No. 25 Rockies | No. 23 Orioles |Nos. 30-21
No. 24: San Diego Padres
Last Season: 74-88
Projected record: 73-89 (fifth in NL West)
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The Padres were 10th in our Week 1 power rankings last spring, but it was all downhill from there. Following a wild offseason spending spree under rookie GM A.J. Preller, the Padres won just 74 games, three fewer than in 2014. While refusing to call it a rebuild, Preller has looked to restock the shelves, trading away relievers Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit and infielder Jedd Gyorko, while watching outfielder Justin Upton and right-hander Ian Kennedy depart via free agency. ZiPS projects the Padres with 74 wins, which would mark their sixth straight year under 80. That is trying the patience of even the most diehard Padres fans.
The Padres took a huge step toward replenishing their farm system when they traded Craig Kimbrel to the Boston Red Sox for Manuel Margot and Javier Guerra. Both players were instantly the top prospects in the Padres' system by a wide margin. Both are in the top 10 at their respective positions according to ZiPS, while no other Padres prospect is better than No. 20 at their position (Jose Rondon at SS). -- ESPN.com (graphic from Dan Szymborski)
The Padres are hoping former AL Rookie of the Year Wil Myers gets his groove back in moving from the outfield to first base. There are recognizable names atop the rotation in James Shields and Andrew Cashner, but they might be most useful to the Padres as summer trade bait. Shields remains a workhorse, reaching 200 innings nine straight years, but he managed to give up an MLB-high 33 homers despite pitching half his games in spacious Petco Park.
The Kimbrel trade with Boston brought pack an impressive haul of prospects, but the benefits won't be seen in 2016. Matt Kemp drove in 100 runs in his first season in San Diego, but his minus-15 defensive runs saved in right field brought down his WAR to a modest 0.6. Preller did bring in veterans like shortstop Alexei Ramirez, outfielder Jon Jay and reliever Fernando Rodney, but none are long-term solutions. The best opportunity to see All-Stars at Pecto Park is when it hosts the Midsummer Classic in July.
No. 23 Orioles | No. 25 Rockies | Nos. 30-21
