The 1987 Padres: When Housecleaning, Rather Than Budget, Caused A Poor Start

The Colorado Rockies avoided last-place finishes during their first two years of existence because the Padres had undergone a “fire sale” during the final two years of the Werner ownership group. The Padres’ previous last-place season, which was in 1987 and included a 12-42 start for the first third of the season, should send both a caution and some encouragement to current Rockies fans.

Calls for the Monfort brothers to sell the Rockies might be unwise, since the potential buyer might not be any better. Ray Kroc was a hero for buying the Padres and keeping them in San Diego after a planned sale would have moved the team to Washington. He was not afraid to spend money on free agents or star players acquired in trades, although his final general manager initiated periodic housecleaning when those older players weren’t providing the desired success, and the 1987 season was the first year of the second cycle of such housecleaning.

After Ray Kroc died in January 1984, his widow took over the Padres as well as McDonald’s, but Joan Kroc was more interested in humanitarian pursuits than in baseball or fast-food restaurants. In 1987, she planned to sell the Padres to Seattle Mariners owner George Argyros (prompting a local Greek restaurant to create a sign reading, “It’s no Kroc; try our gyros”), whose lack of spending on the Mariners led fans to urge Joan Kroc not to sell the team. That planned sale encountered obstacles and did not occur. In 1990, Joan Kroc sold the team to a group led by Tom Werner, who would clean house for financial reasons before selling it to John Moores at the end of 1994 for less than what they had paid for the Padres.

The failure of the 1980 Padres veterans to succeed led to the mid-season firing of the general manager, and Jack McKeon became the new general manager. The Padres were in last place at the time and stayed there for the rest of the season in part due to McKeon’s philosophy. Before the Rockies and Marlins joined the National League in 1993, the league had two divisions of six teams apiece. McKeon’s philosophy was that the team should spend top dollar for a free agent who could take the Padres from third or second to first but not from sixth place to fifth or fourth. Dave Winfield became a free agent after the 1980 season and signed with the Yankees for an average of $1.5 million a year. McKeon felt that such money was better spent on the Padres’ farm system and scouting; he added minor-league affiliates and scouts. Many of the older 1980 players were traded or released by 1981. The mid-season players’ strike in 1981 created a split season, and the Padres finished last both times.

During 1982 and 1983, the Padres were competitive for part of the season but eventually fell out of contention. The 1982 showing caused the Padres to sign Steve Garvey as a free agent after the season. After the 1983 season, the Padres signed Rich Gossage as a free agent. The Padres had enough young pitchers during Spring Training in 1984 that they traded one of them to the Yankees for third baseman Graig Nettles. Other than Bruce Bochy, who was the backup catcher for the 1980 Houston Astros, Garvey, Gossage, and Nettles were the only Padres with postseason experience prior to 1984.

The Padres won their first division championship in 1984 – in fact, it was the first time the Padres had ever finished in the top half of the division – and then defeated the Cubs in the National League playoffs before losing to the Tigers in the 1984 World Series. The Padres were competitive for much of 1985 but barely avoided last place in 1986.

Another housecleaning was in order. Nettles and Jerry Royster, who played third base as well as second base, were not offered new contracts and became free agents. The Padres traded outfielder Kevin McReynolds, along with a relief pitcher and a minor league player, to the Mets for third baseman Kevin Mitchell, two outfielders who turned out to be busts, and two minor league players who never made the majors. Starting catcher Terry Kennedy was traded to the Orioles for a pitcher who wouldn’t last the entire 1987 season with the Padres.

(It should be noted that one of the outfielder busts, Shawn Abner, had been an overall first draft pick. The 2025 Rockies fared better with Mickey Moniak, who was the overall first draft pick in 2016 and who attended high school in San Diego County.)

The 1986 Padres who were not with the team in 1987 also included second baseman Bip Roberts, a Rule 5 draft pick who had to spend 1986 with the major league team. He returned to the minor leagues for 1987, and rookie Joey Cora was the Padres’ second baseman that year. Starting pitcher LaMarr Hoyt, who had two drug arrests prior to the 1986 season, had a third after that season and never played professional baseball again.

An arbiter ruled that the Padres were still required to pay Hoyt’s salary for 1987, so he was one of the four Padres that year receiving at least $1,000,000. Tony Gwynn, who had three previous full seasons along with two partial seasons with the Padres prior to 1987 and had only one previous batting championship, was not one of those players. Garvey, who had a season-ending injury in May 1987, which became a career-ending injury, was one of the players receiving $1,000,000. The other two, Gossage and Garry Templeton, had poor seasons in 1987.

Mitchell was raised in San Diego, and being so close to his childhood friends wasn’t the best situation for him. In July, he was part of a seven-player trade with the Giants. Ironically, the two key players didn’t pan out, though in Dave Dravecky's case, it was due to his injury and tumor. The third baseman the Padres acquired, Chris Brown, would earn the reputation of being a malingerer. Two years after the trade, Mitchell would become the league’s most valuable player, while Padres acquisition Mark Davis would win the Cy Young Award. The trade also brought the Padres pitcher Mark Grant, who is now one of the team’s television broadcasters.

After a Montreal Expos sweep gave the Padres a 12-42 record, the team won its next two games against Atlanta. In late June, a three-game winning streak moved the Padres to above .333. The team was 64-87 before a nine-game losing streak, which was followed by a win in the second-to-last game of the season, and the Padres’ final record was 65‑97. That final win also ended the 34-game hitting streak of Benito Santiago, which was the longest in Major League Baseball history by a catcher, by a rookie, or by a Latin American player (that one was later broken by Luis Castillo). Santiago was the unanimous Rookie of the Year, and Gwynn won his second batting championship. The Padres finished in third place and above .500 in 1988. The 1989 Padres were in contention until the final week of the season and finished second, three games behind the Giants.

Success is built gradually, not magically. What developed from the Padres’ 1987 start could be replicated in the near future with the Rockies or other teams.