The San Diego Padres entered 2015 with plenty of buzz and hype. They signed James Shields, traded for Craig Kimbrel, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, Matt Kemp, Derek Norris, and Will Middlebrooks—and more. But the Padres finished in the bottom half of offenses despite a remade lineup and the top half of runs allowed—the wrong direction—despite playing in spacious Petco Park.
New GM A.J. Preller made splash after splash last winter but it didn’t have the results he wanted. The Padres shook up their roster from top to bottom, but it didn’t help. His plans were attacking all angles but not always in a coordinated way.