Padres currently hold six of top 85 draft picks – The San Diego Union-Tribune

There’s been some confusion about what level of draft picks the Padres recouped from the departures of left fielder Justin Upton and pitcher Ian Kennedy. Let’s attempt to clear it:

▪ After last season, the Padres made a one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offers to Upton and Kennedy. Each player declined, opting instead for free agency.

▪ A team that signs a player who rejected a qualifying offer from his previous team forfeits its highest unprotected draft pick. (The first 10 selections this June are protected.) Forfeited picks are not reassigned. Rather, they simply disappear, shrinking whichever round they were in.

▪ The player’s previous team is awarded a compensatory pick after the first round. Compensatory selections take place in reverse order of 2015 finish. No team that made a qualifying offer had a worse record than San Diego.

▪ Wednesday, Upton signed a six-year, $132.75 million contract with Detroit. The Tigers, having already forfeited their second-round pick to sign Jordan Zimmermann, gave up their third-round selection for Upton.

▪ The Padres gained a compensatory draft pick, which is currently 26th overall. (The first round had shrunk by five picks due to signings of qualifying-offer free agents.)

▪ Meanwhile, Kennedy has agreed to terms with Kansas City on a five-year, $70 million deal. To sign him, the Royals will forfeit their first-round pick, which was lined up to be 24th overall.

▪ The Padres will receive another compensatory pick, currently No. 27 overall, meaning they essentially will have three first-round choices. With four qualifying-offer free agents still available (Ian Desmond, Dexter Fowler, Yovani Gallardo, Howie Kendrick), the Padres’ pair of compensatory picks still could move up in the draft if teams with unprotected first-round selections sign those players.

So which picks do the Padres currently hold early in the draft? Those would be Nos. 8 (first round), 26 (compensatory), 27 (compensatory), 48 (second round), 71 (Competitive Balance Round B) and 85 (third round).

And, secondly, how do those picks figure into San Diego’s plans?

Though the Padres haven’t committed to a full-scale, Astros-style rebuild, it’s clear they’re taking a step back from their hyper-aggressive 2015. In theory, having six of the top 85 draft picks will go a long way toward bolstering a farm system that was strip-mined a year ago.

There are other ways to accumulate a sustainable talent base (e.g., international signings, acquiring undervalued players), but the first-year player draft provides as direct an avenue as any.

While this year’s class does not have a clear-cut No. 1 pick, it looks to be fairly deep. Apparent strengths include college outfielders and high school pitchers.

It’s true that the vast majority of draft selections never make an impact in the majors, let alone reach that level — a reality with which the Padres are well-acquainted. But at a time when the value of controllable talent is soaring, a strong farm system can also provide multiple trade assets, a means to acquiring more proven commodities.

Despite the franchise’s history, the Padres are optimistic better returns lie ahead. Scouting and player development have been billed as strengths of General Manager A.J. Preller. There’s also an upcoming class of international talent, eligible to be signed starting July 2. With a number of other teams facing spending restrictions for that signing period, the Padres are expected to be quite active in the Latin American market.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.