As the season slips away from the Hops, they made a trading deadline transaction that will determine the course of the franchise for a long time. First baseman and slugger, Miguel "Angel" Ortiz, and staff ace, Elvis Sharp, were dealt to the Montreal Bandits for pitchers, Del Hubble, Jesus Feliciano, Angel Reyes, left fielder Justin Davis, SS Zale Kountouroudas (fit THAT on the back of a jersey), and for salary considerations, 1b/DH, George Sanders.
Fan reaction was tumultuous, as expected, but with a 100 loss season looming, it was clear that the aging and expensive, Ortiz, deserved a better venue for the end of his career. Sharp was going to be very expensive to sign to an extension. Therefore, four excellent prospects plus two aging stars were obtained for the pair.
In addition, Maple became a trading partner, as MR Lou Cove and C Michael Bennett went their way, getting SP Fernando Rodriguez,MR Junichi Toiguchi and C Bob Lockyer in return.
This, plus the signings of a number of international free agents is setting the tone for the future of the San Diego franchise. So, this begs the question, what exactly went so wrong for the Hops this season, especially after a 79-75 season which saw the Hops take Nottinghamshire to the fifth game of a playoff series?
Pitching: Ted Mills, went from 12-11 and a just over 4.00 ERA, to a 4-18, and counting record, with a 7.78 ERA. Ouch! Luis Sandoval, only 22, is perhaps in the bigs too early as his 3-8 6 + ERA indicate. Kaz Kanno is a bright spot, going from 2-13 in '16, to 9-13 this year. All in all, a league worst 5.98 ERA is abysmal, and the new arms, Rodriguez, Feliciano, Toiguchi and Reyes are all potential upgrades. If Mills can get back on track, and prospects Steve Lawrence and Lorenzo Pueblo are as advertised, this could turn into a strength rather than the extreme deficit the fans at the Hopyard have witnessed in '17. For the future; Henry McGowan, Mal Tosewell and Jared Thornton could join Pueblo and Lawrence for a young star rotation. Closers Jorge Roman and Ivan Garcia have electric stuff.
Defense: Confusing, as many of the individual players are improved from seasons past. The big hole is in RF where Caldwell has one of the worst zone ratings in the league.
Hitting: On an upswing, though not good enough to win the close ones with the pitching so bad. They will miss Ortiz, but between Sanders and Sparks, the Hops almost have the same stats. New LF Justin Davis is star calibre, and there are some good players in the pipeline, most noticeably speedster Taylor Thompson who might hit .300 in his first full season while covering extensive OF ground. Bill Turner is still only 26, and if he can stay off the DL, will continue to contribute at a high pace. Kaneko and Higashi are both over .345 OB, and hitting in the high .280s, while deft afield, a huge upgrade from seasons of yore. Young players to watch in 2018: OF Kyle Reader, OF Badry Makaev, and 3b Hai Dong Joe are all good hit, good glove ballplayers with all-star futures.
2018 outlook: 28 million dollars will come off the payroll, as SD is not expected to re-sign Sanders, Mike Johnson (!), Charlie Jackson, Mario Vasquez or David West meaning free agents could be coaxed to the San Diegans. Look for a lot of action on trading front this offseason.
