Among the many disappointments with the 2018 Padres, Wil Myers tops the list finishing with 11 home runs, 39 RBI and a .253 batting average while playing in only 83 games.
Due to a hole at third base, the Padres attempted to convert Myers into a third baseman over the final 36 games.
Frankly Myers, with his .934 fielding percentage at the hot corner, was not impressive.
Eric Hosmer occupies first base and the Padres have an abundance of young corner outfielders on the roster.
General manager AJ Preller may explore a trade of one of his young outfielders like Hunter Renfroe, Franmil Reyes or Franchy Cordero. A trade would allow Myers to return to a corner outfield position. The Padres would then need to fill their third base hole.
Cory Spangenberg or the newly signed Greg Garcia are two in-house options.
Since the Padres have no plans to compete in 2019, it won’t be a surprise to see Myers playing third base this spring training in hopes he will develop into an adequate third baseman. Given his shortcomings at the hot corner, let’s just say he needs a lot of work.
Ideally I would like to see the Padres explore a Myers trade. However it is noted Preller, who traded Trea Turner to acquire Myers and rewarded him with a $83 million contract, is a big Myers fan. Myers is also a fan favorite.
Therefore, Myers being shipped off in a trade seems unlikely but not out of the question, especially if they can find a taker for his back-loaded contract while getting some useful pieces in return.
We should get a clearer picture of their plans for Myers over the next few weeks.
Stay tuned next week for an update on the Padres 2019 plans for Fernando Tatis Jr and the shortstop position.
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Comments 2
As we all know the Padres are the worst franchise in the history of Major League Baseball, and one of the worst run teams in American sports over the last fifty odd years.
As the author points out the Myers confusion, along with massive overpay for Hosmer last spring is just another example of the decades of incompetence that has permeated this wobegone franchise for most of it’s existence.
Good commentary. Personally, I believe Myers will be a Padre through the 2019 season…unfortunately. The Pads are notorious for their poor investments in Free Agents, so fans I speak with are pinning their hopes on the forthcoming riches in the minors as opposed to the current roster. I hate to be a negative nelly, but I’m not sold… even on the players in the minors. If you look at the history of the franchise, the Pads do not historically produce major league talent (with few exceptions (Gwynn, Ozzie, etc.)). The Pads abysmal history and a lack of ownership commitment are tough to ignore (Myers just being another bad decision). … but know I’d like to be wrong.
Looking forward to more commentary.