Update on Yankees’ Juan Soto trade talks: Teams talking players, but not close on agreement

Talks between the Yankees and the San Diego Padres about a Juan Soto trade have progressed to the point of exchanging names on players, league sources say. San Diego’s initial ask was very high—understandably so—and the teams are not close to an agreement.

The Padres, whose beloved owner, Peter Seidler, died on Nov. 14, are said to be early in their process of figuring out what to do with Soto.

As SNY reported, the Yanks and Padres had a preliminary conversation about Soto early in the offseason. Those talks have continued, per sources.

While the exact names are not known, the Padres are said to be looking at top prospects/rookies like Jasson Dominguez and Anthony Volpe, young major league pitchers in the Michael King/Clarke Schmidt category, and more. That is standard behavior at the beginning of trade talks for a superstar player. It was also standard behavior for the Yankees to say no, but want to keep talking.

Padres hire Mike Shildt as new manager on 2-year deal

The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms with Mike Shildt on a two-year contract to become their new manager, the team announced Tuesday.

Shildt, former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, replaces Bob Melvin, who left San Diego for division rival San Francisco.

Shildt, 55, served as senior adviser for the Padres after the Cardinals surprisingly let him go following the 2021 season, and was seen as the favorite to take over after San Diego granted Melvin permission to talk with the Giants about their job despite having one year remaining on his contract.

Guardians trade Enyel De Los Santos to Padres for Scott Barlow; sign Ramon Laureano to 1-year deal

The Guardians made their second trade of the day on Friday, sending strong-armed reliever Enyel De Los Santos to the Padres for right-hander Scott Barlow.

The also avoided arbitration with outfielder Ramon Laureano, signing him to a one-year deal worth $5.15 million. He was projected to make $4.7 million in arbitration, and can be a free agent after 2024.

Padres owner Peter Seidler dies at 63

SAN DIEGO — Peter Seidler, chairman and owner of the San Diego Padres, died Tuesday at age 63, the team confirmed.

“The Padres organization mourns the passing of our beloved Chairman and owner, Peter Seidler,” Padres CEO Erik Greupner is quoted saying in a news release.

“Today, our love and prayers encircle Peter’s family as they grieve the loss of an extraordinary husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend. Peter was a kind and generous man who was devoted to his wife, children, and extended family. He also consistently exhibited heartfelt compassion for others, especially those less fortunate. His impact on the city of San Diego and the baseball world will be felt for generations. His generous spirit is now firmly embedded in the fabric of the Padres. Although he was our Chairman and owner, Peter was at his core a Padres fan. He will be dearly missed.”

The Athletic: Padres recently took out $50 million loan to help cover payroll: sources

Despite selling more tickets this season than all but one Major League Baseball team, the San Diego Padres took out a loan for about $50 million in September to address short-term cash flow issues and meet their obligations, including player payroll, people briefed on the team’s finances told The Athletic.

MLB teams commonly tap into lines of credit to pay their bills, prompting some officials in the sport to suggest any concern should be tempered because the Padres were ultimately creditworthy enough to draw the loan. But other officials briefed on the team’s finances who were not authorized to speak publicly viewed the Padres’ situation as worrisome.

“The Padres organization continues to have access to all the resources, financial and otherwise, it needs to field a championship caliber team for the fans of San Diego,” Padres CEO Erik Greupner said in a statement. “We established a capital plan for 2023 with our ownership group and lender partners and are operating our business in accordance with that plan.”

Sources: Yankees, Padres have had preliminary Juan Soto conversation

The Yankees have already had one preliminary conversation with the San Diego Padres this offseason about superstar outfielder Juan Soto, league sources say. Talks have not yet progressed beyond that initial check-in.

The Yankees need more offense. They need a left-handed bat. And after missing the playoffs in 2023, they could use a conversation changer. Soto would certainly check all those boxes.

Most pie-in-the-sky, star-studded trade ideas are too complex to actually happen. Fantasy rarely becomes reality. But the fact that the teams have briefly talked makes this a topic worth following, at least tangentially.

The strong expectation of rival executives is that Soto, 25 years old and entering his final season before free agency, would be available in “the right deal,” as one non-Padres and non-Yankees exec put it. That means that San Diego is not actively shopping Soto, but is not ruling out a move, either.

Asked by San Diego reporters earlier this month about Soto’s future, Padres general manager A.J. Preller said that his “first path” would be to extend Soto. Asked about trading him, Preller said, “We’ve never been a group that says no to anything. I wouldn’t read into that. That’s just kind of the way we operate.”

Giants expected to hire Bob Melvin as new manager as veteran leader leaves Padres, per report

The San Francisco Giants will soon announce the hiring of Bob Melvin as their new manager, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Melvin is currently under contract with the San Diego Padres, who granted the Giants permission to speak with him a few days ago.

Melvin, 62 this week, will become the second Padres manager to be hired away by the Giants in the last two decades. The Giants previously plucked Bruce Bochy from San Diego prior to the 2007 season. Bochy later delivered three World Series championships to the Giants organization. The Padres are still seeking their first-ever World Series title.

Melvin has managed in parts of 20 big-league seasons, including stints with the Padres, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Seattle Mariners. He’s amassed a career 51.6% winning percentage with a 16-23 postseason record. Melvin has garnered a reputation for getting the most out of his rosters.

Giants to interview Padres’ Bob Melvin for manager gig after receiving permission, per report

The San Francisco Giants have received permission from the San Diego Padres to interview manager Bob Melvin, according to Dennis Lin and Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. The Giants, who have been on the hunt for a new manager since firing Gabe Kapler late in the season, had to request permission because Melvin remains under contract through 2024.

Padres owner Peter Seidler previously stated his desire was to retain both Melvin and general manager A.J. Preller despite what had been categorized as an “unfixable” relationship between the two. Preller, for his part, had confirmed that Melvin would return for the 2024 season. Now, Melvin’s future in San Diego is once again up in the air.

Per Lin and Baggarly’s report, “Melvin has emerged as the favorite in San Francisco, with league sources indicating that he received assurances he would be a top candidate before he agreed to participate in the interview process.”

Disappointing Padres expected to cut payroll by about 20% to around $200 million for 2024, per report

This offseason also promises to be interesting in San Diego. GM A.J. Preller’s seat figures to be at least a little warm with the team likely to miss the postseason, and changes to the roster are coming. So too, apparently, it a payroll reduction. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres are expected to reduce player payroll by about 20%, to around $200 million in 2024.

Here are more details from the San Diego Union-Tribune:

How much the team is bringing in is not a known number, though one highly placed source says the team has doubled revenue since 2018 and others around baseball marvel at the impressive gains. However, the size of the payroll is known, and it has jumped from $104 million in 2018 to the season-ending figure of around $253 million in ‘23.

In part because they are out of compliance with MLB regulations regarding their debt service ratio, according to multiple sources, the plan is to go into 2024 with player commitments of around $200 million.

The Padres entered this season with a franchise record $248.9 million payroll. Trimming nearly $50 million off payroll in an offseason is extreme, though pricey veterans Josh Hader and Blake Snell will come off the books, as will Drew Pomeranz’s dead money. That said, the Padres will have to replace Hader and Snell this winter. That won’t be easy (or cheap).

Josh Hader discusses reluctance to pitch four outs

Asked for his thinking behind not making himself available for four outs on Monday, or really, at any point down the stretch, Hader said: “It’s the situation that we were at.”

That comment required some clarification and context. Earlier in the season, after the Padres had lost games in which Hader was unavailable, both Hader and manager Bob Melvin indicated that those decisions were made with the big-picture view in mind. They needed a healthy Hader for the stretch run.

And yet, in the season’s final week, in a spot that called for his dominant left arm, Hader wasn’t used. So why not now? What happened to that plan?

“Are we in the playoff race?” Hader asked, rhetorically.

Hader is a pending free agent, set to be the sport’s most sought-after relief arm. He was asked if he made his restrictions with the offseason in mind.

“It has nothing to do with the offseason,” Hader said. “It’s the now, it’s the health, it’s the making it through the entire season—162 games is not an easy task to do. You see guys work overloads, they get injured.”

As Padres’ season spirals, questions emerge about culture, cohesion and chemistry

For whatever else needs to be fixed or tweaked or changed regarding the Padres — and the most important thing would be their best players performing better on the field — there is a belief in the clubhouse that the culture within the team is one that lacks cohesion and a central purpose.

This does not mean players don’t like each other or don’t work hard, those inside say. Multiple players pushed back on suggestions there are deep-seated resentments between them.

The issue, several sources said they believe, is a lack of engagement.

This, according to multiple veterans who have been with the Padres for varying lengths of time and most who have also played for other teams, is largely borne of the team’s best players being on their own programs to some extent. And, in particular, it is the product of there being an outsized presence who commands the room, a man who has shown the ability to carry a team but has not exhibited the ability nor inclination to lift it….

“I think everybody is a leader,” Machado said. “I think we have 26 leaders. I don’t think necessarily one person has to take the lead role. I think baseball is a team sport. It takes everyone.”

Told that there was uniform agreement among several teammates that he is the dominant presence in the clubhouse, Machado did say, “That’s fair.”

Nonprofits Get a Cut of Petco Park Food Proceeds, But One of the Biggest Nonprofits at the Stadium Doesn’t Exist

Many Padres fans don’t even realize when they buy a $10 hot dog or a $20 tall boy: Roughly 10 percent of the take at many stands is supposed to be donated to charity.

Charities staff those concession stands at Petco Park and, in return, they get to keep anywhere from nine to 12 percent of the proceeds for their charity.

A group called Chula Vista Fast Pitch operates more stands than any other charity in the park – netting it potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, according to documents obtained by Voice of San Diego. The only problem is Chula Vista Fast Pitch does not exist.

Chula Vista Fast Pitch doesn’t have a website and it has no permits to use fields in Chula Vista. Official tax and business filings, as well as internet archives, show that such a charity did exist at one time. But it shut down in 2014. (The charity was called “Chula Vista Fastpitch.” Fastpitch, a version of softball, is one word, but the group at Petco spells it out in two words.)

Searches for many different permutations of Chula Vista Fast Pitch online, in business directories and in tax filings returned no current nonprofit organizations.

People familiar with the softball world, including the former founders of Chula Vista Fastpitch, say no one is using that name currently for softball purposes.

And yet, Chula Vista Fast Pitch has been operating in Petco Park for the last nine years. Multiple people familiar with the operation said it was an open secret that the charity doesn’t really exist.

The Padres Have a Complicated Future

As gloomy as the season feels right now, there are still legitimate reasons to think the Padres are a good baseball team. Their 68–54 Pythagorean record is 10 wins above their actual record, and records derived from run differential are more predictive than win-loss record. The projections all still agree there’s a lot to like and similarly have a good record, relatively speaking, of predicting the future. And this holds true even when talking about teams with the largest disagreement between the projections and the record. Looking at the 25 teams that FanGraphs like better than their seasonal winning percentage the most, coin flips missed their rest-of-season winning percentages by an average of 86 points, season to-date records by 81 points, and FanGraphs records by 65 points. Those 25 teams had played .396 ball through August 14 of their seasons; FanGraphs projected a .476 RoS winning percentage, and the actual RoS winning percentage for those teams was .458. We weren’t imagining things.

But the fundamental problem the Padres face is that it’s simply far too late to be the team they hoped they were. Our projections still believe they are a .572 team, but that’s only good enough for a 19% chance of making the postseason with a divisional probability that rounds to zero; the ZiPS projections have it at 15%. While those are still pretty good odds, especially compared to how the season has felt, it’s still far more likely than not that this year ends up being a dark companion to the 2021 season that also ended in stunningly bleak fashion.

And here’s the problem: the Padres project to be worse in the future than they are now. You could say that about most teams, but the Padres are also a team that has a massive amount of payroll already tied up in a declining roster, an unsigned Soto approaching free agency, and probably not a lot of room left to grow in a payroll sense. Complicating things even further is the financial collapse of Bally Sports, as the team has not yet figured out how to replace that revenue. Forbes estimated the Padres lost $53 million in 2022, and things are likely to get worse from there. Peter (Seidler) actually saw a wolf.

Padres’ Nelson Cruz: Designated for assignment

Cruz was designated for assignment by the Padres on Tuesday.

Cruz signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Padres over the winter and was getting fairly regular starts in the DH role, but he has suddenly been dropped from the 40-man roster after ultimately slashing just .245/.283/.399 with five homers and 23 RBI across 49 games. Rougned Odor looks poised for an uptick in playing time as part of the fallout from this move. He is at third base Tuesday with Manny Machado taking a turn as the DH.

Big-Payroll/Small-Market Padres Continue To Perplex

The Padres’ record is now 37-42 following a 9-4 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday night at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. San Diego is 10 ½ games behind the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West standings and 7 ½ games out of a wild-card playoff berth.

It was another frustrating night for a team build to win it all right now. Owner Peter Seidler has pulled out all the stops with the Padres’ $248-million payroll being the third-largest in the major leagues despite them playing in the nation’s 27th-largest media market….

The inconsistency in scoring runs throughout the season is a head scratcher. Tatis heads a star-studded lineup that includes third baseman Manny Machado, left fielder Juan Soto and shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

All are either in their prime or entering it. Yet the Padres’ average of 4.29 runs scored a game is 20th among the 30 major-league teams.

Thus, the Padres are wasting a fine season from their pitching staff, which is fifth in MLB with a 3.76 earned run average.

Matt Waldron to be first MLB knuckleballer since 2021

The Padres, in need of a spot starter Saturday against the Nationals, plan to promote 26-year-old right-hander Matt Waldron—who will become the first regular knuckleballer to pitch in the big leagues since Mickey Jannis did so for the Orioles in 2021.

“It fulfilled the dream I’ve had my whole life,” said Waldron, who joined the Padres’ taxi squad Friday. “... I don’t even know if it’s hit yet.”

Waldron’s callup comes with the Padres planning to skip Michael Wacha’s start while he deals with right shoulder fatigue. Manager Bob Melvin noted the team is confident Wacha will return to the rotation for his next turn.

That left an opening for Waldron, whose arsenal also features a fastball and a slider. He is not a knuckleballer in the mold of, say, Tim Wakefield or R.A. Dickey, righties who relied almost exclusively on the pitch.

But the knuckleball is a primary weapon for Waldron, and his arrival in the big leagues heralds the return of one of baseball’s most whimsical offerings—a pitch that, in recent years, has bordered on extinction.

Ryan Ludwick to join Reds

Puzzling strategy. With Ludwick, Chris Heisey, Drew Stubbs, and Jay Bruce, aren’t the Reds outfielders going to wilt in the hot sun due to their skin color?

Ryan Ludwick and the Cincinnati Reds agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year contract Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday night because the deal was pending a physical and no announcement had been made by the team.

An All-Star in 2008 with St. Louis, the 33-year-old Ludwick was traded from San Diego to Pittsburgh at the July 31 deadline last season. He batted a combined .237 with 13 homers and 75 RBIs.

Ludwick could give the Reds the right-handed bat they’ve been seeking to complement lefty sluggers Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. He figures to see playing time in left field, a spot filled mostly by Chris Heisey down the stretch last season after Cincinnati traded Jonny Gomes to Washington in late July.

TSN: Padres sale held up by questions about limited partners

Here we go again:

Major League Baseball has been embarrassed in recent years by financial debacles surrounding the ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. And baseball is determined to avoid being burned again, Forbes.com reports.

That’s the real reason owners tabled approval of the sale of the San Diego Padres to Jeff Moorad at last week’s owners meetings, the report says. Commissioner Bud Selig is not convinced of the net worth of Moorad’s limited partners and is putting them “under a microscope,” Forbes reports.

MLB Trade Rumors: Bartolo Colon Agrees to Sign With Unknown Team

Bartolo Colon has agreed to a deal with an unknown club reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). The right-hander wouldn’t divulge the team because he has not yet passed his physical.

Pretty sure it’s either the All-Stars or the Champs.

Blasts from the Past

With the Hall of Fame results being announced today, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and dig up some old scouting reports from the Baseball America archives on some of the ballot’s notable candidates. . .

8. Barry Larkin, ss, 21, 5-11, 175, R-R
Larkin looked right at home in AA, hitting .267 for Vermont. He didn’t show power (one home run in 255 at-bats), but that will come. The key for him was just getting his feet on the ground, and he was not overpowered by the high level of competition (21 strikeouts in 255 at-bats). He will have good power for a shortstop.

6. Edgar Martinez, 3b, 25, 5-11, 175, R-R
Martinez’s discipline will produce runs. He’s averaged 70 RBIs the last four years. In the field, he’s solid, with good reactions and the soft hands of a middle infielder.

Cubs acquire Rizzo in trade with Padres

Theo: You’re looking good, Riz.
Rizzo: Eat your heart out.
Theo: And sloppy seconds are my style!

The Cubs acquired first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right-hander Zach Cates from the Padres on Friday, sending right-hander Andrew Cashner and outfielder Kyung-Min Na to San Diego.

The 22-year-old Rizzo batted .331 with a 1.056 OPS, 34 doubles, 26 homers and 101 RBIs in 93 games for Triple-A Tucson last year… Rated the top first-base prospect in the league by MLB.com, Rizzo struggled during his brief time in the Majors last season batting .141 with one home run and nine RBIs in 49 games…

Cates, 22… made his professional debut last year, posting a 4-10 record and 4.73 ERA in 118 innings over 25 starts for Class A Fort Wayne. He struck out nearly a batter an inning and allowed only four home runs on the year.

Cashner, 25, went 2-6 with a 4.29 ERA in 60 big league appearances with the Cubs, including one start, over the last two years….he was limited to just seven outings in the Majors last season due to a right shoulder strain.

Na, 20, hit .268 with 10 doubles and 22 RBIs in 83 games between four different teams in the Cubs’ Minor League system last year.

Fangraphs: Q&A: Bud Black: Pitching at Petco

DL: Should you pitch more to contact in Petco than in other ballparks?

BB: I think that you can, but there are a couple of ways to look at that. You don’t want to lay the ball in there. But I do think that it can help you mentally — knowing that if you throw the ball to certain spots — you can feel good about it. When you’re behind in the count, you can throw to certain spots, as well.

More than anything, if you’re a strike-thrower… that helps you at Petco. If you’re an extreme fly ball pitcher, that helps you at Petco. When the ball gets hit into the air, it hangs up and maybe doesn’t travel as well because of the coastal situation we have — the heaviness of the air. It’s not unlike San Francisco or Dodger Stadium.

Some pitchers might be hurt because they’re fly ball pitchers. That doesn’t apply to us as much because we play 81 games in our park, plus nine more in both San Francisco and Los Angeles.

DL: Do you want fly ball pitchers on your staff, as opposed to guys who tend to keep the ball on the ground?

BB: Not necessarily. It’s whatever a pitcher has results with. It’s simply that a fly ball pitcher isn’t effected as much in Petco as he would be in a place like Cincinnati, Philadelphia or Toronto.

Thanks to Abe.

Padres acquire Carlos Quentin from the White Sox

As Byrnes put it, “We twa hae run about the braes after being hit by a pitch, and pu’d the gowans fine.”

The Padres just announced that they have acquired outfielder Carlos Quentin from the White Sox for prospect right-hander Simon Castro and prospect left-hander Pedro Hernandez.

MLB.com: Reds acquire Latos from Padres

There is a whole lot of talent changing hands here.

The Reds and Padres announced a five-player deal Saturday, as Cincinnati sent right-hander Edinson Volquez and three of its top 10 prospects to the Padres for right-hander Mat Latos.

Along with Volquez, the Padres acquired right-hander Brad Boxberger, infielder Yonder Alonso and catcher Yasmani Grandal. All were recently named among Cincinnati’s top 10 prospects by MLB.com (Alonso second, Grandal fifth and Boxberger sixth).

Kevin Goldstein: Padres Top 11 Prospects

System In 20 Words Or Less: Not star-studded but loaded with depth, as you could jumble numbers one-to-seven in any order and not get a big argument.

Four-Star Prospects
1. Rymer Liriano, OF
2. Robbie Erlin, LHP
3. Jedd Gyorko, 3B
4. Cory Spangenberg, 2B
5. Joe Wieland, RHP
6. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
7. Casey Kelly, RHP
8. Austin Hedges, C
9. Joe Ross, RHP
Three-Star Prospects
10. Keyvius Sampson, RHP
11. Donavan Tate, OF

Nine More:
12. Jaff Decker, OF: Outfielder with power, walks and the athleticism of a beer-league softball player.
13. Reymond Fuentes, OF: Outstanding defender in center with speed; big questions about bat and power.
14. James Darnell, OF: Great year at Double-A, but it was a level repeat and he’s no longer an infielder.
15. Blake Tekotte, OF: Hard not to love for effort; good fourth-outfielder skills.
16. Edinson Rincon, OF: Scouts like the bat, but power is debatable and defense is ugly.
17. Jonathan Galvez, 2B: Gap power and speed, but bad approach and poor defense.
18. Matt Lollis, RHP: Right-handed has the size of a defensive end, but needs to harness his stuff.
19. Adys Portillo, RHP: Progress is disturbingly slow, but upside is still there.
20. Simon Castro, RHP: Has gone backwards from big prospect days, as fastball is only dependable pitch.