"You can't look for a Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado" - Ex-Padres star provides strategic advice for tackling major problem

The San Diego Padres have had a quiet offseason as they look to cut down on salaries. One former player believes that they need to focus more on developing young players. The Friars have parted ways with several core players, like Ha-Seong Kim and Tanner Scott, but have not replaced them with new additions.

Speaking on a recent episode of Friar Territory, former Padres star Heath Bell said they need to give more chances to their minor league prospects in order to develop them into stars:

(Timestamp: 10:37 - 20:26)

"You can't look for a Tatis Jr., you can't look for a Machado. You have to give a regular position player at bats," Bell said. "Let's find a guy that you can give 200 at bats, you know. Not off the bench, because off the bench you get about 100 at bats or something like that...you got to fill it in, figure that out."

"I'm not looking for the next star to be in left field but I'm looking for a group of guys that could give me a chance to win the game and not hurt us... I'm not looking for the next big star, but they got to have sombody in Double-A and Triple-A," he continued.

"I always feel like we're looking for other people, other organizations to help us. We'll trade our young prospects instead of let's bring our young prospects up and develop them... People have bad years, people have good years. Machado, our big star, and Tatis, they've had bad years and they've had good years but they've had more good years than bad years and you got to believe in those guys."

The San Diego Padres have had a tumultuous offseason due to the public dispute between the team's ownership. Since owner Pete Seidler passed away in Nov. 2023, the team has lacked strong leadership from their owners.

As a result, they lost players like Kim, Scott and Jurickson Profar over the offseason. The Padres don't have a repuation for developing young players, as they have typically chosen to trade their prospects for veterans. As they go through this period of turmoil, focusing on developing their minor league propects seems to be the answer to their problems.

MLB podcaster names four free agents the Padres should pursue before Opening Day

Despite a disappointing offseason so far, the San Diego Padres still have to time sign some free agents before Opening Day. There are several holes in the roster right now and Devine Sports Gospel hosts, Matt and Mike Devine, listed four free agents that could bolster the San Diego roster.

First in the list is outfielder David Peralta, a former Padre who could fill the gap in left field. For the infield, Ty France and Connor Joe are two strong candidates with similar profiles and plenty of potential. Lastly, pitcher Cal Quantrill, another former Friar with extensive MLB experience, could provide valuable pitching depth to the team.