San Diego, CA

Three Up, Three Down: San Diego Padres

Published

1 year ago

August 19, 2024

I tried doing these series previews early in the season before they ended up being too time-consuming and real life got in the way. Anyone who has read my in-depth pieces or listened to my podcast with John Ke knows brevity is not my strong suit. This time around, I borrowed a format from our mutual friend, Bleed Cubbie Blue site manager Al Yellon, to hopefully limit myself while still providing the relevant analysis. Let’s get into it.

Three Up

Old Friends, New Places

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

The Padres have a few former Twins, including fan-favorite and two-time batting champ Luis Arraez. I don’t want to rail against a three-time All-Star too much, but this is just your yearly reminder that batting average isn’t important in 2024. Arraez is second in the NL in BA among qualified hitters but has only accumulated 0.5 fWAR, ranking 65th among qualified NL batters and 128th overall in the NL.

What has Arraez’s value so low? The rest of his profile has regressed to the point the Twins feared when they traded him away two years ago. Defensively, he is limited to DH already at 27-years-old. In his limited time on the field, he ranks last in Outs Above Average and the bottom 10th percentile of arm strength. On the offensive side, there’s no power with a bottom-five .073 ISO and only 19 of his 110 hits going for extra bases. He has a 10th-percentile average exit velocity, 2nd-percentile barrel rate, and 3rd-percentile hard-hit rate. Weirdly, his chase rate is also way up compared to when he was with the Twins, ranking in the 12th percentile there. He doesn’t whiff when he chases leading to countless weak outs early in counts, which is worse than a whiff. Oh also, his 3.4% walk rate is the second worst in baseball, giving him the same OBP as Willi Castro who is hitting .258. Overall, Arraez has a league-average 103 wRC+ while making over $10 million and another hefty raise due in arbitration this summer. It’s not what you want.

The Padres also have 2023 curse-breaking legend Donovan Solano on their bench. Solano has actually out-produced Arraez this season by both fWAR (1.0 vs 0.5) and wRC+ (122 vs 103) despite playing in half the games. The Twins will also see Bomba Squad starter Martín Pérez in the series. Perez has been okay since departing the Twins Cities but has seen made meaningful improvements since arriving in San Diego, nearly doubling his strikeout rate while cutting his walk rate in half. That’s a recipe for success.

New Rotation Pieces

Speaking of rotation additions, the Padres also acquired Dylan Cease and Michael King in offseason trades. Cease has taken a meaningful step forward from where he was in 2022 when he finished second in Cy Young voting, striking out more even batters while limiting his walks and hits to career lows. He also threw a no-hitter two weeks ago, something he nearly did against the Twins in 2022 before Arraez broke it up with two outs in the ninth. Minnesota will avoid him in this series, luckily.

They will have to face Michael King, the crown jewel of the Juan Soto trade. King converted to starting toward the end of 2023 and dazzled in the new role. He was a power sinker/sweeper guy as a reliever but has added a changeup that might be his best pitch. Finally, a quick shout-out to Michael Waldron, a knuckleballer who has quietly been decent this season, which is always fun.

Unexpected Stars

The Padres’ surprising success, despite trading away Soto and stars Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Fernando Tatis missing time due to injury, has been thanks to their emerging stars. Veteran Jurickson Profar and rookie Jackson Merrill lead the team in fWAR, despite neither having a clear path to the Opening Day roster a few months ago. Profar has broken out at 31 years old with a 147 wRC+, trailing only MVP contenders Shohei Ohtani, Ketel Marte, and Marcel Ozuna. Merill, meanwhile, never played a game above AA before breaking camp as the team’s centerfielder, a position he had never played prior to Spring Training. The 21-year-old has thrived on instincts while putting up All-Star offense, trailing only Aaron Judge, Byron Buxton, and Jarren Duran in wRC+ among centerfielders.

They’ve also gotten surprising contributions from veterans David Peralta, Kyle Higashioka, and Solano. Each has a wRC+ at least 15% above league average, exactly what this Padres team needed around their stars.

Three Down

Tatis’ Latest Injury

Fernando Tatis has had an rollercoaster career but has settled in as a rock-solid contributor since moving to right field last season. Tatis isn’t showing the gaudy offensive numbers he did early on, but is still well above average in that department while putting up some of the best defensive metrics in baseball. He’s been out since mid-June with a stress reaction in his right femur, something that could easily turn into a multi-year injury if not given enough time to heal. The Padres have to be careful, and the aforementioned Peralta is filling in admirably in the meantime, but any World Series hopes San Diego carries feature Tatis front and center.

Kim in Question

Ha-Seong Kim has quietly emerged as one of the more valuable players around the league. The Korean product is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game and has improved to be a league-average hitter, a marked step up from his early career. Kim jammed his throwing shoulder diving back to first base yesterday and may end up on the IL. He will almost assuredly miss this series, which is a major hit for San Diego. Though the team is essentially built out of former shortstops, they don’t have a clear replacement on the roster.

The logical candidate would be Xander Bogaerts, a career shortstop before 2024, but he slid over to second because his defense had fallen off a cliff. He also is coming off an extended IL stint with a shoulder injury of his own, and the Padres likely don’t want to risk losing another key cog. Other options include infielder Jake Cronenworth who has played all over the infield but has settled in primarily at first and second base and hasn’t played short in any extended role since 2021. Utility man Tyler Wade is also on the roster, but he is a zero offensively. Regardless of the choice, expect to see a lot more Donovan Solano in the lineup as he will backfill whoever moves over.

Hot, Hot, Hot

This is more of a “down” for the Twins because there’s not much negative to say about this team right now! The Twins are tied for the most wins in baseball since August 1 with 11. The team they’re tied with? The San Diego Padres, who have gone 11-4 since then and 20-6 since the All-Star break. It’s all clicking at the right time for the Dads. Depending on your current feelings on the Guardians and Orioles, this might be the best team the Twins face the rest of the way.

Another day, another failure of brevity. Listen, I had an Arraez rant locked and loaded and we don’t see the Padres often, so I had a lot to say. Cut me some slack.

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San Diego, CA

San Diego State Edge Plans to Enter Transfer Portal After Rob Aurich Takes Nebraska Job

Published

4 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

San Diego State Edge Plans to Enter Transfer Portal After Rob Aurich Takes Nebraska Job

Nebraska’s defensive line overhaul under new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich is already appearing to create potential landing spots for veteran defenders across the country.

Less than a week after news broke that Aurich would be Nebraska’s next defensive coordinator, San Diego State junior and former three-star edge August Salvati announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal when it opens in January.

While it instantly creates a potential connection between the soon-to-be senior and his former coach, Salvati becomes a name to watch for a Nebraska program that is believed to be taking an aggressive approach to shoring up both lines of scrimmage over the offseason.

For the veteran defender, the move comes after his most productive collegiate season to date. With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about the Clearwater, FL native

In 2025, Salvati totaled six tackles, 3.5 sacks, and one interception during the regular season while helping Aurich boast the nation’s No. 7 total defense for the year. His snap count was modest, but the production still stands, as Salvati’s sack total would instantly become a team-high on Nebraska’s squad during the same timeframe.

To put in the context the stark contrast between the Husker’s and Aztec’s ability to affect the passer, Salvati’s 3.5 sacks raked fifth highest on his team this fall. Three other San Diego State defenders totaled more than 6.5 sacks alone.

With that in mind, Salvati’s role under Aurich in the Golden State was situational, and he appears to be looking to parlay his success this year into a more impactful one in 2026. For a Nebraska program that needs all the help they can get, the veteran defender likely becomes attractive to Matt Rhule’s staff.

Salvati’s career mirrors that of many players in the modern era of college football. Out of high school, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound defender took his talents to Kilgore College in Texas. There, his first season of collegiate ball became a resounding success. Salvati totaled 29 tackles, 7.0 sacks, and a fumble recovery on his way to earning SWJCFC honors.

He then transferred to Florida Atlantic in 2024. In his lone season in Boca Raton, Salvati appeared in one game without recording any stats. After the season, that is where his timeline connects him to Aurich. Entering the transfer portal around this time last year, the, at the time, junior moved across the country to join Aurich’s Aztec squad, and the rest is history.

Rob Aurich has coached at Bemidji State, Idaho, South Dakota, and SDSU. | San Diego State Athletics

Under Aurich, San Diego State took a tremendous jump. In a season that saw the Aztecs go 9-3, Aurich oversaw a defense that allowed just 266.7 yards per game while holding opponents to 12.6 points on average.

His group slashed its yardage allowed by more than 154 yards per game en route to shutting out three different opponents on the year. The Aztecs also excelled in the area that Nebraska’s defense struggled in this fall. The Huskers totaled 19 sacks in 12 regular-season games, compared to the Aztecs’ 32. San Diego State also recorded the best red zone defense in all of college football, whereas Nebraska was slotted second-to-last.

On paper, the hire appears to be one in which Rhule struck gold. Every stop that Aurich has been, his teams have improved, and players have developed into all-conference level athletes. That’s yet another area the Huskers have struggled at in recent years. But from Aurich’s addition and impending announcements regarding Nebraska’s defensive line coaching position, the Huskers seem to be attempting to turn the page in that regard.

Whether Salvati does indeed end up in Lincoln next fall, or is just another name potentially linked to the Huskers’ program, Nebraska’s defense seems to be in good hands moving forward. Aurich has repeatedly proved himself to be resourceful and now has the resources needed to make an even bigger jump. Believe it or not, the Huskers are significantly more aligned in the NIL and revenue-sharing era of college football than any of their new defensive coordinator’s previous stops.

While that doesn’t mean the Huskers now have an unlimited budget, it does mean Aurich will not be limited while making additions over the coming months. He’s shown he can turn role players into NFL Draft picks, and now he’ll be asked to do the same at Nebraska.

For now, Aurich gets himself adjusted to Lincoln, but before you know it, he’ll be adding his first wave of reinforcements to his squad. The transfer portal opening date is just under three weeks away; expect more news to be had as soon as it hits.

Let the Signature Gathering Begin: Coalition Pitches Sales Tax for Border Sewage, Child Care

Published

16 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Let the Signature Gathering Begin: Coalition Pitches Sales Tax for Border Sewage, Child Care

Two labor unions and a child care advocacy group on Friday filed a proposed countywide sales-tax hike they’ve dubbed the Protect San Diego County’s Health & Safety Act with the county Registrar of Voters in hopes of making the November 2026 ballot.

The proposed half-cent sales tax measure – which would raise a projected $360 million annually – aims to fund health care, child care, solutions to the Tijuana River sewage crisis and public safety.

The Service Employees International Union Local 221, child care advocacy group Children First San Diego and Cal Fire Local 2881 expect to start collecting signatures next month.

“We’re taking urgent action on the biggest health and safety threats San Diego County is facing – Tijuana River toxic sewage, strained 911 response, working families losing healthcare, childcare, and even the basic food they need to survive,” SEIU 221 President Crystal Irving wrote in a statement. “Our coalition is determined to give voters the power to choose a safer, healthier future and starting soon we’ll be out in every community gathering signatures and working with neighbors to protect San Diego County families.”

Proposed ballot language submitted to the Registrar of Voters Friday describes a slew of causes that proponents aim to support with a half-cent sales-tax increase. Up to 60 percent of funding – the equivalent of $261 million annually – could back child care and health services for children, health care for uninsured or underinsured people, food aid including staffing for CalFresh eligibility workers in the county, in-home health services and affordable health care.

Nearly 23 percent – or roughly $81 million annually – would go toward combating the Tijuana sewage crisis, with at least 20 percent of this share of funds directed toward infrastructure projects to “stop sewage flows from Tijuana into the United States or through the Tijuana River Valley.” The measure says the funding could also address related health issues and protect local waters from pollution.

Nearly 18 percent – or almost $63 million annually – could back public safety services, wildfire prevention and crisis response.

Proponents also capped administrative costs at 1.5 percent, or about $5 million annually.

The proposed measure also calls for an 11-member citizens oversight committee to conduct annual audits and bars spending on politicians’ salaries, lobbyist contracts or government office renovations.

The citizen-backed effort is separate from the subcommittee work that county Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe are queuing up to hash out ways the county might bring in. The county faces an estimated $300 million annual budget hit tied to federal cuts. The county is set to hire and pay consultants up to $500,000 as part of that effort to conduct polling and research on potential measures to raise taxes and other possible ways to increase revenues that may require changes to other policies.

In a Friday statement, Lawson-Remer lauded the proposed citizen measure.

“This San Diego County Health & Safety citizens initiative offers a key tool that voters could choose to support in order to defend our community and our values: to keep our water clean, to keep our hospitals open, and to make sure firefighters and first responders have the resources they need when the next wildfire hits,” Lawson-Remer wrote. “When Washington walks away, our community refuses to look the other way.”

The decision to proceed with a citizens’ measure doesn’t rule out a potential future measure pushed by county supervisors. Yet Lawson-Remer’s quick endorsement shows she’s eager to see a citizens’ group push a measure forward that only requires a simple majority for a ballot victory.

The coalition behind it will face an uphill battle to persuade skeptical voters already facing an avalanche of rising costs – and to get on the ballot in the first place.

Courtney Baltiyskyy of Children First San Diego said the coalition expects to hit the streets in January to try to collect at least 140,000 signatures. They’ll need to deliver at least 102,923 valid signatures to get on next November’s ballot.

The county coalition also expects to have some competition next November.

The coalition that includes Laborers Local Union 89, Carpenters Union Local 619, and Rebuild SoCal are rallying behind a one-cent sales tax hike for city of San Diego for infrastructure repairs, wildfire prevention, pipe repairs for clean water and more.

Both coalitions have recently circulated polls testing voters’ appetite for separate city and county measures and shared some intel.

Their intel-sharing follows the November 2024 demise of Measures E and G, separate city and countywide sales-tax proposals. San Diego politicos are skeptical voters would support two sales-tax hikes.

The results of an initial poll of city voters conducted around Labor Day on the city measure suggested both city and county measures suggested a challenging climate for proposed tax increases.

Results obtained by Voice of San Diego show 57 percent of the 776 voters polled said they thought the county was on the wrong track and 60 percent said the same of the city.

Baltiyskyy said Friday the countywide coalition believes it has a path to victory – and that support for it will grow as voters and local organizations learn more.

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San Diego, CA

Four suspects jailed in beating death of 59-year-old man in Linda Vista

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Four suspects jailed in beating death of 59-year-old man in Linda Vista

A San Diego Police cruiser. Photo by Chris Stone

Four suspects were behind bars Friday for allegedly beating a man to death two months ago during a fight at Linda Vista Park.

Arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder in connection with the violent death of 59-year-old Ruben Rimorin were Juan Garcia Alavez, 21, Juan Manuel Lopez, 26, Brian Reyes, 20, and Franklin Joseph Tuell, 21, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Rimorin was found gravely injured about 3:45 a.m. Oct. 18 on a sidewalk in the 6800 block of Osler Street, just west of the park, SDPD Lt. Chris Tivanian said. Paramedics tried in vain to revive the victim before pronouncing him dead at the scene.

It remains unclear what sparked the deadly fight.

The suspects were being held at San Diego Central Jail without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon.

–City News Service

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