Written by: Raphie Cantor

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Order! Order! Order!

*bangs baseball bat on desk*

Padres Trade Court™️ is now in session.

As the offseason has dragged on, the hot stove, which Padres GM AJ Preller was almost exclusively fueling, has now gone cold. The fertile free agent pitching market, which many speculated the Padres would be harvesting like a kid on Farmville with their parents’ credit card, has been plucked clean of its fruit.

Furthermore, the addition of Tommy Pham (among others) via trade has certainly brought the Padres closer to contention. But it’d be a stretch to say that the team currently assembled has a shot at knocking the juggernaut Dodgers off the top of the NL West in 2020.

With that in mind, there’s only one way to make this team better, and there’s only one way to know how. I present to you, The Friar Faithful Padres Trade Court™️.

The idea is simple. Player X has to survive this sacred court in order to wear the new luscious brown and gold Padres uniforms. It is the prosecution’s job to make a rigorous case as to why Player X should be traded, and how that would help the Padres in the short or long term. Meanwhile, the defense must make the case for how Player X remaining within the organization makes the team better.

Each side has two jobs that must be balanced when making a case. A prosecutor can argue that Player X is a lousy hitter, but in order to be successful, they must also argue why Player X has trade value on the market. Same goes for the defense.

All arguments must be made in good faith. The prosecution can’t make a case for say, Wil Myers for Mike Trout, straight up. We know that’s not in the realm of possibility. Likewise, the defense can’t argue that Kirby Yates has no trade value.

After finishing an article, be sure to vote on Twitter with your pick as a member of the jury. After all, it’s your civic duty.

Before our first trial, I want to establish that there are some Padres players who have been given the FFC Official No-Trade Clause, and thus are immune from Padres Trade Court™️. Some players are more obvious than others, but it would be a waste of everyone’s time to prosecute these players, as we know with near certainty that they won’t be traded away. They are:

Manny Machado -- The star of the franchise. Our three-hundred million dollar man. Aside from the fact that he carries a partial no-trade clause in his contract, this man isn’t going anywhere. And besides, with Anthony Rendon off the market and Nolan Arenado fetching a hefty trade price, there’s no way for the Padres to upgrade at the hot corner. Macha-don’t worry, Manny. You’re free to go.

Fernando Tatis Jr. -- Our Lord and Savior. The prince who was promised. The five-tool freak who somehow posted 3.6 fWAR in just 84 games last season. He can rake until your head shakes. He’s got the dives that’ll cross your eyes. He’s got five more years of team control and boy oh boy will Preller squeeze every last minute out of it. Case dismissed.

Eric Hosmer -- Eight years. A hundred and forty-four million dollars. Apparently, that’s the price of leadership, which is perhaps all Hosmer has brought to the Padres in two seasons. Because, statistically, he’s been a dud. He also carries a full no-trade clause in his contract through the remainder of this season. Therefore, Hosmer will avoid PTC for now, but there’s always next year.

Chris Paddack -- The Sheriff. The fiery Texan who blew scouts away with video game-like numbers throughout his time in the minors, and catapulted into the majors with an electric start to 2019. While outings later in the season saw some of his counting stats take a beating before being shut down due to an innings restriction, Paddack showed flashes of sheer dominance in his rookie season. As noted earlier, this Padres rotation lacks a true ace. Most see No.1 prospect Mackenzie Gore as heir apparent to that role, but if Paddack can make some key adjustments, like developing his curveball, he’ll have more success facing hitters a third time through the order, and therefore be able to chew up more innings down the stretch. While Dan Szymborski’s excellent ZiPS projections have Paddack putting up a respectable 2.6 fWAR (and a comparison to Mike Mussina), the projected innings pitched used to calculate that figure are less than 160. Should Paddack come closer to 200 IP, there’s no reason why he can’t hit the 3 WAR mark. No-trade clause for you, Christopher. Besides, who better to be the Padres Trade Court™️ bailiff than a sheriff?

Mackenzie Gore -- We invoked the man’s name already, so why not discuss him now? Gore is the Padres consensus No.1 prospect, and currently ranks fourth on the MLB Pipeline Top 100 list. Gore utterly dominated High-A ball, putting up a gravity-defying 0.71 WHIP over 79 IP, and coupling that with a 38.2% K-rate. His numbers took a step back when he was promoted to AA, but we can give Gore the benefit of sample-size doubt here, as he barely threw more than 20 IP before being shut down. He’s been given a 60 FV rating by the folks at Fangraphs, with a plus-plus changeup and blossoming command projecting as his best attributes. Most pundits believe Gore will be called-up by the end of 2020, and if that’s the case, he could provide much needed relief for a tired rotation late in the season. Gore could be the lynchpin of a dominant Padres rotation in the 2020s. There’s simply nothing to be gained in the short term that could outweigh Gore’s future contribution to the organization. Big Mac, kick back. You’re dismissed.

Tommy Pham -- It may seem obvious that Pham finds himself on the FFC Official No-Trade Clause list. After all, it was just a few weeks ago that the Padres gave up slugger and Gold Glove snub Hunter Renfroe, as well as No.5 prospect Xavier Edwards in exchange for Pham and utility man Jake Cronenworth. But with AJ Preller and his, ahem, out-of-the-box persona at the helm of the Padres’ decision making, it wouldn’t be shocking to see a player acquired in the offseason dealt before ever putting on a Padres uniform. However, I believe Pham is safe for a couple reasons. First, the man is simply an on-base machine. His career .373 on-base percentage (OBP) would put him at 10th overall on the Padres all-time list if he had played his entire career in San Diego. Meanwhile, the Padres were ranked 26th in the MLB in OBP in 2019, and they were dead last in 2018 with an abysmal .297 team OBP. Pham slots in perfectly to the two-spot in the line-up, right behind Tatis Jr. at leadoff and before Machado in the three-spot. Ideally, these three hitters will provide scary offense at the top of the line up that can be buttressed with left-handed hitting support below them. From a defensive standpoint, Pham has left field locked up, and solves one-third of the Padres’ outfield logjam mystery. His presence theoretically allows a Trent Grisham/Wil Myers platoon in right field, an idea we have yet to hear if new manager Jayce Tingler will embrace. Tommy Pham, you’re phree to go.

If my math is correct, I count only six players on the FFC Official No-Trade List, which means there are 34 remaining on the Padres’ 40-man roster who could face the crucible of Padres Trade Court™️. Follow us on Twitter to see who will face trial first. But for now, the court is adjourned.

Credit to Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports for the Featured Image