PEORIA, Ariz. — Bob Melvin could not have known that puzzle-building was going to be a vital skill when he signed on to manage the San Diego Padres. But with a rollicking roster stuffed with top-shelf talent, and an almost absurd abundance of shortstops, here he is, pieces tumbling from the box and strewn all over the table.
Xander Bogaerts’s arrival as a free agent this off-season made clear that one of the spring’s trickiest aspects would be fitting all those pieces together. The Padres have what will be one of Major League Baseball’s four highest payrolls in 2023, according to Spotrac, yet the team will frequently be playing as many as four players out of position.