In his decade managing the Oakland Athletics, Bob Melvin developed a stellar popularity for doing extra with much less.
Now he will get to function with expertise aplenty in his second season with the San Diego Padres after the entrance workplace went on one other spending spree this previous winter. San Diego is biddingto put a dent into the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dominating run within the National League West.
The Padres put their shiny new look on show at house Thursday within the season opener in opposition to the Colorado Rockies.
“Expectations are high and they should be,” Melvin mentioned. “Everyone in the clubhouse knows that.”
Everyone, together with Melvin.
“This is a team with a lot of stars, which I have not had a lot of,” he mentioned. “And it’s a team with a very high payroll, which I have not had a ton of.”
The aim of Padres proprietor Peter Seidler was easy: “I want to give San Diego its first (championship) parade. We want the Padres to be good year in, year out … for a lot of years.”
During the offseason, the Padres prolonged the contract of third-baseman Manny Machado via 2033 and signed free agent shortstop Xander Bogaerts to a 10-year deal. Right-hander Yu Darvish obtained an extension that can take him via the tip of his profession and Joe Musgrove is dedicated to pitching in his hometown for one more 5 seasons.
And then there’s Fernando Tatis Jr., who returns from an 80-game PED suspension on April 20. His contract runs via 2034.
The Rockies’ dedication to splashy roster constructing is spotty at greatest. They signed third baseman Nolan Arenado to an enormous contract then traded him away. Two offseasons in the past, they signed Kris Bryant.
Not solely had been there no huge strikes for the Rockies this offseason, there was a rash accidents in spring coaching to gamers like outfielders Randal Grichuk (sports activities hernia) and Sean Bouchard (biceps), left-hander Lucas Gilbreath (elbow) and most crushing of all, second-baseman Brendan Rodgers (shoulder).
“What the Padres are doing, I don’t 100 percent agree with, though I know that our fans probably agree with it,” Colorado proprietor Dick Monfort mentioned. “We’ll see how it works out. I look at the Padres and they have a really talented team, but they have some holes too. They have spent a lot of money and they will have to spend a lot more if they want to keep (outfielder) Juan Soto. But it does put a lot of pressure on you. Yes, it does.”
Rockies additions embrace right-hander Michael Wacha and utility man Rougned Odor. Former Padre Jurickson Profar was signed late within the spring.
The Padres open the season with the third-highest complete payroll within the main leagues at $237 million, in response to Spotrac, whereas the Rockies are fifteenth at $166.3 million, which is simply above the MLB common.
The Rockies will ship right-hander German Marquez to the mound Thursday, whereas the Padres counter with left-hander Blake Snell.
The 28-year-old Marquez was 9-13 with a 4.95 ERA in 31 begins final season for Rockies. He is 9-3 lifetime in opposition to the Padres with a 4.47 ERA and is 5-2 at Petco Park with a 3.71 ERA, a 1.069 WHIP and an .216 opponents’ batting common over 53 1/3 innings.
Snell is just not the Padres’ first alternative for Opening Day starter, however Darvish wants extra preparation time after pitching lower than anticipated for champion Japan within the World Baseball Classic. Musgrove is not prepared after a left huge toe fracture.
A infamous sluggish starter Snell, 30, closed robust in 2022 and completed 8-10 with a 3.38 ERA.
–Field Level Media