SAN DIEGO -- Friday was chaos. Following a frenzied Trade Deadline on Thursday, the newest Padres were arriving from all over the country. A couple of them landed in San Diego and went straight from the airport to their new clubhouse at Petco Park. In his first post-Deadline lineup, manager Mike Shildt went light on the new guys.
On Saturday though? Shildt unveiled the new-look offense in all its glory:
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Luis Arraez, 1B
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Ryan O’Hearn, DH
- Ramón Laureano, LF
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
- Freddy Fermin, C
Sure looks a lot deeper than the pre-Deadline starting lineup, doesn’t it? There certainly was production from the bottom of the order, as Laureano and Fermin combined for three RBIs in the Padres’ 8-5 loss to the Cardinals.
San Diego’s offense has always featured plenty of star power. In the first half, those stars went through some ups and downs. But the Padres figured they’d be fine.
Their real offensive issues were twofold. The bottom third of their lineup was the worst in the Majors -- a combined .584 OPS ahead of the Deadline. And their bench did not offer any quality pinch-hitting options to mask those deficiencies at the bottom.
On both fronts, that’s no longer the case.
Fermin is a notable upgrade offensively behind the plate. Cronenworth, meanwhile, is an above-league-average hitter (by 12%, according to the all-encompassing hitting metric wRC+), who is sliding down to the No. 8 spot. Gavin Sheets, whose bat helped carry the Padres at times during the first half, appears set to come off the bench most nights. His skill set is similar to that of the newcomer O’Hearn.
“Having Sheets and O’Hearn sitting there to DH or pinch-hit or come off the bench,” Shildt said, “it clearly allows us to be a deep and quality club.”
Didn’t quite pan out on Saturday night. The Padres scored four times early but were held scoreless across the final six innings. Starting pitcher Randy Vásquez, who has tiptoed around trouble for most of the season, wasn’t able to do so on Saturday, as he allowed five runs and was saddled with his first loss (and his first decision) since May 21.
Nonetheless, the upside was on full display. You want production from the bottom third? Laureano’s first hit with the Padres was an RBI triple. Cronenworth reached base twice in the No. 8 spot. Fermin notched his first Padres hit, an RBI single in the ninth to keep a late rally alive.
“It just makes [the lineup] that much longer,” Cronenworth said. “Guys are putting together quality at-bats one through nine, and the quality of hitter that you’re getting at the plate is awesome.”
At the top, Luis Arraez went 2-for-4 as he creeps closer to his yearly .300-plus batting average. (He’s currently one point shy.) Jackson Merrill smacked his first homer in three weeks.
There are still questions that need to be answered regarding the specifics of playing time moving forward. But for now, the biggest casualty in the new lineup appears to be Sheets, who started each of the past two games on the bench. The situation never arose for a pinch-hit at-bat, but he’ll presumably be used often in that role -- and he’s just fine with that.
“Winning baseball is the most fun baseball,” Sheets said. “Whatever it is, whatever that given role is that day, go out and help win a baseball game.”
It’s the role Sheets was brought on board for, anyway. He signed with the Padres just before Spring Training on a Minor League deal. They always envisioned him as a contributor, but they didn’t necessarily envision him hitting cleanup -- as he did at times during the first half.
Sheets spent the past couple seasons struggling on a bad White Sox team. He has spoken often about how much he’s enjoyed the change of scenery, and he wants to make it clear that’s not contingent on a certain amount of playing time.
“When I came in here, I had two goals,” Sheets said on Friday. “I had a personal goal of being a better player and getting a fresh slate. I think that’s happened. I’ve set career highs already, and we’re on Aug. 1. And the second goal was to win a World Series. After yesterday, I think both goals are well intact. That’s why I came here.”
And that second goal? That’s what the new guys were brought here for.
“It’s exciting,” O’Hearn said. “Ultimately, that's what every player plays for, is the chance to win a ring.”
Their new-look offense ought to go a long way.