The San Diego Padres have been annual cellar-dwellers in the NL West for the last eight years. However, in yet another bold offseason move today, the Padres signed free agent pitcher James Shields to a 4-year deal.
Today’s free agent signing of James Shields is another statement being made to show that the Padres are serious about the 2015 season and beyond.
The offseason spending spree for the Padres has been very aggressive, as they have spent millions on free agents and making big trades. Matt Kemp,Justin Upton, Derek Norris, Will Middlebrooks, Wil Myers, Brandon Morrow, Shawn Kelly, Josh Johnson, and Brandon Maurer have all joined the Padres this offseason.
With the addition of James Shields, the Padres starting rotation ( alongside Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner, and Ian Kennedy) is quite formidable. Not to mention the boost in offense with the additions of Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, and Wil Myers.
The Padres now more than ever have the makings of a playoff caliber team. On the other hand, over the last eight seasons the Padres have missed the playoffs by an average of 15 games. And considering San Diego hasn’t made a postseason appearance in eight years, they are due.
On paper the Padres look poised to compete for the NL West Title, but if the chemistry is not there, they will come up short yet again. The correct formula for the MLB postseason is always hard to come by, and that should come as no surprise to the Padres, no matter how many star players they add.
Follow Matt on Twitter: @SprayBall
matthewsprayberry
I am a huge fan of my wife's irrational hatred of Paul Giamatti, my wonderful daughter, baseball, old school wrasslin', movies, and friends. Dislikes? People who drive slow in the left lane, TV shows starring George Lopez, Buzzfeed quizzes, and Caillou (Geez that kid is annoying!).
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