Welcome to ‘Marty’s Musings’, my weekly column of numbers summarizing the happenings in the baseball world. I am your guide for taking an analytic look at the news and notes throughout the game, and highlighting key pitching matchups.
A.J. Preller has been wheeling-and-dealing this holiday season, as the Cubs’ loss is the Padres’ gain.
News & Notes
2 - Major deals announced by the Padres last week. For Christmas Padres GM A.J. Preller delivered Blake Snell then Yu Darvish to San Diego fans.
3.0 - 2020 wins above replacement for new Padres’ ace Yu Darvish. Despite a COVID- shortened season, Darvish is living up to his most recent deal signed in 2018. Darvish is projected for over 4.0 wins entering the 2021 season, and will likely benefit from having his homefield be pitcher-friendly Petco Park.
2018 - The year in which new San Diego starter Blake Snell. It’s hard to believe that Snell is only one full season removed from his Cy Young year. He pitched 50 mediocre innings last year, but the ceiling is there, and behind Darvish, brings a strong one-two punch to San Diego’s rotation.
87 - Days until Opening Day 2021...maybe. Whether or not there will be fans in the stands and whether or not MLB starts as scheduled is yet to be determined.
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Steven Martano is an Editor at Beyond the Box Score, a Contributing Prospect Writer for the Colorado Rockies at Purple Row, and a contributing writer for The Hardball Times. You can follow him on Twitter at @SMartano