1. What is Dinelson Lamet’s health?
Padre reshaped his roster this winter by adding a luxury starting trio and two versatile offensive pieces.
With the spring training right around the corner, we can anticipate answers to the next four questions that Padres is still facing, and the first is related to the Dominican pitcher.
This is the question that could define the San Diego season, as AJ Cassavell explained on MLB.com.
The addition of Snell and Darvish was a way for parents to admit that they are not optimistic about Lamet.
The Dominican was ace in 2020, a campaign in which he had an ERA 2.09 and finished fourth in the vote for Cy Young National League Award. Even in a team that acquired Blake Snell and Yu Darvish, Lamet could be the most dominant of the group.
For some people, the decision to add Snell and Darvish was a way for their parents to admit that they were not optimistic about Lamet. That’s not true, exactly.
The parents know the same thing about Lamet that they knew five months ago. The right-hander missed the postseason with an elbow and bicep injury to his right arm and received a plasma injection rich in platelets in October. The team hopes Lamet will not require surgery, but has privately admitted that he will not know for sure until he returns to action in a match.
By buying Snell and Darvish commercially, the parents look well prepared in case Lamet’s elbow struggles again. But if the Dominican is healthy – and judging by his training so far, there is nothing to indicate otherwise – the parents could have the most dreaded rotation in the major leagues. (And yes, including the one for the Dodgers.
2. What land plots would you test in the field?
When San Diego signed Ha-Seong Kim Everything was indicated in January. The team noticed that they saw Kim as an infielder. Kim said he was willing to play where his parents put him.
At the time, he didn’t think much about the details. Padres bought one of the best players in the free agency. The rest could be fixed later.
It’s time to dump her and move on. Honestly, there aren’t many available in the Padres inner box. First baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Manny Machado and shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. are firmly in their respective positions.
This means that Curaçao’s utility, Jurikson Profar, will return to play part of the time on the field. Kim or Jake Cronenworth may need to do the same.
Cronenworth, who hits left, and Kim, who hits right, could split second base. But it would be better for parents if it were not the only alternative. One of these two players – and maybe both – will see action off the field, where they could capitalize on their various skills.
3. What direction do parents see for their clumsy young people?
If Lamet is healthy, the Padres rotation is complete for the season. That would mean there isn’t much room for the 21-year-old left-handed trio to sneak in.
A MacKenzie Gore, Ryan Weathers and Adrián Morejón from Cuba were once seen as the future of the San Diego rotation. It is still the case, except that it does not represent the whole future, but only a part. Padre already has quite a few good arms on board over the next few years.
The team’s baseball operations president, AJ Preller, said San Diego will come to train with the idea of preparing Gore, Weathers and Morejon to be beginners. It is a sensitive strategy and is a strong contingency plan in case Lamet or another starter needs to be replaced.
But, in the end, parents will have to make a decision: in what role can they get the most out of these three arms? In rotation or bullpen?
In Gore’s case, you already know the answer. It is a starter and will be treated as such. For their part, Morejon and Weathers have shown that they can feel the bullpen. If there is no turning point available, they could again serve as a means of rescue.
4. Do parents have enough arms in the bullpen?
Padre is betting big this winter as for the bullpen. They added impact pieces to the rotation and offense, and on Friday they struck a deal with Mark Melancon against the first round of Trevor Rosenthal and Kirby Yates.
Melancon joins two crucial pitchers: Austin Adams and the Venezuelan Jose Castillo. The two are expected to be healthy after both lost time in each of the last two seasons due to injuries.
There is no doubt that both have electrical equipment. If parents can use them for middle entries, they could move in Emilio Pagán and Drew Pomeranz in the back and feel confident in the bullpen, especially with Melancon present.