Backstory:
When the Oakland Athletics [or more commonly called the A's], traded superstar players like Rickey Henderson & Mark McGwire, they had a bright, young General Manager named Billy Beane, who at the time was vilified [and still is today by many in Oakland] for not keeping his superstars. But there was a reason why: the Oakland A's had no money whatsoever to keep those players, as they had recently "updated" the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum to accommodate the NFL's Oakland Raiders, who had just moved back from Los Angeles. The Raiders' owner, Al Davis, built a triple-decker structure which the local fans have grudgingly nicknamed "The U.S.S. Al Davis". It took the beauty out of that park & made it a football stadium. Anyways, I'm getting way off track. Billy Beane did this out of the fear of bankruptcy, the Padres' General Manager, A.J. Preller, did it because he felt like it.
Intelligent Draft Choices
From 1997 to 1999 the A's made three very good choices in the Major League Baseball Amateur draft. What would those choices be? In 1997 GM Billy Beane chose right handed pitcher Tim Hudson with Oakland's 1st round pick that season. The following year, in 1998, left handed pitcher Mark Mulder was selected in the 1st round & finally, in 1999, Oakland chose left handed pitcher Barry Zito in the 1st round. Oh and here is a fun fact: Zito was a 1996 33rd round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners, but Zito did not sign. Anyhow, these three guys were college pitchers, who are [hopefully] more mature in their behavior & more physically & more mentally developed than pitchers who were drafted straight out of high school. These guys would eventually become "the Big Three" as they were three of the best pitchers in baseball... and they were all on the same damn team! The Padres have a similar trio of future star pitchers in the Minor Leagues: Cal Quantrill, Joey Lucchesi & Anderson Espinoza, the latter of whom is currently on the disabled list.
But wait! There's More!
The Athletics also had the best farm system in Major League Baseball in the late '90s-early 2000's, much as the Padres do in the present. In fact the A's farm system was so impressive that they were awarded "Organization of the Year" three years straight from 1998-2000, beating out more popular teams such as the New York Yankees & the Boston Red Sox. Like the A's before them, the Padres have so many talented ballplayers in their organization, it's not even funny! The Padres General Manager, A.J. Preller, has signed players from the Dominican Republic, Japan, etc.. As a matter of fact, in just about any place in the world where baseball is being played, the San Diego Padres are looking for talent & as Branch Rickey [the man who signed Jackie Robinson] once said, "If you have the talent, you will be found!".
The Trades
In my opinion, the most important trade for the Padres came in May of 2016 when they swindled the Chicago White Sox out of future superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. in exchange for one of the worst pitchers in baseball in 2018, James Shields. If the White Sox weren't the very definition of "gullible" that day in May, 2016, then what is the definition of "gullible"? The only time I could think of when Oakland did this was when Billy Beane acquired/swindled young talent during a July 1999 trade with the New York Mets on July 31st, 1999. The A's acquired pitchers Jason Isringhausen & Ireland raised Greg McMichael, along with speedy centerfielder Terrence Long, in exchange for pitchers Billy Taylor & Kenny Rogers.
Team Chemistry
Whenever I see the Padres, the thing that reminds me the most of those Oakland Athletics teams from the late '90s-to early '00s, is the comradery the players have with each other. There are twenty five guys on an active Major League Baseball roster, some may arrive to the ballpark in a bad mood, but they leave it at the door. They all enter with one team goal & that's to win a ballgame. It doesn't matter who the hero is, as long as they win that day. That's what I see in the Padres, they may not have the most money, but they do have enthusiasm & a great respect for the game of baseball.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the San Diego Padres, like the A's before them, have a good minor league system, have made intelligent draft choices & have a good comradery with each other. The Future is looking bright for the Padres. Now let's just hope they don't get eliminated in the 1st round of the playoffs, like those Oakland teams did.
