San Diego Padres have decisions to make following disappointing season

In today’s major league baseball, there is no worse feeling for fans than cheering for teams who are trapped in the “retooling” process. Each season guarantees the result of a squad that finishes slightly above .500 for their effort.

This could best describe the San Diego Padres. Given how poorly they have played (25-40) since the All-Star break. Once, the Padres had a firm grip on the National League second wild-card berth. But that chase ended with their elimination from the postseason last weekend. So, the next question asked is should Padres fire general manager A.J. Preller, manager Jayce Tingler or both after the 2021 season.

The lone person who can answer this question is Padres chairman Peter Seidler. Let’s take a closer look at his options:

Preller is the Chief Designer of the 2021 San Diego Padres

If the Padres are going to make changes to their organization, then Preller’s name has to first up for consideration. He is the one responsible for assembling this mess. It is still shocking to believe that Preller was reluctant to put the final touches on a playoff-contending team.

Since he was hired in August of 2014, Preller promised the Friar Faithful that he would put out a quality product on the field. Quickly, he became the “Rockstar GM” by dealing away 24 players that brought Justin Upton, Wil Myers, and Matt Kemp to San Diego. Team ownership allowed him to sign starting pitcher James Shields to a big-money free-agent contract.

Preller ended his purge on the team’s roster by acquiring Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel the day before the Padres’ season opener. Suddenly, the talk of making the playoffs became the nightly cry at Petco Park. But the lineup looked disjointed and the team fell out of contention in Mid-June.

Let’s fast forward to the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Preller was up to his old tricks again. In three days, he exchanged 26 players before the trade deadline. The moves were more than enough to put the Padres into the expanded postseason.

Did Preller’s Wheeling and Dealing Improve the San Diego Padres Roster?

Granted, the pluses might outweigh the minuses in the Preller era. He made San Diego a viable option for big-name free agents. He enticed Eric Hosmer to come on board, which snowballed into Manny Machado signing on the dotted line. The Shields signing was disastrous, but Preller was smart enough to cut his losses and trade him to the Chicago White Sox for a teenage shortstop named Fernando Tatis Jr.

However, Preller allowed several good players to escape the confines of Petco Park. Two of the more prominent names include Max Fried and Cal Quantrill, who could have been valuable additions to an injury-ridden, underperforming pitching staff this season.

No question, the wheeling and dealing helped with Preller’s rep as a baseball executive, but it failed to provide any substance to the product. He can boast no rebuild has taken place in San Diego, but the Padres aren’t a serious contender either.

Does Tingler Deserve a Third Season at the Helm?

The most valuable member of a baseball organization is the front office analytical team. They set the day’s lineup, devise the defensive alignment against the opposing team’s batting order and decide which pitchers in the bullpen are available for that night’s game.

So, what is the purpose of hiring a team manager? Oh, that is right, the front office needs a scapegoat if the players fail to meet expectations in the field. You cannot fire an algorithm if the results are disappointing.

One manager on the proverbial “hot seat” is Padres manager Jayce Tingler. Many believe he is the reason for the team’s failure this season. Yes, the same man who led the Padres to 37 wins last season and the team’s first appearance in the postseason since 2006. But the Friars have crumbled into oblivion. Suddenly, the team has been eliminated from the playoffs and endangered of finishing under .500 for the season.

The start decline in play has been alarming to all. A majority of the team’s poor play can be pinned on the never-ending string of injuries that have depleted the roster. Still, the results have been far below the mark expected for the talent on the Padres.

Construction of the San Diego Padres Lineup Comes Into Question

Tingler’s critics feel he makes odd decisions (Adam Frazier batting in the cleanup spot) with the construction of the lineup. Analytics is a great tool in determining who starts on a particular day. But do not allow it to take the human element out of the sport.

Tingler failed to show the leadership skills needed to stand up to the Padres analytics team. His lineup changes should have been predicated on what he witnessed in games. Not from the numbers shown in that day’s computer readout.

Staying with the same lineup builds confidence on the field and in the dugout. Instead, the moves made by Tingler had no rhyme or reason, which left everyone baffled.

But is it enough to show Tingler the door after one bad season? Ultimately, his fate might be tied to the man who hired him: A.J. Preller.

2021 has exposed all the blemishes and imperfections that reside on the San Diego Padres roster. How team ownership reacts to this disappointing season could determine if 2020 was nothing more than a mirage for the Friar Faithful.