Progress report: San Diego Padres

SAN DIEGO PADRES

• 2017 finish: 71-91 (4^th in NL West)
• Manager: Andy Green (139-185, 3^rd season)
• Top baseball ops executive: A.J. Preller, executive vice president / general manager (4th season)

DOLLARS AND SENSE

• Highest-paid player: 1B Eric Hosmer ($21 million in 2018)
• Top returning position player: CF Manuel Margot (2.5 WAR in 2017, baseball-reference.com)
• Top returning pitcher: LHP Brad Hand (2.7 WAR in 2017)

THE MOVES

• Key addition(s): 1B Eric Hosmer (free agent), SS Freddy Galvis (trade), 3B Chase Headley (trade), RHP Bryan Mitchell (trade), RHP Kazuhisa Makita (free agent), RHP Colton Brewer (free agent), C Raffy Lopez (minor league free agent), RHP Tyson Ross (minor league free agent), RHP Chris Young (minor league free agent), C A.J. Ellis (minor league free agent), RHP Rowan Wick (waivers).
• Key subtraction(s): 2B Yangervis Solarte (trade), RHP Jhoulys Chacin (free agent), SS Erick Aybar (free agent), 3B Ryan Schimpf (trade), OF Jabari Blash (trade), RHP Enyel De Los Santos (trade), LHP Travis Wood (released).
• Baseball America top-100 prospect(s): SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (No. 9), LHP MacKenzie Gore (No. 26), RHP Michel Baez (No. 28), 2B Luis Urias (No. 32), RHP Cal Quantrill (No. 52), LHP Adrian Morejon (No. 66).

STORYLINES TO WATCH

• Signing 1B Eric Hosmer to an eight-year, $144 million deal changes little about the organization’s long-term plan. The Padres have one of the game’s best farm systems and that talent – from SS Fernando Tatis Jr. to 2B Luis Urias to LHP MacKenzie Gore and more – will learn a great deal from a clubhouse presence like Hosmer, a four-time Gold Glover and former world champion who is coming off a career year in Kansas City (4.0 WAR).
• Hosmer’s arrival moves Wil Myers into the outfield, where he struggled defensively in San Diego in 2015. Of course, that was in center field. Myers will settle in a corner spot from here on out and his 48 steals over the last two years is proof he’s athletic enough for the position if he can hone his routes to the ball.
• Only one starting pitcher fetched ground balls more often than RHP Luis Perdomo (0.0 WAR) and LHP Clayton Richard (0.4 WAR) in 2017. The addition of Freddy Galvis – the first legitimate shortstop in the prime of his career in the A.J. Preller era – could help them more than anyone in 2018.

PECOTA PROJECTION

• 73 wins

Padres shortstop Freddy Galvis fields a ball during a spring training practice in Peoria on Feb. 15, 2018.

(K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune )

AROUND THE LEAGUE

NL West

• Arizona Diamondbacks
• Colorado Rockies
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• San Diego Padres
• San Francisco Giants (Coming March 21)

NL Central

• Chicago Cubs
• Cincinnati Reds
• Milwaukee Brewers
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• St. Louis Cardinals (Coming March 23)

NL East

• Atlanta Braves
• Miami Marlins
• New York Mets
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Washington Nationals (Coming March 27)

AL West

• Houston Astros
• Los Angeles Angels
• Oakland Athletics
• Seattle Mariners (Coming March 22)
• Texas Rangers (Coming March 25)

AL Central

• Chicago White Sox
• Cleveland Indians
• Detroit Tigers
• Kansas City Royals
• Minnesota Twins

AL East

• Baltimore Orioles
• Boston Red Sox
• New York Yankees
• Tampa Bay Rays (Coming March 24)
• Toronto Blue Jays (Coming March 26)

Padres Videos

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Padres pitcher Chris Paddack on start vs. Mariners and possibility of making rotation

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Padres manager Andy Green on Machado joining his roster

jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutSanders