PEORIA, Ariz. —
Gabriel Arias was locked in, so of course he wanted to keep playing. The problem with another offseason in his native Venezuela’s winter league is that sanctions against President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government barred both major and minor leaguers from participation. So the Peoria Sports Complex had been Arias’ home — to hit off machines, to take swings against virtual reality arms, to test his approach against a parade of tryout arms on the back fields — for quite some time when the Padres’ front office left his name off its initial list of non-roster invitees to big league camp.