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About 10 days from now, the Padres' plane will be touching down in Korea ahead of their season-opening Seoul Series against the Dodgers.
Baseball season is coming quickly. Here are a few thoughts as Week 4 of Padres camp gets underway.
1. If San Diego’s front office is feeling increased urgency ahead of the team's trip to Korea, it's certainly not showing. I put together my second Opening Day roster projection on Sunday, and I'd argue that this roster still has eight spots up for grabs: two in the rotation, one in the bullpen, two in the outfield and three more on the bench.
The Padres aren't going to sign eight players. But it's conceivable they'd look to add two or three. In that regard, the looming Korea trip doesn't seem to faze team decision-makers.
Nor should it. The Padres shouldn't rush into a trade or a signing just because their season starts eight days before the rest of the league. I get the sense the Padres are content to be patient.
2. The outfield race is getting interesting. I still think there's at least one more addition to come. I can't tell you whether that's a center fielder or a DH/corner type. But the Padres are looking to add another bat.
Still, the current race has been intriguing. José Azocar's strong performance has seemingly entrenched him in his usual fourth or fifth outfield spot. Jakob Marsee is off to a nice start, making a case for a platoon with Azocar in center. Jackson Merrill's transition has been seamless. Non-roster invitees Óscar Mercado and Cal Mitchell have shown well. New signing Tim Locastro has five hits in six at-bats since his arrival.
"It's great, isn't it?" said manager Mike Shildt. "I mean, we came into the camp with really open spots and competition. ... Listen, there are going to be some hard decisions, but I welcome that. They've done a nice job."
3. There are bench jobs galore, and those bench jobs will go to bench players. Not prospects.
Shildt conceded as much Sunday when I asked about the potential downside to some of his younger players not getting regular reps while on the bench.
"If guys are just breaking into the big leagues, we feel like they'll probably need to play, they'd probably need to be more everyday-type players," Shildt said.
Here’s guessing that statement applies specifically to Merrill, Marsee and Graham Pauley. They'll need to win everyday roles -- or at least be on the bulk side of a platoon. Otherwise, they seem destined for the Minors.
4. If Michael King's spring showing translates to the regular season, the Padres might end up feeling pretty good about the Juan Soto trade. King has been perhaps the most impressive arm in camp.
King hasn't allowed a run over two starts. In both of those starts, he was so efficient that he threw extra pitches in the bullpen afterward. King was also excellent prior to those starts while working on the Peoria Sports Complex back fields.
If King develops into a front-of-the-rotation weapon -- and if Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish can stay healthy -- the Padres have a formidable top three.
5. For everything Soto could do at the plate, he wasn’t much of a left fielder. In fact, I think I’ve seen enough from Merrill already to think he’s an upgrade defensively. Still, I’d be wary about Merrill as a regular center fielder. It’s too important a position.
It’s useful that Merrill is getting reps in center. If he were to make the roster as a left fielder, there’s value in being able to move to center late in a game, when the need arises. But if Merrill is on the Opening Day roster, I still see left field as his likeliest position.