GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- There's some legitimate star power in the heart of the Padres' lineup this year. Manny Machado, Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer anchor a revamped offense that could be the best in San Diego in more than a decade. It's an offense filled with big names and big-name

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres made a few decisions regarding their wide-open rotation race on Monday morning. They also opened the door for a few other questions to be asked. Righty prospect Chris Paddack had his start pushed back a day, meaning Robbie Erlin took the ball Monday in Goodyear

Many of the game’s top prospects had a chance to gain experience and show what they could do against Major League competition during Spring Training, but Opening Day is near, and teams are whittling down their rosters. Most of the prospects remaining in camp are either already assured of a

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Padres right-hander Jacob Nix will almost certainly miss the start of the season after his ailing right elbow flared up on Monday while he was playing catch. Nix reported some minor soreness Wednesday, the morning after his most recent start, and he was shut down shortly thereafter.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Third-base prospect Hudson Potts arrived in Peoria last month with little chance to break camp with the Padres. Then, four days after the full squad reported, Manny Machado arrived, cementing that fact. Indeed, the 20-year-old Potts will not break with the big league club. He was reassigned

Some of us own too many baseball jerseys. We're suckers for it. I own more than I care to admit. But of course, a great jersey is so much more than just an article of clothing. I actually buy a new one every year. With that in mind, we take

The Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., MLB's No. 2 overall prospect, got off to a slow start in 2018, hitting just .177 in April, but picked it up in May (.336), June (.330) and July (.295) before a fractured left thumb prematurely ended his season. He returned to action in the

PEORIA, Ariz. -- There's at least one place available in the San Diego starting five right now. Possibly as many as three. Sitting squarely on the rotation bubble are lefty Logan Allen and righty Cal Quantrill, and with 35 miles separating them Saturday, the two prospects took the mound in

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Padres right-hander Jacob Nix has been shelved with soreness in his right arm, throwing an unfortunate wrench into the team's rotation battle. Nix threw one inning Tuesday against Oakland before the game was canceled due to rain, and he pitched three more simulated frames in a nearby

Spring Training statistics, as a rule, should never be taken seriously. Last spring's standout performers, for example, included Jose Pirela, Cheslor Cuthbert and Carlos Asuaje. But while statistics this time of year can be cartoonish, perhaps there are lessons we can take away from players who either set new bars

PEORIA, Ariz. -- In each of his first three seasons as Padres manager, Andy Green sat down with his coaching staff early in spring and meticulously mapped a plan for his Opening Day starter. The idea was to get that starter into an every-five-days progression before his first outing of

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres don't think you're using the right conjunction to describe their long-term catching situation. It isn't Austin Hedges or Francisco Mejía . It's Austin Hedges and Francisco Mejia.

PHOENIX -- It'd been 15 days since Eric Lauer last appeared in a Cactus League game. "Been a while," Lauer quipped Friday afternoon after facing the Brewers. "Too long." Sure didn't look like it.

Cardinals’ fans got an encouraging glimpse of the future on Saturday as four members of the Cardinals Top 30 Prospects list drove in runs in an 8-5 win over the Nationals. Nolan Gorman, the Cardinals’ No. 2 prospect and first-round pick (19th overall) from the 2018 Draft, made his presence

PEORIA, Ariz. -- If Luis Perdomo breaks camp with the Padres, it won't be as a starter. It might not even be as a long man. Lately, the Padres have begun experimenting with Perdomo as a one-inning option out of their bullpen. They want to see Perdomo use his slider

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Starting Wednesday, the Padres have three trips through their spring rotation remaining before the season begins with a March 28 showdown against the Giants. San Diego entered camp with 12 pitchers in the mix, and thus far, only two have been ruled out. Luis Perdomo is being

Any talk of Spring Training performances must be prefaced with the “small sample size” caveat. Good or bad, Grapefruit and Cactus League numbers don’t necessarily correlate to regular-season production. But for prospects in big league camp, even those not competing for spots on the Major League roster, getting at-bats or

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have negotiated a series of rule changes that will go into effect over the next two seasons. Subject to ratification by all 30 clubs, the changes will affect everything from reliever roles to roster size to the way trades are conducted to

TEMPE, Ariz. -- This spring, Chris Paddack is facing big league hitters for the first time in his life. It's worth remembering that fact. Because it sure doesn't look like it. With another dominant performance in Wednesday night's 9-3 win over the Angels, Paddack moved into the Spring Training strikeouts

Get ready for Election Day, baseball style. Democracy is coming to the diamond, as are several other alterations associated with the Midsummer Classic. As part of a series of rule changes jointly announced by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association on Thursday, the All-Star Game fan voting process

This year, when baseball's biggest sluggers put their light-tower power on display at the Home Run Derby, there's going to be a million dollars on the line. The 2019 Home Run Derby winner will get a $1 million prize, Major League Baseball announced Thursday, part of a multifaceted deal with

The Royals have made it perfectly clear that they plan to attack the 2019 season behind speed and defense, because they've said exactly as much. "How are you going to win in our ballpark without speed and defense?" general manager Dayton Moore asked rhetorically in February. Earlier in the month,

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres break camp in two weeks -- meaning they’ll have that long to answer critical questions about their rotation, their bullpen, their bench and their catching situation. You, the reader, asked a number of those questions this week. In the first Inbox of the Manny Machado

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Over the course of his record-setting contract, Manny Machado will hit his share of memorable home runs in a Padres uniform. His first? It came on a rain-soaked night in Peoria, in a game that was called before the end of the first inning. Technically, because of