In uncharacteristic fashion, the San Diego Padres made a big splash during the off-season in executing a huge make-over of the team.  Their activity was capped off last week with the signing of pitcher James Shields, one of the top three free agents hurlers over the winter.  New Padres General Manager, A. J. Preller, effectively transformed the team from “the most boring in baseball”, as MLB Network analyst Steve Phillips labelled them, into one of the most intriguing clubs heading into the 2015 season.  On paper at least, they appear to be poised to make a run at the Dodgers and Giants in the National League West Division this season.

Preller made the entire baseball community sit up and take notice of the Padres, when he began acquiring some big-name players during the Winter Meetings in early December.  When other major league teams were ready to unload outfielders Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers, Preller was there to scoop them up.  As a result, the team instantly has a new, formidable middle of the batting order.  Admittedly each of these talented outfielders has had issues in their past, including injury-plagued seasons and living up to high expectations, but they certainly have the potential to have big offensive seasons.

The Padres also picked up other position players who will make strong bids to be in the starting lineup, after the team parted ways with former regulars Seth Smith, Yasmani Grandal, and Everth Cabrera.  Third baseman Will Middlebrooks, catcher Derek Norris, and second baseman Clint Barmes are respectable players who will provide comparable value for the Padres to offset their losses.

The Padres already possessed some nice arms in their pitching staff in Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, and Ian Kennedy.  Their team ERA last season was second in the National League at 3.27.  Their relievers finished third in Wins Above Average.  However, in the off-season the Padres added promising young starter Brandon Mauer, middle reliever Shawn Kelley, and veteran Brandon Morrow, who has been both a starter and reliever during his career.   The addition of Kemp, Upton, Myers and Norris will add much-needed offensive capability, which in turn will bring the pitchers more wins because of the run support these hitters bring.

As if all those acquisitions weren’t enough, the icing on the cake for the Padres was the addition of James Shields for the top of their pitching rotation.  In addition to the Padres being able to get Shields at a “hometown” discount, he will make everyone else on the staff better, as he did with his former teams, the Rays and Royals.  Shields brings instant credibility to a staff that needed a boost to reach “contender” status.

Indeed, the commitment to Shields made a statement to the rest of the league that the Padres intend to be serious contenders in 2015, if not for the division title, then certainly a wild-card playoff spot.  The Royals and Giants proved this past season that being a wild-card entry is good enough.  But the Padres have some recent history of mediocrity to overcome.

The Padres finished in third place in the NL West last season, 17 games back of the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.  The last time the Padres were relevant was in 2010, when they finished two games behind the Giants, who were the eventual World Series champs.  The Padres’ last playoff appearances were in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006.

The Padres had a woeful offense in 2014.  They had the worst slugging percentage in baseball last season at .342, and their on-base percentage was a bleak .292.  They scored an average of 3.3 runs per game, lowest in the National League.  Thus, it seems Preller has effectively addressed those needs.

While both Chicago teams garnered a lot of attention during the Hot Stove season with their respective player acquisitions, I believe the Padres made more weighty improvements in their roster by addressing their deficiencies from last season.  Plus, Preller has established himself as a wheeler-dealer who won’t be bashful about making mid-season adjustments, if necessary, to keep the Padres in contention.

If the Padres are healthy and can achieve some team chemistry among their new players early in the season, the Giants and Dodgers better look out!