Padres Press Clips Friday, December 8, 2017 Article Source Author Page Padres will weigh present against near future at winter SD Union Tribune Lin 2 meetings Padres fans have gotten their hopes up before for big-name SD Union Tribune Kenney 4 free agents Padres roster review: Carter Capps SD Union Tribune Sanders 8 Mariners, a finalist for Shohei Ohtani, trade for more SD Union Tribune Lin 10 bonus money while Padres remain capped Shohei Ohtani choosing Padres would be almost SD Union Tribune Acee 11 unimaginably perfect Wil Myers approves of outfield idea if Padres sign Eric SD Union Tribune Lin 14 Hosmer Myers open to move back to OF for good of club MLB.com Cassavell 16 Preller expects to be busy at Winter Meetings MLB.com Cassavell 17 Padres meet with free agent Eric Hosmer SD Union Tribune Lin 19 Angels, not Padres, to sign Japanese star Shohei Ohtani SD Union Tribune Lin 20 1 Padres will weigh present against near future at winter meetings Dennis Lin The contract extension A.J. Preller signed after this past season will keep the Padres general manager under contract through 2022. Much can happen in the course of five years, and baseball’s winter meetings, which begin Sunday in Orlando, Fla., could serve as a critical milepost. “It does point somewhat to a long-term plan and a long-term vision,” Preller said of his recently expanded job security. “But I think the other thing that’s been consistent is nobody is saying, Hey, we have to wait till 2021 or ‘22.” Indeed, primary owner Peter Seidler has said he would be disappointed if the Padres don’t at least threaten for a playoff berth in 2019. If the winter takes an unlikely turn — for San Diego, the dream would be signing both Shohei Ohtani and Eric Hosmer — the timeline might move up a bit. The Padres would love to reel in Ohtani, a two-way star from Japan, and Hosmer, the best available first baseman, because they are the type of players who should provide immediate and long-term impact. These players are also rare commodities. In the meantime, Preller will spend his time at the winter meetings looking to shore up present weaknesses without compromising the organization’s not-too-distant future. He will continue examining free-agent options and entertaining trade offers for the likes of Brad Hand and Yangervis Solarte. Here are four areas of need the Padres will attempt to address in Orlando: Starting pitching Ten or more options entering spring training would be ideal. The Padres are still a few short. Ohtani, who recently narrowed his finalists to San Diego and six other teams, could announce his decision during the winter meetings. Jhoulys Chacin proved he can still be a serviceable rotation arm in 2017, and the Padres would like to bring him back for the right price. A two-year deal could work. Three might be stretching it; several pitching prospects could make or approach their major league debuts next season. 2 Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. won’t turn 19 until next month, but the Padres’ No. 1 prospect has an outside shot of reaching the majors before his 20th birthday. Luis Urias, a second baseman who can handle himself at shortstop, appears even closer. So, the preference here is another short-term fix. Veteran shortstop Alcides Escobar doesn’t get on base much, but he remains steady in the field and has played 162 games in three of the last four seasons. The Padres have been linked to a slightly flashier option in Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis. NBC Sports Philadelphia recently reported that the Phillies had yet to receive a satisfactory trade offer for Galvis, who is a year away from free agency. Lineup stabilizer Hosmer, who can supply power from the left side, would fit the bill, though his value has been widely debated. Agent Scott Boras will seek a nine-figure contract, something the Padres have never given out. Ohtani, if the Padres are fortunate enough to land him, would help, but the 23-year-old faces an adjustment period and won’t be in the lineup every day. Scouts rate his pitching above his hitting. Other top free-agent bats many not make much sense, and San Diego will be priced out of competing for some of the biggest names in the 2018-19 class. Preller may decide it’s wiser to wait awhile longer before acquiring a headliner on offense. A deep farm system should help in that regard. Relief pitching The Padres have some interesting relievers in the upper levels of their farm system, but more depth never hurts. Any bullpen acquisitions likely will be of the inexpensive variety; Colten Brewer, a career minor leaguer who recently signed to a big-league deal, is one example. A reunion with Craig Stammen, who made the most of a minor league deal last season, is possible. Both sides have expressed interest. 3 Padres fans have gotten their hopes up before for big-name free agents Kirk Kenney Padres fans have been teased before — again and again and again — through the years with the organization’s pursuit of big-name free agents who then sign with another team. Why should this year be any different? So, while it is encouraging to hear the Padres rumored to be the front-runners for Japanese star Shohei Ohtani — and also mentioned with first baseman Eric Hosmer — longtime Padres fans aren’t going to get too worked up about it. They’ve seen this all before too many times. Let them know when there's a press conference to announce signing one — or both — of them. The one thing different about this time is many thought those days were long gone. Outside of the signing of free agent pitcher James Shields before the 2015 season it has been three decades since the Padres were linked to a legitimate free agent. During the dawn of free agency, the Padres were players each year. Or, more accurately, they were played. This was the mid-1970s. Ray Kroc was the owner and he wanted to win at all costs. Price didn't matter. Man, the fans loved Kroc. Everyone did. But even his McDonald's millions weren't enough to lure the best players here. Oakland A's pitcher Catfish Hunter was baseball's first big free agent. Hunter won the Cy Young Award in 1974 after going 25-12 with a 2.49 ERA and helping the A's to their third straight World Series win. He was declared a free agent that fall when Oakland owner Charles O. Finley failed to meet one of the conditions of Hunter's contract for insurance annuity payments. In a 1994 story looking back on what transpired, Hal Bock of the Associated Press recounted in great detail how everything unfolded. Pretty much every team inquired about Hunter’s services. A handful of them — the Padres included — were serious. Very serious. Hunter lived in rural North Carolina, and he had teams come to him with their offers. His lawyer, a man named J. Carlton Cherry, handled the negotiations. “Cherry didn’t know what he had,” Marvin Miller, head of the players union, told Bock. “He called me to say Finley had offered to forgive a loan and give Hunter a three-year guaranteed contract. He thought that was pretty good. As politely as I could, I explained that Hunter was the first free agent superstar. I told him, ‘You haven’t seen anything, yet.’ “ 4 Cleveland supposedly put a $2 million offer on the table. Kansas City offered to pay Hunter $50,000 a year for the rest of his life. “What if I die?” Hunter asked. “They said, ‘The contract is for you, not your wife and not your family.’ “ The Royals were shown the door. Padres General Manager Peter Bavasi was watching from the sidelines, waiting for his opportunity to jump in. Bavasi had come to North Carolina, staying at the Tomahawk Motel, with orders from Kroc to secure Hunter’s signature on a contract. “Ray asked what I thought it would cost,” Bavasi said in the AP story. “I told him Catfish made $100,000 the year before and from all indications, he wanted a long-term, guaranteed contract. I thought it would take $400,000.” Turns out, Bavasi wasn’t even close. Bavasi, who waited for a late appointment so that other teams could come in and make their offers first, had purchased a new gray suit for the meeting. Hunter showed up in hunting clothes. “It was the last day of the hunting season,” Bavasi said. “He had his dogs in the truck, ready to go.” Hunter was chewing tobacco throughout the meeting, spitting the juice in a Styrofoam cup. Not everything made it into the cup. Some spittle got on Bavasi’s sleeve. He didn’t flinch. Bavasi was too busy focusing on Cherry’s contract demands for his client. “He wanted a variety of things that added up to $3,750,000,” Bavasi said. “It was almost $4 million, a far cry from our $400,000.” When Cherry said, “Now, young man, does that scare you?” Bavasi answered: “It sure doesn’t.” Bavasi asked for a break in the negotiations, went back to his hotel and phoned Kroc, who was on a cruise. Through the static of a ship-to-shore line, the GM communicated the demand. He said $4 million, but Kroc heard it as $400,000. “That’s great,” Kroc told Bavasi.