Padres Press Clips Wednesday, January 12, 2016

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Padres add LHP Buchter to 40-man roster UT San Diego Lin 2

Friar talk: Hoffman’s path to enshrinement UT San Diego Sanders 4

Updated Padres dates UT San Diego Sanders 6

‘Lazarito’ can sign after Feb. 10 UT San Diego Sanders 7

NL West: Padres headed for last place? UT San Diego Sanders 9

Padres will give Maurer shot at rotation slot MLB.com Brock 12

Padres’ 1st Spring Training workout dates announced MLB.com Brock 14

Padres whittling down options in search for new FOXSports.com Pace 15

Padres looking at shortstop solutions NBCSanDiego.com Togerson 16

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Padres add LHP Buchter to 40-man roster Left-hander will join other unheralded bullpen options in spring training By Dennis Lin | 1:55 p.m. Jan. 11, 2016 | Updated, 2 p.m. One month after signing to a minor league deal, the Padres added the left-handed reliever to their 40-man roster.

According to a club source, a foreign team had expressed interest in Buchter. Rather than letting the 28-year-old go, the Padres selected his contract from Triple-A El Paso. There are now 39 players on the 40-man roster.

Besides the automatic invitation to spring training, the move fit Buchter’s preference. There should be ample opportunity in the Padres’ bullpen this year; Buchter is the third minor league free agent to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, joining fellow lefty Buddy Baumann and right-hander Cesar Vargas.

A pair of right-handers selected in the , Josh Martin and Blake Smith, also will be in the Padres’ big-league camp.

Buchter has only one inning of major league experience — in 2014, he recorded a walk and a during a scoreless frame for Atlanta — but he has had success in the minors. Originally drafted in the 33rd round by Washington in 2005, he owns a career -per-nine rate of 10.9.

Splitting last season between the Dodgers and Cubs’ Triple-A affiliates, Buchter had a 1.78 ERA in 50 2/3 innings. He walked 25 and struck out 62. Opposing left-handed hitters were held to a .183/.237/.225 batting line.

This winter, Buchter pitched for Tomateros de Culiacan of the Mexican Pacific League. He had a 0.72 ERA and 10 saves in 25 innings, walking 10 and striking out 35.

Buchter has struggled with control issues; over 10 minor league seasons, he’s averaged nearly six walks for every nine innings.

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Still, the 6-foot-3 southpaw could be an intriguing option for a bullpen lacking experience. After the trades of closer Craig Kimbrel and setup man Joaquin Benoit, it is unclear who will handle the Padres’ latter innings.

The Padres have expressed interest in on an incentive-laden deal, but sources indicate the 38-year-old free agent may prefer a club offering more guarantees.

More than likely, the Padres will head to spring training with few heralded relievers and see who emerges from the crowd.

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Friar talk: Hoffman's path to enshrinement Anonymous ESPN poll would put Hoffman in 2017 Hall of Fame class By Jeff Sanders | 10 a.m. Jan. 11, 2016 As discouraging as Trevor Hoffman's first trip through the Hall of Fame ringer may have been last week for Padres fans, the consensus throughout the game is that the former Padres closer will eventually land in Cooperstown.

A 67.3-percent debut is just that strong.

Hoffman finished just 34 votes shy of induction, and with four of the top 16 vote- getters coming off the board – newbies Ken Griffey Jr. (99.3 percent) and Mike Piazza (83 percent) and final-balloters Alan Trammell (40.9 percent) and Mark McGwire (12.3 percent) – it's not inconceivable that Hoffman could push on past 75 percent of the vote as soon as next year.

Here's one plausible way:

Of the 291 public votes tallied by Twitter tracker Ryan Thibodauxthrough late Sunday night, 42 of those ballots checked off the maximum 10 names without including Hoffman. Everyone of them, naturally, included Griffey. All but two checked off Piazza's name, 33 included Trammell and six voted for McGwire, leaving a good chunk that voting bloc with room for two to four new names on his or her 2017 ballot.

To say nothing of the voting tendencies of the 149 still-anonymous ballots, if Hoffman landed on just 67 percent of those 42 public ballots, he'd pick up 28 of the 34 votes he was shy this year.

The ESPN crowd alone is all on-board with Hoffman's enshrinement in 2017.

In an anonymous poll of their 15 voters, 12 (or 80 percent) would vote for Hoffman, Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines. None of the intriguing new names to the ballot – Vladimir Guerrero (11), Ivan Rodriguez (9) and Manny Ramirez (2) – would earn first-ballot entrance.

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AROUND THE WATER COOLER

 The top shortstop still available from a deep free agent class,Ian Desmond and the Padres are a natural fit, the Union-Tribune's Dennis Lin writes.  After a rapid rise to the majors in 2015, Colin Rea is eyeing a spot in the Padres' rotation. MLB.com has the story.

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Updated Padres spring training dates , catchers report Feb. 18; First full-club workout set for Feb. 24 By Jeff Sanders | 3:13 p.m. Jan. 11, 2016

Following Major League ’s official announcement of upcoming spring training workout dates, the Padres have confirmed slight changes:

 Feb. 18 – pitchers and catchers report  Feb. 19 – First workout for pitchers and catchers  Feb. 23 – Position players report  Feb. 24 – First full squad workout Cactus League action begins March 2 with a 1:10 p.m. (MST) first-pitch with the Mariners, the Padres’ Peoria Sports Complex-mates.

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'Lazarito' can sign after Feb. 10 Despite Preller's reputation, Padres have remained relatively quiet in international market By Jeff Sanders | 6 a.m. Jan. 12, 2016

Lazaro Armenteros is a step closer to free agency, according to an MLB.com report that says he is free to sign with a team starting Feb. 10. Yet the Cuban teenager did little to improving his payday at last week’s workout at the Padres’ Dominican Republic academy, at least according to ESPN’s Keith Law, author of the site’s annual top-100 prospects list. keithlaw Should be big $ thrown at him, but I got multiple less-than-flattering reports from scouts at the Friday showcase. https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/686678763338338306 …

Whoops.

Nevertheless, the 16-year-old is deemed a special talent.

A five-tool talent likened by some to Bo Jackson and Willie Mays, “Lazarito” – as he’s come to be known – ranks among the top hitters in his age group after hitting .462/.611/.962 in 36 plate appearances in the 15-and-under World Cup in Mexico in August 2014.

More than 140 scouts flocked to the Padres’ academy, according to an MLB.com account detailing both Armenteros’ upside and youth. Though he displayed plus bat and foot speed, questions remain about an uppercut in his swing, a “fringy average” arm and a “muscular college-football-player body” that could deteriorate if not properly maintained.

From Jesse Sanchez’s report:

“Scouts walked off the field after the 45-minute showcase nodding their heads in approval, but also shrugging their shoulders in uncertainty. Did they just witness the Cuban version of a teenage , or did they just watch a prospect who could end up as nothing more than a project? 7

This much is certain: every scout was intrigued by Lazarito.”

The Padres’ interest might have been further stoked had had put off Armenteros’ free agency until the following July 2 international period, when the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants and Royals are barred from signing pool-eligible prospects for more than $300,000 (the Angels, D-backs, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees are already in the max penalty after exceeding last year’s bonus pools, according to MLB.com).

The fewer teams competing for a player, the better chance the Padres have at signing a player at their price. Monday’s news, however, does not rule out the Padres competing for such a player, according to a team source, as Armenteros’ ceiling is precisely the sort of player the organization is targeting in its widespread push to increase its international profile.

Though relatively quiet in that market despite A.J. Preller’s reputation in that arena, the Padres have remained engaged yet disciplined in adhering to their scouting reports on just about every international player who’s trended on Twitter this offseason.

They, for instance, liked Kenta Maeda OK, but not necessarily more than other, lower- profile pitchers available from that market. Their interest in Japanese slugger Nobuhiro Matsuda is reportedly limited to one guaranteed year and they weren’t prepared to go nearly as high as the Cardinals went on Korean reliever Seung-Hwan Oh ($11 million over two years) over the weekend.

Not because their checkbooks say they can’t.

They can – for the right player.

Guess Preller will let us know when he’s found him.

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NL West: Padres headed for last place? Fangraphs.com calculations aren't favorable, but offseason isn't over By Jeff Sanders | 10 a.m. Jan. 12, 2016 With more than a month before pitchers and catchers report for spring training and a lot of the offseason still unresolved (or is that just the hope 'round here?), projecting any team's record for 2016 appears to be a rather dubious endeavor. Fangraphs.com did it anyway and the projections, as one might guess based on A.J. Preller subtracting more than he's added, aren't exactly kind to San Diego. Without a starting-caliber shortstop in the organization, a replacement for Justin Upton or proven rotation depth behind Tyson Ross, James Shields and Andrew Cashner, the Padres are headed toward a 73-win season – one fewer than last year's record $109 million payroll bought. Fangraphs.com's early NL West projections W-L Rdif RS/G RA/G Dodgers 90-72 81 4.28 3.78

Giants 86-76 45 4.06 3.78

D-backs 79-83 -19 4.14 4.26

Rockies 74-88 -70 4.5 4.93

Padres 73-89 -66 3.63 4.14

The product, according to early-January projections, will score fewer runs per game than it did last year (4.01) but is also predicted to rebound in run prevention after allowing 4.51 per game in 2015. Whatever improvement that yields – a minus-81 run differential to a projected minus-66 – will only be enhanced in the coming weeks as Preller completes a roster with a projected run-differential better than only the Phillies (minus-139), Braves (minus-124), Brewers (minus-96), Reds (minus-70) and Rockies (minus-70).

Meantime, the Padres' chief competition in the NL West – the Dodgers and the Giants – reside on the other end of the spectrum with Los Angeles (plus-81) projected for the third-best run differential behind the Cubs (plus-127) and the Red Sox (plus-104) and San Francisco estimated at plus-76, tied for sixth with the Astros.

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Arizona is projected for minus-19 despite adding Zack Greinke and trading for Shelby Miller at the expense of Ender Inciarte. The Diamondbacks finished 2015 at plus-7.

ALSO AT FANGRAPHS.COM

Because the folks at fangraphs.com like to graph just about everything, we'll spend a few graphs on their unscientific – yet intriguing – attempt to measure ownership ratings. Based on crowd-sourcing "many thousands of votes from presumably many thousands of participants" on its website, Padres ownership scored 2.46, tied for the seventh-worst mark in baseball. From Jeff Sullivan's accompanying explanation:

"The weakest single response out of everything: one solitary voter called the Padres’ ownership situation very good. The Padres remain the most Padres organization in baseball. Even when they tried desperately to reinvent themselves, they still wound up forgettably mediocre."

The Giants, winners of three World Series since Bruce Bochy left San Diego for San Francisco, paced all clubs with a 4.44 score, while the Marlins' 1.19 ranked last.

NL West ownership ratings Team (2015 Record) Rating Winning seasons since 2000Very Good Pretty Good Average Pretty bad Very bad Giants (84-78) 4.44 11 60% 31% 5% 1% 3%

Dodgers (92-70) 4.26 14 58% 24% 8% 5% 5%

Diamondbacks (79-83) 2.65 7 6% 15% 35% 27% 17%

Padres (74-88) 2.46 5 0% 10% 40% 36% 14%

Rockies (68-94) 1.81 6 1% 2% 17% 38% 43% AROUND THE NL WEST

 Adding left-hander Ryan Buchter to the Padres' 40-man rostermight boost a bullpen that could lose another member. As expected, right-hander will vie for a spot in the starting rotation, Preller told MLB.com. Barring other additions to the bullpen, that likely leaves Kevin Quackenbush and Jon Edwards as the top candidates to close games in 2016.  What to do with Alex Guerrero should be on the Dodgers' priority list, the Los Angeles Times' Steve Dilbeck writes. The tricky thing about it is this: They owe 10

him $10 million over the next two years, can't play him regularly in the field and Guerrero becomes a free agent the season after he is traded, per the details of his contract.  The root of Denard Span's enthusiasm upon landing with the Giants is quite obvious. "They win the World Series every other year," he told the San Jose Mercury News.  The Rockies are one of three teams in the mix for free agent Gerardo Parra, according to the Denver Post. Para is looking for a three-year deal.  MLB.com columnist Lyle Spencer wonders if Howie Kendrick and the Diamondbacks are a good fit.

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Padres will give Maurer shot at rotation slot By Corey Brock / MLB.com | @FollowThePadres | January 11th, 2016 SAN DIEGO -- Brandon Maurer, who had a big season pitching out of the bullpen in 2015, will get a chance to start this season.

San Diego general manager A.J. Preller said Maurer will come to Spring Training with the opportunity to win a spot in the starting rotation.

"One of the things is he wants to do it," said Preller. "You put a lot of stock in that."

This won't be a new concept for Maurer, a 25-year-old right-hander who made 21 starts for the Mariners in 2013-2014 and has made 69 starts in the Minor Leagues.

"Brandon, in Seattle, was very young as a starter," said Padres manager Andy Green. "You look at his Minor League track record, his dominance in Jackson in Double-A, he was a tremendous starter there."

Maurer was 9-2 with a 3.20 ERA as a starter with Jackson in 2012. • Padres Spring Training schedule/tickets

Maurer was 7-4 with a 3.00 ERA last season in 53 games and 51 innings. He struck out 39 and allowed 39 hits in that stretch. He had a 1.86 ERA over the first three months of the season.

"We know that he can pitch coming out of the bullpen," Preller said.

Maurer didn't pitch after Aug. 9 after being placed on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation.

Maurer attempted to return in September but still felt soreness in the shoulder. The team decided to shut him down for the rest of the season at that point.

Preller said Maurer has three good pitches -- a mid-90s fastball, a wipeout and a . His curveball has been good in the past as well. The Padres like that 47.7 percent ground-ball rate from a year ago. Maurer helps fill out a rotation that already includes James Shields, Tyson Rossand Andrew Cashner. If Maurer does earn a spot, then the final spot in the rotation could come down to Brandon Morrow, Colin Rea or Robbie Erlin.

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As it stands, lefty Drew Pomeranz, obtained last month from the A's, likely pegs as a reliever, though he's made 49 big leagues starts since 2011 and his role could certainly change. If Maurer does make the rotation, the bullpen will look much different than it did a year ago when Maurer mostly handled the seventh inning, Joaquin Benoit had the eighth inning and Craig Kimbrel was the closer.

Benoit and Kimbrel have been traded, to the Mariners and Red Sox, respectively, leaving Jon Edwards and Kevin Quackenbush as front-runners to close. The team added four arms this winter -- two being Rule 5 Draft picks -- who could figure in the bullpen mix.

The Padres haven't ruled out adding a reliever this offseason as well and previously have been linked to Fernando Rodney.

Pitchers and catchers report to Peoria for the start of Spring Training on Feb. 18 with the first workout set for the following day.

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Padres' 1st Spring Training workout dates announced By Corey Brock / MLB.com | @FollowThePadres | January 11th, 2016 SAN DIEGO -- While there is some uncertainty over how the rest of the offseason will play out for the Padres in terms of possibly adding players, there's no denying one absolute certainty:

Spring Training is right around the corner.

In just over five weeks, Spring Training gets underway for the Padres at the Peoria Sports Complex in northwest Phoenix. • Padres Spring Training schedule/tickets Pitchers and catchers report to the Peoria Sports Complex on Feb. 18. Their first workout is scheduled for the following day.

San Diego's position players report Feb. 23. The first full-squad workout is then scheduled for Feb. 24.

The Padres and Mariners, who also train at the Peoria Sports Complex, play their annual charity game March 2. These two teams will face each other the next day in the Cactus League opener for both teams.

The Padres, coming off a 74-88 season, have a new manager in Andy Green, who was the third-base coach for the D-backs a year ago. They also have a few notable new faces, including outfielder Jon Jay and handful of Rule 5 Draft picks that may make the team.

The Padres aren't done building their 2016 roster, as the team is looking for a shortstop and could still some help for the bullpen.

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Padres whittling down options in search for new shortstop GM A.J. Preller lays out what he's looking for

By Robert Pace Jan 11, 2016 at 3:58a ET

The are getting closer to putting an end to their carousel at shortstop.

Padres general manager A.J. Preller tells MLB.com that he has narrowed down the list of candidates to take over the Padres' No. 6 position.

"I think we're still trying to make our way through our shorter list of guys we feel are good fits," Preller said. "Hopefully, we'll have a match."

San Diego has been linked to free agents Ian Desmond and Alexei Ramirez, both above-average fielders with speed and power.

Both are also coming off subpar seasons in their contract years (Desmond: 19 HR, 62 RBI, 13 SB .233/.290/.384; Ramirez: 10 HR, 62 RBI, 17 SB, .249/.285/.357), which might allow their future team to sign them at a bargain price.

"I think in an ideal world, you want someone who is an intelligent player, a leader and captain of your infield, the ability to make the plays on the move, on the run, up the middle, in the hole," Preller said of his expectations for a shortstop. "Someone, when the ball is hit to him late in the game, it's an out.

"Big game, big spot, big moment, [someone] you're not worried the routine play is going to be made. He has the athleticism to make a spectacular play."

New Padres manager Andy Green is eager for the front office to acquire a better shortstop – mainly for defensive purposes.

"We clearly have to plug that hole at shortstop. We're working actively to do that. I'm a defense-oriented guy. I'm a pressure-on-the-defense guy," Green recently said. "The defense is paramount for us to be successful."

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Padres Looking at Shortstop Solutions A pair of free agents have emerged as favorites By Derek Togerson

The Padres need a shortstop. I’d say they have only one on the roster but that one is Alexi Amarista and his career -1.7 UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating, a defensive metric that has really good players in the positives) at the position are just not a viable option. Amarista is a valuable utility guy but he’s simply not being used properly in the role of an everyday middle .

This year Padres General Manager A.J. Preller is addressing the issue, something he couldn’t get to during the pre-2015 whirlwind.

Barring a trade for a new shortstop, something that doesn’t seem likely at the moment given the Padres attempts this off-season to re-stock their farm system, it’s looking like free agency is the preferred mode of expression. Recently two candidates have emerged as the top options and they bring very different things to the table.

Before we continue it should be noted that any deal that gets done must take in to account Javier Guerra. He’s one of the top shortstop prospects in baseball, a left-handed hitter with a plus glove and a howitzer for an arm. Guerra was acquired in the trade that sent closer Craig Kimbrel to the Red Sox and should be ready in two to three years so the Friars don’t want to have someone in place on a big contract blocking the kid.

With that in mind, it’s interesting they’re talking seriously with Ian Desmond. The former Nationals star won three straight Silver Slugger awards before his numbers took a noticeable dip in 2015. Desmond is 30 years old and looking for a big payday.

He made $11 million his final year in Washington and, after the 2013 season, reportedly rejected a 7-year, $107 million deal from the Nats. That tells me he was either banking on himself becoming the next Cal Ripken or he really hated D.C. The former did not materialize but as the top shortstop option in free agency odds are he still wants to get a big payday.

Desmond has the ability to play shortstop or third base. Interestingly the Padres could also use a full-time 3rd baseman. So if they can convince Desmond to play short until Guerra is ready then move over the third I have no problem with him getting a five or six year deal at around $75-$80 million. Having an infield of Desmond, Guerra, Cory Spangenberg and Wil Myers is not an altogether bad idea.

If Desmond is not amenable to a position change or thinks he’s still worth a 9-figure deal then the other option is not a bad one, either.

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The Padres have also reportedly been talking to former White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez. The 34-year-old is not as good a hitter as Desmond but, until a drop-off in 2015 that could be regression or a simple off season, was the superior defender.

Ramirez was known as a good guy in the Chicago clubhouse and would likely be willing to take two or three years at $20-30 million, one final nice contract before retiring. He would be your proverbial stop-gap to hold down the position and actually give the Friars something resembling production until Guerra is ready.

Both options would be a gigantic upgrade for 2016 and beyond so whichever way Preller ends up going it’ll be nice to see a natural shortstop on the field at Petco Park.

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