The situation in September? The Padres now are a mixed bag of treats, apples, toothbrushes and razor blades, and you just pray for that candy bar in the end. Since the trades that netted us Soto, Bell, Drury, and Hader, here are the report cards so far.
Hader: D-
His last few outings have redeemed him somewhat, but there's no doubt that, in our latest round of horse trading, we might have been dealt a horse that took a bullet somewhere. His erratic stretch in Milwaukee at the end was no aberration, Hader was all over the place when he first came here. Without a steady closer (which never happened in San Diego until Rogers, who is equally horrific in Milwaukee) in the playoffs, our chances are dim.
Soto: D
Sorry, Juan (plus agent), but nobody is going to shell out 500 million big ones for six extra bases in 99 at bats. Although his OBP is still at around .400, it does us no good if there is nobody behind him who can drive him in consistently. The jury is still out on this trade, but I sure hope he comes around starting today. This is when games count the most. No worries, Juan, Padres fans are patient. We'll take a three-home run game against the Dodgers as down payment. That, or a World Series title. We're not too greedy, you see.
Bell: D
Although I believe Bell is starting to come around, the ugly numbers who just won't pipe it down read .193 batting average, plus three home runs in 32 games. Cue the loud droning sound of a buzzer when the candidate misses an answer. His walks still have him at a .324 OBP, but that won't win any games in September, let alone October. Bell will be a free agent following this season, but his performance will still matter down the stretch. We need Bell and Soto to clean things up, like yesterday.
Drury: D
Arguably our best pickup so far, but still underachieving. .220 average, plus a .262 OBP equal an out machine. Some timely homers when he first got here, plus a flexibility in the field endeared him to Friar fans, although he is looking more and more like a utility guy moving forward. Drury seems like he can be the DH on the days he doesn't play in the field. Again, we'll have a final grade after the final game.
Granted, we are well on our way to making the postseason, but to win in the postseason, we will need better efforts. Otherwise, I don't see the Gm keeping his job beyond this year. At this point, we're a five or six seed, nothing more.
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