San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are hoping to build off their success in 2020 by reportedly agreeing to a deal with South Korean star Ha-Seong Kim, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

ESPN's Buster Olney previously reported the Padres were "taking a serious run" at the 25-year-old shortstop. 

The reported addition of Kim comes as San Diego is closing in on getting Blake Snell. Lin, Josh Tolentino and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Padres have an agreement in place with the Tampa Bay Rays to acquire the 2018 American League Cy Young winner for Luis Patino, Francisco Mejia, Blake Hunt and Cole Wilcox

Kim made his debut in the Korean Baseball Organization as an 18-year-old in 2014. He was originally a third-round draft pick by the Nexen Heroes and spent five seasons with the team. 

Over the past two years, Kim (5'10", 172 lbs) has been the starting shortstop for the Kiwoom Heroes. He ranked 11th in OPS (.920), 12th in on-base percentage (.397) and 20th in batting average (.306) in 138 games during the 2020 season. 

In May, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America named Kim as the top Major League Baseball prospect playing in the KBO: 

"He is a good athlete with good instincts at the position and has the average arm strength to stay on the left side of the infield. He projects to be an above-average hitter and has enough power to hit 12-15 home runs per year in the majors. Kim is likely to face an adjustment period at the plate when he first arrives in the U.S., but he has the athleticism and twitch to adjust and eventually hit major league velocity."

The Padres aren't lacking for infielders at the moment. Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. finished in the top four in NL MVP voting last season. Jake Cronenworth was the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up after posting an .831 OPS in 54 games. 

Cronenworth primarily plays second base, but he played multiple infield positions last season. Kim will presumably be asked to play second base if he signs with the Padres because Tatis is entrenched at shortstop. 

The San Diego Padres are gearing up for another playoff run.

On Monday, Dennis Lin, Josh Tolentino and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Padres agreed to acquire starting pitcher Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Luis Patino, Francisco Mejia, Blake Hunt and Cole Wilcox, pending medical reviews.

That means Snell will join an already-formidable rotation for the next two years, as ESPN's Jeff Passan pointed out:

Padres 2021 Rotation

• Blake Snell
• Dinelson Lamet
• Zach Davies
• Chris Paddack
• MacKenzie Gore/Joey Lucchesi/Adrian Morejon/Ryan Weathers

Padres 2022 Rotation

• Blake Snell
• Dinelson Lamet
• Mike Clevinger
• Chris Paddack
• MacKenzie Gore/Joey Lucchesi/Adrian Morejon/Ryan Weathers

It should be noted Mike Clevinger will miss the 2021 season because of Tommy John surgery but is scheduled to return for the 2022 campaign and add another formidable arm to the rotation.

The Padres made the playoffs in the shortened 2020 season, which was their first postseason appearance since the 2006 campaign. They also have won just one playoff series since they went to the World Series in 1998.

They have a win-now roster in place with Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and a starting rotation with a high ceiling after the addition of Snell to a group that already had Dinelson Lamet and Zach Davies.

Snell won the 2018 American League Cy Young Award when he was on the Rays and finished the 2020 campaign with a 3.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 63 strikeouts in 50 innings. He also pitched well in the playoffs with a 3.03 ERA and helped lead the Rays to the World Series.

While his Fall Classic will be best remembered for Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash's decision to pull him early in the team's Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Snell is a postseason-tested veteran who can anchor San Diego's rotation into October.

Having him available with some of the younger players and forming a one-two punch with Clevinger in 2022 should help the Padres compete with the Dodgers and others in the National League West.

The San Diego Padres are desperately looking for starting pitching after Mike Clevinger was shut down for the season to recover from a second Tommy John surgery, but the hunt for his replacement hasn't been easy.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the team is considering trading to secure an arm, and they've chatted with the Chicago Cubs about a deal for ace Yu Darvish, who was the runner-up to Trevor Bauer for the NL Cy Young Award in 2020.

Acee reported that there's mixed indication regarding "how far along those talks are." 

Darvish, who finished with 123 points in the Cy Young voting compared to Bauer's 201, went 8-3 through 12 starts in 2020, with 93 strikeouts and 14 walks en route to a 2.01 ERA. He earned seven consecutive wins while giving up one run or less from July 31 to Sept. 4 of this year. 

After an injury-plagued 2018, Darvish struggled through the first half of 2019, compiling a 5.01 ERA. After the All-Star break, he composed a 2.76 ERA and fanned 118 with seven walks through 81.2 innings. 

With Clevinger sidelined, the Padres will promote Dinelson Lamet (3-1, 2.09 ERA, 93 SO, 20 BB in 2020) to the top starter, followed by Zach Davies, who was traded to San Diego from Milwaukee last year, and third-year starter Chris Paddack. 

The Padres were among the teams considered to be finalists in landing 28-year-old Japanese star Kohei Arihara but joined the Boston Red Sox in losing out when he signed a two-year deal worth between $6 million and $7 million with the Texas Rangers on Friday.

San Diego is also considering Tomoyuki Sugano, a two-time MVP in Japan's Central League, though the 31-year-old reportedly carries a more expensive price tag than Arihara and must sign with a MLB team before Jan. 7. 

The San Diego Padres are reportedly a "possible suitor" if the Chicago Cubs decide to trade starting pitcher Yu Darvish before the 2021 season. 

Jon Morosi of the MLB Network reported the news Wednesday:

Although Darvish's name has been floated in trade talks, the chances of him actually being moved by Chicago are "very low," a source told the MLB Network's Jon Heyman on Monday.

Darvish is coming off a terrific 2020 campaign. He posted a 2.01 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 93 strikeouts in 76 innings across 12 starts during the coronavirus-shortened season.

The strong numbers represented something closer to what the Cubs expected when they signed him to a six-year, $126 million contract in February 2018. He posted a modest 4.16 ERA in 39 appearances across his first two years in Chicago, including a 2018 season hampered by injuries.

"I feel weird," Darvish told Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago in August. "Most people when you get old, you lose [velocity] and a lot of stuff, but I feel really good, more than when I was 25, 26. So I feel weird."

The 34-year-old Japan native is under contract through 2023, and the Cubs are once again a strong bet to make the playoffs, so it's hard to imagine there's any urgency to trade a starter with ace-level stuff.

That said, the Padres do make a lot of sense should Chicago's front office begin to rework the roster following the departure of former president of baseball operations Theo Epstein.

San Diego emerged as a championship contender last season thanks to an offense led by Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Wil Myers. Dinelson Lamet and Zach Davies were formidable leading the starting staff, and Chris Paddack should bounce back from his 4.73 ERA, but the rotation could still use a boost.

Acquiring Darvish without giving up any of the prospects who've already graduated to key roles on the major league roster may be the type of move that could help the Padres overcome the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the race for the National League pennant.

Even without that type of blockbuster, San Diego is still right there with L.A. and the Atlanta Braves as the top teams in the NL heading into 2021.

San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham is reportedly suing the Pacers Showgirls International strip club after he was stabbed in the establishment's parking lot Oct. 11, according to TMZ Sports. 

Per that report, Pham was attempting to get to his car to leave after a fight had broken out in the parking lot. As he did, people in the fight confronted him, and when he moved one of them out of his way, he was stabbed. Pham is suing the establishment, saying its employees "escalated the risk by participating in the fight and antagonizing."

Pham said he had been "trapped inside the business" initially due to the fight and that nobody who worked there called the police, but eventually, he tried to reach the valet to get to his car once it was clear to him the fight wasn't subsiding. 

He said once he did, he was stabbed "without any provocation" and suffered "catastrophic injuries" that he will argue in court have damaged his "earning capacity as an elite professional baseball player."

He is both suing the establishment, its employees and security team for negligence and negligent hiring and supervision, seeking damages, and suing the people in the fight for battery. 

Police said Pham's wound from the stabbing was 12 inches long and five inches wide, leaving his shirt drenched in blood. 

Pham, 32, appeared in 31 games for the Padres last season, hitting .211 with three homers and 11 RBI. 

Speculation about Theo Epstein's future has picked up in the wake of Ron Fowler reportedly stepping down as executive chairman of the San Diego Padres. 

Per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Fowler has stepped down and Peter Seidler will take over as the team's control person. 

USA Today's Bob Nightengale noted Epstein "has told friends he'd love to be involved in ownership and has had eyes on San Diego."

On Tuesday, Epstein stepped down as president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. Jed Hoyer, who has been the team's general manager since October 2011, will take over Epstein's role. 

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Epstein told family and friends in a letter that he plans to sit out the 2020 season with a plan to get back in Major League Baseball at some point. 

"I do plan on having a third chapter leading a baseball organization someday, though I do not expect it to be next year," Epstein wrote.

According to Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark of The Athletic, Epstein could attempt to form an ownership group "with like-minded people and/or longtime associates, then attempt to purchase a club."

There have been increased rumors that teams with an opening in their front office, including the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, could make a play for Epstein now that he's a free agent. 

One executive told Rosenthal and Stark that Epstein is "the obvious name" for both teams.

The New York native, who grew up in Massachusetts, is one of the most highly regarded front-office executives in Major League Baseball. The 46-year-old was the chief architect in building the rosters for the World Series-winning Boston Red Sox in 2004 and 2007 as well as the 2016 Cubs team that ended the franchise's 108-year title drought. 

During his nine-year run with the Cubs from 2011-20, the franchise made the playoffs five times. 

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Mike Clevinger will likely miss the 2021 MLB season because of Tommy John surgery.

General manager A.J. Preller announced Monday that Clevinger will undergo the procedure. The two sides also agreed to a two-year contract that will cover the right-hander's remaining arbitration years.

MLB.com's AJ Cassavell provided the details:

This is the second time the 29-year-old will have had Tommy John surgery, undergoing the procedure in 2012 as a prospect within the Los Angeles Angels' organization.

The Padres acquired Clevinger from the Cleveland Indians in August as they prepared for the stretch run and postseason. He made four starts, allowing six earned runs and striking out 19 batters in 19 innings.

As the playoffs approached, his availability was thrown into significant doubt because of a lingering elbow problem. He returned for Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers but exited after making 24 pitches.

Losing Clevinger is a big blow for the Padres as they attempt to take another step forward in 2021 after getting swept by the Dodgers. Between 2018 and 2019, he ranked 12th among starters in WAR (8.7) despite only making 53 starts, per FanGraphs.

San Diego already needed to address the back end of its rotation, and that's especially true now.

Even with the questions that will linger about Clevinger in 2022 and beyond, buying out his final year of arbitration makes sense. Assuming he's fully recovered by then, the Padres will have an entire season to determine whether they're prepared to offer him a long-term extension.

Clevinger's $6.5 million salary could prove to be a massive bargain, and it won't put a huge dent in San Diego's payroll if he's unable to recapture what made him one of the American League's best pitchers with Cleveland.

San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano was reportedly arrested in Georgia on Saturday and charged with felony marijuana possession after police said they found 79 grams of marijuana in his vehicle, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

Per that report, "Georgia law states possession of more than one ounce (28.35 grams) of marijuana is a felony and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. (In California, possession of 79 grams would be considered a misdemeanor and be punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a $500 fine.)"

The police report also stated that Campusano was arrested for and charged with the "purchase/possession/manufacture/distribution/sale/controlled (substance)."

The 22-year-old catcher appeared in just one game for the Padres this season, hitting a home run and scoring two runs in that contest. He also appeared in one postseason game for the team. In three seasons at the minor league level, he hit .304 with 22 homers, 146 RBI and 97 runs. 

Per MLB.com, Campusano is the team's No. 4 prospect behind pitcher MacKenzie Gore, shortstop CJ Abrams and pitcher Luis Patino. The 2017 second-round pick is also considered the No. 46 prospect overall in baseball. 

Per the MLB.com scouting report, "scouts like his chances of becoming at least an above-average hitter, especially after he demonstrated a tighter, more advanced approach in 2019," though it added that his "defense lags behind his bat, but he has the requisite athleticism and tools to stick behind the plate."

"We were recently notified of the arrest of Luis Campusano in his hometown of Augusta, Ga. this past weekend," the team said in a statement. "We are gathering information and have been in contact with MLB and local authorities. As this is a pending legal matter, we will not have any further comment at this time."

Fernando Tatis Jr. has played only 143 career games, but the San Diego Padres are already thinking about locking him up for the future.

"With Tatis, I think everybody's been up front that the job is to get talented players and individuals that fans love to see play that lead to a winning situation," Padres general manager A.J. Preller told reporters Wednesday. "Then, you want to keep those guys in the city. He's expressed interest. I know we'll go down that path."

Tatis is under control through the 2024 season, so there doesn't necessarily have to be any urgency from the team to get a deal done. However, it would behoove the Padres to pay it forward with Tatis to buy out his arbitration years and perhaps first two or three seasons of potential free agency.

Tatis could be just 25 years old hitting the open market, at which point he'd probably be in line for one of the biggest contracts in MLB history.

The 21-year-old hit .277/.366/.571 with 17 home runs and 45 runs batted in, along with 11 steals, in 2020. His 2.9 wins above replacement ranked fourth among all batters, per FanGraphs, and he'll likely wind up finishing in the top five of MVP voting.

Preller said the shortened nature of the season did not allow much time for contract negotiations.

"It was just such a short season and such a sprint to the finish line that I don't think there was a lot in the middle of all of that for trying to put a contract negotiation in there," Preller said. "We'll start to look more seriously at that here this offseason, and it sounds like there's interest on both sides, so we'll see where that goes."

San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham underwent surgery for a stab wound in his lower back he suffered during an altercation Sunday.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the news, noting sources said Pham was stabbed after asking people he did not know who were arguing to move away from his car.

"We are aware of the incident last night involving Tommy Pham," the Padres said in a statement. "He was treated at UC San Diego Health and is currently in good condition. He is expected to make a full recovery. The San Diego Police Department is actively investigating the incident and we will have no further comment at this time."

Acee also shared Pham's statement:

"I'd like to thank the incredible medical staff at UC San Diego Health for taking such great care of me last night. I truly appreciate the hard work of the (San Diego Police Department) as well as they continue their search for the suspects. While it was a very traumatic and eye-opening experience for me, I'm on the road to recovery and I know I'll be back to my offseason training routine in no time."

Pham has been in the Major Leagues since 2014 and has played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Padres.

This was his first season in San Diego, and he slashed .211/.312/.312 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 31 games while helping lead the team to the playoffs. He was more effective in a small sample size in the postseason with a .375/.400/.458 slash line, one RBI and three stolen bases in six games.

Pham is under contract with the Padres through the 2021 season.