Newly appointed Padres GM Josh Byrnes has been a busy bee so far this winter. Since assuming the leadership mantle from his predecessor, Jed Hoyer, Byrnes has: Traded Mat Latos, the club’s best starting pitcher; added power-hitting corner OF Carlos Quentin; brought in veteran OF-1B and clubhouse leader Mark Kotsay as a free agent; upgraded at backup catcher with John Baker; replaced outgoing UFA closer Heath Bell with Huston Street; dealt one of the prize pieces from last winter’s Adrian Gonzalez deal, Anthony Rizzo, in a deal for reliever Andrew Cashner; and re-signed nine of the team’ eleven potential arbitration-eligible players ahead of the deadline to exchange salary numbers (a tenth, Clayton Richard, agreed to terms shortly afterwards). Undoubtedly, while the team has mostly steered clear of free agency, Byrnes has turned over a large chunk of the club’s roster in short order.
While it’s nearly impossible to guess how the on-field product will perform given the high turnov...
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