Organizational report: The Padres are not rebuilding

John Perrotto | Special for USA TODAY Sports

Sports Weekly takes an in-depth look at each major league organization during the offseason, from the major leagues to the farm system. We start with teams with the worst records and move up.

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The first move A.J. Preller made when he took over as San Diego Padres general manager in August 2014 was hiring a man who had a 39-year head start on him in professional baseball.

So it is not surprising that Preller leans heavily on vice president of scouting operations Don Welke, who began his career in 1965 as a scout with the Cincinnati Reds, for advice.

“Don Welke says that first you’ve got to have ability and then you’ve got to have stability,” Preller said.

Preller is in the process of balancing those for the Padres.

He blew up the roster last offseason and made a number of trades and free agent signings that brought in recognizable names, including right-hander James Shields, closer Craig Kimbrel, catcher Derek Norris and outfielders Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Melvin Upton Jr. and Wil Myers.

A trendy pick to win the National League West, the Padres stumbled to a 74-88 record and fourth-place finish. It was their fifth consecutive losing season and seventh in the last eight years.

So Preller is having another busy offseason trying to find the right formula.

This time, though, he has been trading veterans, including Kimbrel, right-handed setup reliever Joaquin Benoit, first baseman Yonder Alonso and infielder Jedd Gyorko.

For the most part, the Padres have been getting young players back, highlighted by a four-prospect package from the Boston Red Sox for Kimbrel that included highly touted shortstop Javier Guerra and center fielder Manuel Margot. While neither will start the season in the majors, they are expected to be a big part of the future.

The Padres also landed four players in the Rule 5 draft. All must be kept on the major league roster all season or be placed on waivers and offered back to their original clubs. The 2003 Detroit Tigers are the only team to even keep as many three Rule5 players in one season.

But Preller said the Padres weren’t rebuilding.

“We’re trying to get some balance on the roster,” Preller said. “We’re trying to get more athletic players up the middle, more left-handed bats, taking some of the money we were spending on the bullpen and spreading it out throughout the organization.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a reboot, a rebuild or a retool. We’re just trying to become a better team and a better organization.”

The Padres will have a new manager, Andy Green, who spent last season as the Arizona Diamondbacks third-base coach after four seasons managing in their farm system. The Padres fired ninth-year manager Bud Black last season after a 32-33 start and then booted interim manager Pat Murphy on the last day of the season.

“He’s prepared. He studies and works at his craft,” Preller said of Green. “He’s very honest, and he’s prepared to have tough conversations with players. He’s sharp. He’s the type of person who ground through the system as a player and manager. He met the challenge, got a big-league opportunity as a coach and was part of the reason why the Diamondbacks showed so much improvement last season.”

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Where the Padres stand at each position (*prospect):

Catcher: Norris was acquired from the Oakland Athletics in a trade last winter after being selected to the All-Star Game in 2014. Norris struggled at times in switching to the NL but hit a career-high 14 home runs despite playing his home games at pitcher-friendly Petco Park. However, the 26-year-old might serve the Padres better as a trade chip in an attempt to land a shortstop. The Padres have depth behind the plate, adding two former well-regarded prospects this offseason by trading for the Atlanta Braves’ Christian Bethancourt and claiming Josmil Pinto off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. Austin Hedges is the catcher of the future but showed during his time in the majors last season that he needs more seasoning.

Depth chart: Norris, Betancourt, Pinto, Hedges, *Rocky Gale.

First base:The Padres hoped Myers’ potentially potent bat could make up for his lack of range in center field last season, but that didn’t work out. So he will move to first base in 2016 after the trade of Alonso to Oakland. Injury-plagued Myers has hit .235 with 14 home runs in a combined 147games over the last two seasons since winning the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2013 with the Tampa Bay Rays. At 25, he has plenty of time to develop, but it is also fair to question whether Myers will turn into a star or just a solid everyday player.

Depth chart: Myers, Brett Wallace, *Marcus Davis, *Trae Santos, *Ty France.

Second base: Cory Spangenberg will get a crack at full-time duty after Gyorko’s trade. The left-handed hitter was the Padres’ first-round draft pick in 2011. He hasn’t developed much power but has the ability to get on base, runs well and is a sure-handed fielder. Right-handed hitting Jose Pirela, acquired last month from the New York Yankees in a trade, is likely to spell Spangenberg against left-handed pitchers.

Depth chart: Spangenberg, Pirela, *Taylor Lindsey, *Carlos Asuaje, *Nelson Ward.

Third base: Yangervis Solarte is penciled in as the starter, but the Padres have interest in signing Nobuhiro Matsuda, a free agent from Japan. Matsuda, 32, hit a career-high 35 home runs for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks last season, but part of the power surge came from fences being brought in at his home ballpark in Osaka. Solarte has developed into a solid hitter with some power in his two major league seasons but profiles better as a super-utility player than as an everyday third baseman.

Depth chart: Solarte, *Casey McElory, *Gabriel Quintana, *Duanel Jones, *Luis Tejada.

Shortstop: Alexi Amarista also profiles better as a super-utility player, though he stands to be the opening-day shortstop if the Padres are unable to upgrade at the position. Amarista, 5-6, isn’t much of a hitter, and his strength is versatility, playing every position in the field except catcher and first base in the major leagues. Prospect Jose Rondon will begin the season with Class AA San Antonio, but Guerra will be right behind him with high-Class A Lake Elsinore (Calif.).

Depth chart: Amarista, *Rondon, *Guerra, *Roddy Giron, *Peter Van Gansen.

Left field: Jon Jay was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals for Gyorko in a winter meetings trade and is tentatively set to play left, though he could move to his natural position of center field if Melvin Upton is traded. The Padres also would like to take a look at right-handed-hitting Jabari Blash, a Rule 5 pick from the Seattle Mariners by way of a trade with the Athletics. Blash, 6-5, belted a combined 32 home runs in 116 games with Class AAA Tacoma (Wash.) and Class AA Jackson (Tenn.) last season while posting a .271 batting average and .946 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

Depth chart: Jay, *Blash, Pirela, *Nick Schulz, *Nick Torres.

Center field: Upton rejuvenated his career after the Braves forced the Padres to take his contract as part of the Kimbrel trade on the eve of the 2015 regular season. The Padres would need to eat a lot of money in order to trade Upton, as he has two years and $31.9 million left on the five-year, $72.3 million contract he signed with Atlanta. Prospects Rymer Liriano, who profiles better as a right fielder, and Travis Jankowski have seen a bit of major league time. The center fielder of the future, though, is Margot, who likely will begin next season with San Antonio.

Depth chart: Upton, *Liriano, *Jankowski, *Margot, *Alberth Martinez.

Right field: Kemp was the biggest of the big names to join the Padres before last season after being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade for catcher Yasmani Grandal, who went on to be selected to the All-Star Game. Kemp is still an effective offensive player but no longer the star-caliber hitter he was in 2011 when he was runner-up in the NL MVP voting. A string of injuries has taken its toll on Kemp, 31. Alex Dickerson won the Big Ten Conference Triple Crown while at Indiana and is one of the best pure hitters in the organization.

Depth chart: Kemp, *Liriano, *Blash, Pirela, *Dickerson.

Starting rotation: Shields generated headlines when he signed as a free agent in February, but right-hander Tyson Ross again was the Padres’ ace in 2015 despite leading the NL with 84 walks and 14 wild pitches. Ross has a 3.07 ERA in 516 2/3 innings with 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings in the three seasons since the Padres acquired him from the Athletics. Shields pitched at least 200 innings for a ninth consecutive year but turns 34 on Dec. 20, and the Padres would be willing to offload the three years and $65 million left on his contract. Shields can also opt out of the deal after next season. Right-hander Andrew Cashner has the stuff to be a No. 1 starter but didn’t pitch like one last season, though he is a strong bounce-back candidate with free agency looming after next season. Luis Perdomo, a Rule 5 pick from the Cardinals, will compete for one of two open rotation spots along with fellow righties Colin Rea, Odrisamer Despaigne and Johnny Hellweg and lefties Robbie Erlin and Drew Pomeranz.

Depth chart: RHP Ross, RHP Shields, RHP Cashner, LHP Erlin, *RHP Rea, *RHP Perdomo, RHP Despaigne, *RHP Hellweg, *RHP Justin Hancock, *RHP Elliot Morris, *RHP Ryan Butler *RHP Zech Lemond.

Bullpen: Closer is a question mark after the trades of Kimbrel and Benoit, though right-hander Brandon Maurer is likely to get first crack if the Padres don’t acquire anyone. Last season was Maurer’s first both with the Padres and as a full-time reliever. The 25-year-old made a fairly seamless transition from the rotation to the bullpen. Pomeranz, acquired from the Athletics in the Alonso trade, or Erlin figures to be the primary lefty. Right-handers Kevin Quackenbush and Nick Vincent had a leg up on being setup men. The bullpen picture is quite unsettled beyond that, though, and the Padres will try to find room for right-handed Rule 5 draftees Josh Martin (Cleveland Indians) and Blake Smith (Dodgers).

Depth chart: RHP Maurer, LHP Pomeranz, RHP Quackenbush, RHP Vincent, *RHP Martin, *RHP Smith, RHP Jon Edwards, *RHP Leonel Campos.

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Top five prospects

Excerpted from BaseballHQ.com’s 2016 Minor League Baseball Analyst. To order: baseballhq.com/mlba16.

1. Hunter Renfroe, OF: A strong hitter, Renfroe projects to be slugging right fielder, as he owns above-average power, a vicious uppercut stroke and excellent bat speed. Patient at the plate, he also swung and missed frequently in 2015 (132 strikeouts in 133 games). Renfroe exhibits good arm strength and good range in the field. At 24, he will start at Class AAA, but will likely find his way to the majors by midseason.

2. Manuel Margot, OF: Lean and quick, Margot makes easy contact and uses his good speed to wreak havoc on the bases. He profiles as a leadoff hitter, and though his power hasn’t developed (six home runs in 2015), the tools are present. He patrols center field with good range and an average arm. Margot, 21, has the chance to be an impact player and will likely join Renfroe in the outfield at Class AAA.

3. Javier Guerra, SS: Guerra, 20, is an instinctual shortstop with nimble, smooth actions and has the skills and arm to be an impact defender. He surprised in 2015 with his power, as he drove balls to all fields and hit 15 home runs. He will expand the zone and lunge at breaking balls, but moving up to high Class A in 2016, there is time for refinement.

4. Michael Gettys, OF: Gettys is a good athlete who struggled (.231 batting average with lots of strikeouts) but showed improvement by year’s end. At 19, he was young for full season Class A ball, but has the bat and foot speed to expect improvement. His pitch recognition is subpar, but he can hit the gaps with natural strength and plays excellent center field-defense with a strong arm. He will return to Class A.

5. Colin Rea, RHP: Rea is a 6-5 starter who reached the majors after a breakout season. He lacks a dominant pitch but thrives with pitch movement, deception and good angle to plate. Rea throws all of his pitches for strikes and keeps the ball low in zone. At 25, he will be strongly considered for a spot in the Padres rotation.

Jeremy Deloney