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San Diego Padres Top Offseason Priorities

By Benjamin Chase

Oct 1, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of the San Diego Padres logo on the field before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of the San Diego Padres logo on the field before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Catching

If anything, coming into 2016, many thought the Padres had an abundance of catching. Derek Norris had hit .256/.333/.405 with 11 homers and 49 RBI per season for the previous three years, solid numbers as a catcher, along with playing average defense. Christian Bethancourt, acquired from Atlanta in the offseason, had the reputation as an elite defender behind the plate that had hit in the minor leagues at every level and just not yet adjusted to the major leagues. Hector Sanchez was the prototypical backup catcher, with not enough bat to start, but enough defense to keep him on the roster as a very solid backup option and late-inning defensive replacement. Last, but certainly not least, Austin Hedges had been rated as highly as a top-20 overall prospect in the game, and he was waiting in the wings in AAA as his excellent defense had just started to bloom with offensive skills to match.

Then in 2016, it all fell apart. Norris hit below the Mendoza line for the entire season, even though he did knock out 14 home runs. Bethancourt was simply not good behind the plate in anything but his arm, which led to the team trying him out in the outfield and even on the pitching mound. Sanchez actually played the best of any of the catchers, though in 46 plate appearances. And, Hedges was left in AAA for the entire season, where he mashed the ball, hitting .326/.353/.597 (PCL stats, but still!) with 21 home runs before slashing a middling .125/.154/.167 in 26 plate appearances in September.

Where do they go from here?

Norris is arbitration eligible for the second season this year, and after making $2.92 million in 2016, he’ll likely see a modest raise to the $4-5 million area next year. While that would not exactly break the bank, depending on the outcome of Wil Myers‘ first-year arbitration case, that could leave Norris as the second highest-paid player on the Padres behind Tyson Ross (who was paid $9.62 million in 2016 and can only be discounted 20 percent in arbitration even after missing nearly all of 2016, so at minimum will make ~$7.7 million). The Padres could see that as too expensive and decide to turn over the catching duties to Hedges with help from Sanchez and Bethancourt. The issue is that those 14 home runs were significant on the team that has few power sources that can be counted on in 2017, so the team may want to keep Norris for that purpose, leaving Bethancourt or Hedges as possible offseason trade chips.

Furthering all of this confusion, the Padres have a young catcher in their system, Austin Allen, who tore up the Midwest League this year offensively and earned a promotion to AA to finish the season. He’s a power-hitting catcher with a good arm that could end up moving quickly as well, and the Padres need to know where they’re headed with guys like Bethancourt and Hedges when Allen begins to knock on the door.

Next: Starting Rotation

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