originally part of a seven-player deal that was headlined by the Padres shipping pitcher Andrew Cashner to the Marlins in late July.

Rea told the media he felt soreness in his elbow before the Padres sent him to the Marlins, but it didn’t alarm him, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com:

Every pitcher kind of goes through some soreness here and there throughout the season. … For me, that’s what it was. It wasn’t anything more. It was something I was able to throw through. It didn’t bother me at all. Then, obviously, in the start on Saturday, it just got a lot worse in those last couple innings to the point where I couldn’t throw anymore.

In a new deal after Rea’s injury, San Diego eventually sent Miami pitching prospect Luis Castillo, a 23-year-old right hander who is playing in Single-A. 

In his first two years in the majors, Rea has been consistently mediocre, posting a 7-7 career record with a 4.69 ERA. He has allowed three or more runs in 13 of his 18 starts with the Padres and won only two games since May 6.

Entering the season as a lower-tier arm in San Diego’s rotation, Rea took on a bigger role after the team traded James Shields to the Chicago White Sox and Drew Pomeranz to the Boston Red Sox. 

San Diego also shipped outfielders Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton Jr. to the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays, respectively, as the team suddenly found itself in a rebuilding phase.

Given that the team saw Rea as a trade chip, the Padres won’t feel his absence much. But at 26 years old, he is young enough to turn things around after the lengthy recovery period that Tommy John surgery usually requires.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Just before the trade deadline, the San Diego Padres dealt the big contract of 31-year-old veteran outfielder Matt Kemp to the Atlanta Braves, ending his short stint with the club. 

On Wednesday, Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler didn’t hold much back when speaking about Kemp’s tenure in San Diego, according to Bryce Miller of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“We made a conscious decision to ship them out because we want people that are prepared to improve,” Fowler said. “If you’re making a lot of money and you think you’re already there, you’re not going to get better.”

In 254 games with the Padres, Kemp batted .264 with 46 home runs and 169 RBI. He was in the fourth and fifth years of the eight-year, $160 million deal he initially signed as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012, via Spotrac.

He hit 23 home runs in 2015 and 23 in 2016 with the Padres and was on pace for a second-straight 100-RBI campaign before they dealt him.

But it wasn’t enough for Fowler, who commented on the letter that Kemp penned for The Players’ Tribune after the trade to Atlanta. He described himself as building “a reputation for being selfish, lazy and a bad teammate.” He did promise his new team’s fanbase that it wouldn’t happen with the Braves, though.

“You saw Kemp’s letter,” Fowler said, per Miller. “Talk about a bunch of b.s.”

Kemp wasn’t the only casualty of the trade market as the team wallowed near the basement of the National League West. The Padres have been the biggest sellers in baseball over the past few months, dealing pitchers James Shields, Fernando Rodney and Drew Pomeranz, along with outfielder Melvin Upton Jr.

In return for Kemp and his former teammates, the Padres largely got prospects, as San Diego looks to be in full rebuild mode. Fowler was frank in explaining why he broke the team up:

I’ll be damned if we’re going to pay high-priced talent to sit on their butts and not perform…I’d like to tell you we’re breaking up the ’98 Yankees, but we’re not. This was a team that underachieved. Let’s get some younger, hungry players in here that you can be proud of that lay it on the line. 

Shields responded to Fowler’s claims about former players, per Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago:

(Fowler and Kemp) have their own deal and he has his own thoughts about him, so I’m not going to comment on that. But one thing I do know is, I hope he’s not putting me in that category as far as not trying. You can ask anybody around the league, let alone in the San Diego organization — I worked my butt off every single day. I prepared myself the way I needed to prepare myself on a daily basis. And I pour my heart out every time I pitch on the mound.

For Padres fans, though, pride could be hard to come by if the winning column remains barren over the next few years, even if the players show an adequate effort that meets Fowler’s standards. 

It’s not like Kemp will have the last laugh with his new team in terms of winning. Entering Thursday night, Atlanta has the worst record in baseball at 38-69. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Just hours after he was dealt from the Atlanta Braves to the San Diego Padres, infielder Hector Olivera was designated for assignment by his new team on Saturday, per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.

The 31-year-old Olivera came to the United States from Cuba in 2015 and has played in just 30 games. He is currently serving an 82-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy that will end on Monday.

Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune added that the DFA will not become official until he gets off of the league’s suspension list on Tuesday. 

The Padres sent veteran right fielder Matt Kemp to the Atlanta Braves, per ESPN.com, as the team was able to shed his big contract. 

Per Lin, Olivera was expected to be designated for assignment upon the deal’s completion as the Padres continue to shed big-name players in order to rebuild the franchise.

Kemp was owed $21.5 million in each of the next three years through the 2019 season as San Diego also dealt $10.5 million to the Braves to help them deal with his big contract. 

San Diego has also parted ways with Fernando Rodney, Melvin Upton Jr, Andrew Cashner, Drew Pomeranz and James Shields this summer.

Olivera though also had a big contract of his own as he signed a six-year, $52.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers before he was dealt to the Braves. Per USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, Olivera is expected to make $25.5 million in the remainder of his deal.

As a player who hit .322 with 96 home runs and 438 RBI in 11 seasons in Cuba, Olivera has failed to live up to the height during his time in the majors. 

In his 30 games over two seasons, he’s batted .245 with two home runs and 13 RBI. 

He began his rehab assignment in July 15 in the minor leagues as he prepared to come back from his suspension, which came after an April 13 arrest outside of a hotel in Washington, D.C., where he was charged with assault and battery of a woman.

Now just days before being eligible to return to the majors, Olivera might have to find a new home to try and get his professional career in the United States on track. 

Contract figures courtesy of Spotrac.com. Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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