The Padres defeated the Los Angeles Angels 10-3 on Thursday at home at Petco Park. It was a comfortable win for the Padres, who improved to 39-46 on the season.
Blake Snell, who has been pitching well as of late, and the offense, which has had its ups and downs as of late but is still showing some flashes of brilliance, set the tone early with three runs in the first inning. Xander Bogaerts, the team’s starting shortstop, opened the scoring in the first inning.
Kim Ha-seong led off with a single, but Soto grounded out to end the inning. Tatis Jr. then walked to put runners on second and third, and it looked like San Diego’s offense was going to be lethargic. But Machado rekindled the flames with a single up the middle, and Bogart blasted a three-run homer that set the tone for the rest of the game. The power of a home run.
After hitting his ninth home run of the season, Bogaerts finished the day 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. It was the long ball San Diego wanted from Bogaerts, and the kind of power he had shown earlier in the season, but it’s too early to rest on his laurels. Bogaerts’ performance this season is far from a one-game wonder. It’s certainly not what the team expected.
In 79 games this season, the All-Star shortstop is batting .259 with nine home runs, 31 RBIs, and an OPS of .740. That’s well below his career batting average (.290) and career OPS (.810). His defense has remained relatively solid, but the offense hasn’t quite been what San Diego was hoping for when they acquired him. After a strong start to April, he struggled in May (.546 OPS) and June (.699 OPS).
This is what San Diego envisioned when they invested $280 million over 11 years in Bogaerts. Maximize the offense by moving Fernando Tatis Jr. from shortstop to the outfield, where he was burdened by frequent shoulder dislocations and eventually underwent surgery. The idea was to keep the All-Star caliber Bogaerts at shortstop and move Ha-Sung Kim, who filled in for Tatis Jr. last year, to second base, while utilizing him at every position in the infield.
We were hoping to get a “booster” effect on both offense and defense, but it hasn’t worked out that way. With Bogaerts struggling on offense due to a wrist injury, the expected synergy hasn’t happened. According to Fangraphs, Bogaerts’ adjusted wRC+ this year is 109, a significant drop from last year’s 134. On the other hand, Kim Ha-seong, who moved to second base because of Bogaerts, has a wRC+ of 112. If anything, the offense is better with Ha-Sung Kim.
Bogaerts is clearly a good player, and he deserves more than $20 million a year. He’s not going to stay there. But the investment is a whopping $280 million. Based on his current performance, San Diego might have been better off just keeping him at shortstop and investing that $280 million elsewhere. This is because Kim has been as good as Bogaerts on offense and defense, and it would be difficult to move him to a defensive position in the future, given that he’s only ever played shortstop. Then there’s Manny Machado at third base, who is also a super long-term contract.카지노
San Diego has a lot of money to spend. After this season, closer Josh Hader is eligible for free agency. After 2024, Juan Soto, a key hitter and a potential $400 million-plus total, and Ha-Sung Kim, who has become an integral part of the team, are also free agents.
It’s going to take money to get them, and spending $280 million on Bogaerts drastically reduced their payroll liquidity. How this investment will be remembered and finalized will depend on Bogart’s bat. If Bogut struggles, the investment may not have the expected impact and key players may leave the team.