The Padres do not yet name a closer. As they see it, they have four.
Manager Jayce Tingler said he prefers to settle on one man for the ninth innings by the end of the camp, and the skipper of Padres considered the race for the spot this weekend as an open competition.
“In an ideal world, you want a ninth turn,” Tingler said. “Are we open to committee? Are we open to matches? We are. But we want to get out of here and feel, ‘Well, this is our ninth man,’ and we can move forward.
“We’re open to a lot of things. I do not think we want to be interested in early spring training to announce something or give someone the title. We have an open competition and would like to play it in the next few weeks. out until we get a little more clarity. ‘
The group has more than 250 saves among them (most of which belong to Melancon, entering its 13th season). Pagán – perhaps the favorite for the role – spoke to the media on Saturday, meaning all four have spoken to reporters this spring, and all four have offered a similar refrain.
“I definitely want to play the role in the role, but we have four guys who have done it already, and probably four or five more who have the ability to do it,” Pagán said. “Yes, of course I would like to be closer. I would like to have a 40-save season. But I can have a zero-save season – we win a World Series, and I’m happy.
Among the four closer options, it was Pomeranz who placed the best season in ’20 ‘- beating a 1.45 ERA by 14 K / 9. But with the two left-handers on the shelf, the Padres might need the left-handed Pomeranz to be a little flexible. If Corey Seager, Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger are in seventh place, it might not be the best idea to tie Pomeranz to ninth.
“I can not care if I throw,” Pomeranz said earlier this week. “I’m here to help the team win. No matter what turn it is for me … We have so many guys here who can complete games. I personally’m not attached to a role. They want me to “It’s good. They want me to show the sixth, seventh, eighth, it’s good too.”
It’s been a while since the Padres entered camp with a legal competition. Kirby Yates and Brad Hand have ruled out that role for the past four seasons. Given the glorious history of shutters in San Diego, it may be the first time in history that the Padres have entered a season as contestants without a clear ninth man.
General manager AJ Preller, in his typical freewheeling manner, kicked the tires on a possible Milwaukee deal for Josh Hader earlier this winter. According to sources, the high price on Hader was priceless, and the talks never progressed seriously.
Here’s what you need to read about it: The Padres is open for another bullpen upgrade. But they do not consider it a necessity. Preller, according to sources, will comfortably enter the season with his current closer options.
The Padres simply need to assign that title to one of their four options. After two weeks of matches, Melancon and Pagán produced mixed results, while Pomeranz and Kela – in limited action – seemed dominant. Do not read too much into these performances, warns Tingler.
“Obviously we are not going to decide on that at this stage,” Tingler said. “We’ll start reading in the next two weeks, when we see these guys get out there, kick off rust and start making them look like their A-game.”
Remarkable
• Right-back Wil Myers was a late scraper from Saturday’s game with a sore knee. He took part in the team’s entire training session on Saturday morning, but he was withheld from the match as a precaution, said in part due to the cold temperatures.
“We’re at the point of spring training, where we’re not going to push a little pain and aches right now unless we feel really good,” Tingler said.
• Right-hander Dinelson Lamet threw another simulated innings on a Peoria Sports Complex backfield on Saturday. He used all his stands, including five or six slides, and a fast ball that sat 95-96 km / h.
Lamet, who missed the post-season last October after suffering an elbow injury in his last start of the regular season, has yet to appear in the Cactus League and remains a question mark for the opening day list. The Padres build him up, understandably, slowly, but so far Lamet has passed every test.
• If Lamet is not built up in time for the opening day, his place in the rotation may fall on left-hander Adrian Morejon – who certainly made a strong case for a place for the opening day on Saturday.
The 22-year-old left-hander handed over a preliminary home race to the Ketel Marte of the D-backs. But he bounced back nicely and worked three sharp innings without giving up a run again, while hitting five.
“Like what I saw,” Tingler said. “It was as sharp, as sharp as I saw him. With all his pitches, he was really good.”