1. What is the state of health of Dinelson Lamet?
The Parents reshaped their roster this winter by adding a trio of luxury openers and two versatile offensive pieces.
With spring training around the corner, we can anticipate answers to the next four questions the Fathers still face, and the first is related to the Dominican pitcher.
That’s the question that could define the San Diego season, as AJ Cassavell explains in the MLB.com pages.
Adding to Snell already Darvish was a way for Parents to recognize that they don’t feel optimistic about Lamet
The Dominican was an ace in 2020, a campaign in which he had a net run average of 2.09 and finished in fourth place in the vote for the National League Cy Young Award. Even on a team that acquired Blake Snell and Yu Darvish, Lamet could be the most dominant of the group.
For some people, the decision to add Snell to Darvish was a way for Parents to acknowledge that they do not feel optimistic about Lamet. This is not true, precisely.
The Parents know the same about Lamet that they knew five months ago. He lost the right post-season due to an injury to his elbow and biceps in his right arm and received a platelet-rich plasma injection in October. The team has hopes that Lamet will not require an operation, but in private they have acknowledged that they will not know for sure until he returns to action in a match.
By acquiring Snell and Darvish for changes, the Fathers look well-prepared in case Lamet’s elbow gives him problems again. But if the Quisqueian is in good health – and judging by his training to date, there is nothing to indicate otherwise – the Fathers could have the most dreaded Major League rotation. (And yes, including that of the Dodgers.
2. Which infielders would they test in the gardens?
When San Diego signed to Ha-Seong Kim in January, all that is said was said. The team noted that they saw Kim as an infielder. Kim stated that she was willing to play wherever the Parents put her.
At the time, not much attention was paid to the details. The Parents had acquired one of the best players in free agency. They could solve the rest later.
The time has come to address the issue of playing time. Honestly, not much is available in the inner picture of the Parents. First baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Manny Machado and Dominican shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. they are firm in their respective positions.
This means that the utility curazoleño Jurikson Profar will return to play part of the time in the gardens. Maybe Kim or Jake Cronenworth need to do the same.
Cronenworth, who bats on the left, and Kim, who bats on the right, could share second base. But it would be better for Parents if this was not the only alternative. One of these two players – and perhaps both – will see action in the gardens, where they could make their various skills more valuable.
3. What is the direction of the Fathers for their young leftists?
If Lamet is healthy, the Parents ’rotation is complete for the season. That would mean there’s not much room for the trio of 21-year-old listed leftists to sneak in.
A MacKenzie Gore, Ryan Weathers and Cuban Adrián Morejón were once seen as the future of the San Diego rotation. This is still the case, unless they represent the whole future, just a part. Parents already have quite a few good arms on board for years to come.
The team’s baseball operations president, AJ Preller, has indicated that San Diego will arrive in training with the idea of preparing Gore, Weathers and Morejón to be openers. It is a sensible strategy and represents a solid contingency plan in case it is necessary to replace Lamet or another opener.
But eventually, Parents will have to make a decision: In what role can they get the most out of these three arms? In the rotation or the bullpen?
In Gore’s case, they already know the answer. It is an opener and will be handled as such. For their part, Morejón and Weathers have shown that they can be heard from the bullpen. If there is no place in the rotation available, they could exercise as relievers again.
4. Do Parents Have Enough Arms in the Bullpen?
Parents are betting big this winter as far as the bullpen is concerned. They’ve added impact pieces to the rotation and offense, and on Friday they pacted with Mark Melancon on the front of Trevor Rosenthal and Kirby Yates.
Melancon joins two crucial pitchers: Austin Adams and the Venezuelan José Castillo. The two are expected to be in good health after both lost time in each of the last two campaigns due to injuries.
There is no doubt that both have electrical equipment. If Parents can use them for midway entries, they could move on to Emilio Pagán and Drew Pomeranz at the back and feel confident in the bullpen, especially with Melancon present.