A Remodel down South

Predicted by many in and around the baseball community as a dark horse to contend for a title in the NL Western Division last season, the San Diego Padres fell short of those expectations by finishing 77-85, good enough for third in the division. And though championships aren't won in the offseason, one thing that's certain is the impressive offseason the Padres and their newly hired general manager A.J. Preller have put together prior to the 2015 season.

After missing the postseason for an eighth straight season last year, the Padres front-office made it their priority to put an end to that in 2015. Having been a relatively quiet club during the offseason in years past, the San Diego Padres have caught everyone's attention while being this offseason's most active team by far. Along with their new GM came some new talent which the Friars were able to acquire both via trade and the free-agent market thanks to an increase in payroll which will set a new franchise record and is closing in on the $105 Million mark. San Diego's busy shopping spree begun with the acquisition of Matt Kemp whom they landed from the rival Dodgers. While adding a player of Kemp's caliber alone in years past would've riled up the Padres fan base, they weren't finished there as a deal to land Justin Upton from the Braves was the next item on their list. With two of the three outfield spots being claimed by new faces, Preller made it a whole new cast by completing the trifecta and bringing in Wil Myers from Tampa Bay.

The trio of new outfielders gives San Diego one of the best looking outfields on paper. If Kemp, who's often injured and is several seasons removed from being the NL MVP runner-up, can stay healthy, Upton is able to regain the confidence he had at the plate as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks while often facing the Padres and Myers can to return to his 2013 form when he took home AL Rookie of the Year honors, the Padres will have themselves a star-studded outfield. The flurry of moves didn't stop there, however, as veteran shortstop Clint Barmes, third baseman Will Middlebrooks and 2014 All-Star catcher Derek Norris were also added into the mix along with pitchers Brandon Maurer, Shawn Kelly and Brandon Morrow. But just when you thought he was done, A.J. Preller complimented his already stellar body of work by adding that final cherry on top in the form of one of the top free-agent pitchers on the market -- James Shields.

It was learned early Monday morning that Shields was the last of the major free-agent dominoes to fall when he and the Padres agreed to a 4-year deal worth $75 Million. The signing of Shields, a 33-year old native of southern California, is the richest contract in the club's history, surpassing the 3-year, $52 Million deal with former Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy in 2007. Having topped the 200 innings pitched mark in eight straight seasons, Shields comes as durable as any but not without a bit of concern regarding the workload on his arm. Not to mention, no pitcher threw more pitches last season than Shields did as he helped guide the Royals to their first World Series appearance in over 30 years. But calling a pitcher friendly stadium like Petco Park home for the next few seasons should help keep Shields among the game's most reliable hurlers on the mound. Not a bad offseason for a guy who's only been a GM since August, right?

But don't go thinking Preller's busy spending and team renovation didn't come without risk, though, as he had to part with a good portion of players including some of the club's top picks and prospects and in the process is letting us know that San Diego is ready to compete now as they look to dethrone the higher powers within the division in L.A. and San Francisco in what's been a two-team race for the past several seasons.


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