Padres Roster: Bob Melvin Talks Bench Outlook Heading into Spring Training
Padres manager Bob Melvin has some important decisions to make this spring. First of all, he has to figure out the defensive setup with the baseball version of Why don't they make the whole plane out of the black box? with a roster that includes shortstops Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Ha-Seong Kim. He mostly has a handle on that, with Kim moving to second, Jake Cronenworth moving to first, Tatis moving to right, and Juan Soto moving to left. But that's just the beginning.
Melvin also has a lot more bench options than the Padres of recent seasons have had, and spring training will be an important time to figure out that part of the roster. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune had a Q&A with Melvin recently, and he asked about the team's bench depth.
Q: It seems you have a chance to begin the season with a more balanced, deeper bench than you had in ’22. How much of a goal is that? And who do you see figuring into the battle for what would appear to be a couple bench spots?
A: “You know, it’s too bad for (infielder Eguy) Rosario that (he broke his ankle in winter ball and is expected to be out until mid-season). This probably would have been the best opportunity he would have. So we have to look at some other guys. Whether it’s Sugar (José Azocar ), whether it’s (Brandon) Dixon, who is a guy that we were really intrigued with last year. (Adam) Engel is another bench for us. He’s an experienced guy who you would think will get his share of at-bats during the season. … David Dahl is another guy who’s had a lot of big-league experience, a left-handed bat. He’s gonna get an opportunity. And then where do (Matt) Carpenter and (Nelson) Cruz fit in other than the DH spot. You can sit here and say, ‘This is what the lineup looks like.’ But not everyone plays everybody plays (every game of the season). There are injuries involved. So we’re just trying to get a handle on not only a bench but some depth in Triple-A too, knowing that you’re probably going to have to withstand some injury.”
Melvin lists six guys there, but there are only four bench spots available if we count the DH spot as a rotating bench spot. Even if Carpenter and Cruz are in a strict platoon at DH, that leaves three spots for Azocar, Dixon, Engel, Dahl, and thirteen non-roster spring invitees not listed above.
If you're one of those non-roster invitees, you probably see the writing on the wall with Melvin not even mentioning you, but that's the nature of being an NRI. San Diego actually has room for everyone Melvin mentioned to start the season, because Tatis will miss the first three weeks as he completes his PED suspension. But once Tatis comes back, someone will be the odd man out.
