James Shields gives Padres a pulse after wild winter

Bob Nightengale | USA TODAY Sports

That 4.9 tremor felt throughout San Diego on Sunday didn't really originate in Baja California as the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

If they really do their research, they'll find it actually started at 100 Park Blvd. in San Diego.

Yep, right there in that upstairs office occupied by San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller.

The man struck again in the wee hours Sunday night, landing starting pitcher James Shields, the last prized commodity remaining in the free agent market, signing him to a four-year, $75 million contract, the largest in franchise history.

Just like that, the Padres have an ace.

And just like that, the Padres have a pulse.

The Padres, in their wildest and most fascinating offseason in franchise history, have morphed from a dull, pedestrian franchise into one of the most intriguing teams in all of baseball.

We'll soon find out whether the most expensive facelift in Southern California will result in their first postseason visit in nine years, or join those 2012 Miami Marlins in infamy.

The Marlins brought in Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell during the winter of 2011, only for management to watch in horror as they finished last in the NL East, shipping their exorbitant free agent trio out of town once the season ended.

Now, the range of opinions from Major League Baseball's finest talent evaluators cover the board, with some believing the Padres may be the favorites to win the NL West, to some convinced that they will nothing more than an underachieving mess.

An NL front office official, speaking on condition of anonymity for competitive reasons, said: "The Padres gutted their farm system and just mortgaged their first round pick for 2015. It better work because their system is now in the bottom 10, and many of these free agents are on contracts that are heavily back-loaded.''

Yet, says an AL GM: "I think they've done a great job. They're going for it. What more can you ask? I think they deserve all of the credit in the world.''

Who knows, maybe it's just jealousy, but certainly you have to admire the Padres' aggressiveness this winter. Whether it works, or doesn't work, at least they're trying. When you've got the worst offense in the major leagues, scoring 535 runs - 38 fewer than anyone in baseball last year - what's wrong with overhauling your outfield with the likes of Justin Upton, Matt Kemp and Wil Myers?

Sure, they're not going to win any Gold Gloves, but you've got three players who have a lot to prove. Upton wants to show he deserves to be the next $200 million player as a free agent next winter. Kemp is out for vengeance to show the Los Angeles Dodgers made a horrible mistake trading him. And Myers, traded twice in two years, badly wants to show he can live up to the hype that has long surrounded him.

And how can you not love the signing of Shields, one of the game's greatest competitors, who has pitched more innings than anyone in baseball since 2007. He has pitched at least 227 innings and made 33 starts or more the last four years_averaging 223 innings the last eight years. Jake Peavy is the only Padres starter to even reach that total in a single season in the last 17 years.

Yet, by taking the ball every fifth day, and refusing to give it up until he had no more to give, teams strangely used it as a detriment during the free-agent process. It became an absurdity, and certainly hypocritical. We widely praise Shields for his leadership, durability and tenacity throughout his career, but once he becomes a free agent, he's disparaged for pitching too many innings. He leads the Kansas City Royals into the playoffs, yielding a 2.48 ERA his last 13 starts, but then is mocked for having a 6.12 ERA in the postseason.

Sure, every free agent signing is a gamble, particularly at 33. The Padres spent more money on him than any player in franchise history, and are surrendering their No. 1 draft pick, 13th overall, as compensation. Yet, if you ever want to win, you've got to pay the price.

"I think they'll be pretty good this year,'' one high-ranking NL team executive said, "but I worry about them long-term. It's as if they've gone all in for the present, and plan on figuring out tomorrow, tomorrow.

"There's something to be said for that, but it's a dangerous game in a small market.''

Sure, the Padres have a lot of chips at the craps table, but they've tried the conservative approach, and it wasn't working. They haven't been relevant in nearly a decade.

No one is confusing the Padres with the 1998 New York Yankees. They've still got flaws. Their infield is weak. Their outfield defense could be hideous. And they will have plenty of strikeouts to go with the power.

Yet, they've finally got people talking, and their ticket office is bustling.

They are going for it, and aren't stopping now.

They conducted a workout Monday for 19-year-old Cuban free-agent sensation Yoan Moncada. While it appears they are now out of the Cole Hamels trade talks, with Preller as the new sheriff in town, you can never count out anything.

There's absolutely no reason they shouldn't be a legitimate contender, particularly featuring a deep rotation of Shields, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross and Ian Kennedy.

The Padres are one of the top five most improved teams entering spring training next week, joining the others whose winters have turned them from losers to contenders.

Chicago White Sox: The White Sox, after losing 188 games the last two years, made a dizzying array of moves that should scare the daylights out of the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals. They landed ace Jeff Samardzija, closer David Robertson, All-Star Melky Cabrera, and power-hitting first baseman Adam LaRoche. They should be in the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Cubs: They made the biggest splash heard 'round Lake Michigan with the hiring of manager Joe Maddon and the $155 million signing of ace Jon Lester. Yet, they also quietly made shrewd moves in the acquisition of All-Star catcher Miguel Montero, speedy outfielder Dexter Fowler and starter Jason Hammel. They may not live up to the hype - with young kids having the tendency to do the darndest things - but even with the powerful St. Louis Cardinals back for more in the NL Central, they should at least contend for a wild-card berth.

Boston Red Sox: They are the American League's version of the Giants, and could go from last to first to last to first again. They may not have an ace, unless they're willing to part with catcher Blake Swihart for Hamels, but have plenty of depth by adding Rick Porcello, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson to the rotation. And, oh, how they improved their offense by shelling out $183 million for Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. They're the favorites in the AL East.

Miami Marlins: OK, I'll go ahead and say it. I'm picking the Marlins to be in the World Series. They'll probably have to get into the playoffs as a wild-card team with the powerful Washington Nationals, but they grabbed an ace in Mat Latos, a durable starter in Dan Haren, and rebuilt their infield with Martin Prado, Dee Gordon and Michael Morse. Don't forget, they'll have ace Jose Fernandez back sometime this summer, too.

Congrats on your winter, gentlemen.

See y'all in October.

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