Front Row Seat: Padres officially sign KBO 3B Sung-Mun Song
The Padres officially add an international infielder but the tailgate park development dies, SDSU beats up on a DIII school, Philip Rivers turns back the clock (in a loss), U.S. sports ticket prices are outrageous compared to other countries, and a lot more in today's Front Row Seat.
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San Diego Padres
Mendez has potential to provide much-needed pitching depth - MLB.com
It’s not merely that the Padres need a couple of arms for their big league rotation. It’s that they need to find depth behind that group. The nature of a starting rotation is such that you plan for a five-man staff with about 10 (or more) options for those five spots.
Fortunately for the Padres, there’s a very intriguing internal candidate they managed to hang onto amid their trading frenzy. Right-hander Miguel Mendez was perhaps the organization’s fastest riser last season, and he was rewarded last month by being added to the 40-man roster, protecting him from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft.
Padres development team backs out of deal to buy, redevelop Tailgate Park - San Diego Union-Tribune
On Thursday, Tailgate Development LLC — a partnership between real estate developer Tishman Speyer, the Padres and real estate investment firm Ascendant Capital Partners — formally notified the city in a one-sentence letter that it was canceling the sales contract, or what’s known as a disposition and development agreement, or DDA.
The cancellation comes just weeks after self-described government watchdog group Project for Open Government filed the paperwork required to appeal a San Diego Superior Court judge’s decision in late June upholding the legality of the City Council-approved transaction.
The development team cited the ongoing lawsuit and a hostile real estate environment as the reasons behind its decision to walk away from the purchase of the 5.25-acre site for $35.1 million.
KBO star Sung-Mun Song signs 4-year deal with Padres - MLB.com
Song’s fit in San Diego is uncertain – and it might not become entirely clear until after Preller is done with his offseason maneuvering. His likeliest role will be as a utility player coming off the bench – leaving the Padres still in search of a starting first baseman.
Song has played first base minimally, having spent much more time at second and third. But there’s some flexibility in the San Diego infield, with Jake Cronenworth capable of sliding from second base to first. Meanwhile, with Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts – both 33 – on the left side, Song’s presence gives the Padres the option of giving one a DH day or an off-day. Song could theoretically play third when Machado rests. Or the versatile Cronenworth could play short for Bogaerts, with Song at second.
