Predicting San Diego Padres' 2016 Record Going Into Spring Training

The demise of the San Diego Padres is largely exaggerated. In 2015 they tried to buy an offensive team, but this offseason they refocused on youth and balance. Even in a tough NL West the Padres are a team headed in the right direction.

The Padres made a series of moves this offseason to change from an offensive based team to a defensive based team with the exception of Wil Myers. They traded Yonder Alonso to clear first base for Myers and then traded for Jon Jay, so they now have four outfielders with center field experience for spacious Petco Park. They also signed Alexei Ramirez and traded for Jose Pirela to push Cory Spangenberg at second. To finish the defensive remodeling, the Padres traded for Christian Bethancourt to back up Daniel Norris behind the plate. This team will be better defensively even with the downgrade at first.

To complete the pitching staff, the Padres traded for a swingman and signed another one. In adding Carlos Villanueva and Drew Pomeranz, the Padres added a pair of pitchers who are effective in the bullpen but can do a decent job when pressed into starting. Right now Villanueva would be the sixth starter in a five-man rotation and Pomeranz would be the first emergency starter for the Padres. In addition to those two, the Padres signed Fernando Rodney to close games in 2016. In 2015 he was unsuccessful as a closer for the Seattle Mariners, but he ended the season as a setup man for the Chicago Cubs with a great amount of success in limited duty.

With pitching and defense, the Padres have a chance to make folks forget about 2015 in quick fashion. Some people think the Padres will be battling the Colorado Rockies for last place. My prediction is that they will be fighting for third place at 81-81.