Three Padres players who shouldn’t be on the 40-man roster

The Padres roster has a tonne of space for improvement.

The roster for the San Diego Padres is still being finalised. With just over a week left before pitchers and catchers report to Peoria for spring training, a lot of gaps still need to be filled following the offseason trade that saw Juan Soto join the New York Yankees.

The Friar fans are still holding out hope that AJ Preller, president of baseball operations, can work his magic and clean up the clubhouse. Even if it would be a challenging assignment, Preller has repeatedly shown that Padres supporters should be prepared for the unexpected.

As the Padres’ 40-man roster isn’t yet full, there’s no reason to bench any players right now. However, this does not imply that every person presently occupying a space is worthy of it. Which guys from the Padres shouldn’t be on the 40-man roster? And when the time comes, will they upgrade?

Three Padres players who shouldn’t be on the 40-man roster

RHP Logan Gillaspie

In the event that the Padres decide to reduce their payroll, Logan Gillaspie is undoubtedly disposable. Gillaspie started his professional career with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2021, the right-hander signed a minor-league free agent contract with the Baltimore Orioles, and the following year, he made his main league debut. During that season, Gillaspie appeared in 17 games with the O’s and recorded a good 3.12 ERA.

Prior to the offseason, Gillaspie was fired by the Orioles despite being retained by them for the 2023 season due to a subpar performance. After throwing nine innings in the major leagues for Baltimore the previous season, Gillaspie was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox. Then, after giving Gillaspie a chance with the Triple-A affiliate to finish the previous season, Boston cut him before the offseason.

The Padres selected Gillaspie in the off-season with the expectation that he may succeed as a middle reliever. Although it’s still possible, his statistics don’t indicate he’ll be able to pull that out.

Based on his 4.10 ERA in the majors and 4.25 ERA in the minors, Gillaspie, 26, appears to be only a depth player who can be readily replaced. Although there is still space on the 40-man roster, the roster crunch will materialise as more players sign contracts in advance of spring training. When it comes time to allocate players, Gillaspie ought to be among the first names on the roster.

LHP Jay Groome

Though every manager would prefer to have at least one left-handed starter in his rotation, Mike Shildt would be better served with five right-handed pitchers if doing so requires including Jay Groome. In his 2023 season, Groome walked nearly as many hitters as he struck out, while perhaps shattering the El Paso record for most strikeouts in a season.

Though Groome is the lone left-handed starter on the Padres 40-man roster right now, that doesn’t mean much if he can’t find the plate. The southpaw’s poor accuracy in the minor levels during the previous season means that he has no place on the Padres 40-man roster unless he can demonstrate significant progress in that area.

Groome had terrible results in 2023 despite having a great 2022 season in the minor levels. In 30 starts in Triple-A, the former first-round selection recorded an 8.55 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP. Groome worked more than 130 innings and walked 112 batters. In the major leagues, a walk-rate of around 17% is not going to cut it.

Since Groome has reached his minor league limit, the Padres will need to waive him and give him an outright assignment for the lefty to stay with the team if they decide to cut him loose. Five years ago, Groome was considered a highly-touted prospect. However, he nearly doubled his walk total from the previous season, so you’ll have to look very closely to see him stay on the 40-man roster.

OF Jose Azocar

Yes, there are just two outfielders on the Padres 40-man roster at the moment, including Jose Azocar. However, Azocar’s 2023 performance was insufficient to support a longer stay. Padres supporters are hoping that Preller adds enough players before Opening Day to strengthen the team and ensure that Azocar isn’t playing during the Seoul Series.

After Josh Hader left the team, Preller strengthened the bullpen admirably, but the Padres’ top executive hasn’t done anything to make up for Trent Grisham and Juan Soto’s departures. Preller will need more from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Soto in 2024 than just a warm body to patrol the outfield at Petco Park, even though no player will be able to match the output of both players.

Although Azocar is a decent enough defender to be kept off the 40-man roster, the Padres might use him as a depth piece on their Triple-A team. Not only does the 27-year-old not bat for average, but he also lacks the ability to even get on base.

It’s almost time to retire the glove-first centerfielder, and Azocar’s defence isn’t good enough to justify that either. After ten seasons in the minor levels, Azocar has never had an OPS above.800, with the exception of a 23-game stint at Triple-A in 2022. Upgrading the outfield and letting go of Azocar are the first steps towards the remaining tasks the Friars have ahead of them.