Abrams making a push for Padres' roster

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- CJ Abrams sure thought he kept the baseball inside the right-field foul pole at Goodyear Ballpark. Bob Melvin, too.

"Fair the whole way," said the Padres' skipper.

Ultimately, first-base ump Ed Hickox disagreed. But maybe the point isn't whether Abrams actually homered with the first swing of the Padres' 6-1 loss to the Guardians on Tuesday afternoon.

Maybe the point is that Abrams -- who the Padres always knew would grow into some power -- is sending baseballs high up foul poles, putting umpires in such a bind in the first place.

Alas, Abrams would not record a third Cactus League home run in what is only his fifth game this spring. But the Padres' top prospect did go 1-for-3 and continues to mount a push for a place on the Opening Day roster.

"I feel good -- everything, the timing, seeing the ball well," Abrams said prior to the game. "I've been working. ... I'm just keeping it all present, working day by day, trying to get better every day. I'm trying to show what I've got."

He's doing a pretty good job of it. Abrams, the No. 9 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, is 5-for-11 this spring, and he's the only Padres hitter with multiple homers. His 1.455 OPS following Tuesday's game easily leads the team.

The Padres, of course, hadn't planned on giving Abrams quite so many early reps. But shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. is slated to miss three months after fracturing his left wrist, and second baseman Jake Cronenworth has been built up slowly while dealing with a minor adductor strain. (Cronenworth is expected to debut on Wednesday.)

As such, there's been playing time aplenty for Abrams. If he keeps swinging the bat like this, there might be a roster spot for him, too, in Tatis' absence.

"I really just take it day by day," Abrams said. "If I make the team, I make the team. I'm just trying to get better."

Presently, the Padres are planning for Ha-Seong Kim to open the season as their starting shortstop. (Kim is off to a nice start himself, hitting .500 with a walk and a steal across three games as of Tuesday.) There's almost no chance San Diego would promote Abrams if there weren't regular playing time available. He's only played in 76 professional games, and his 2021 season was cut short in June because of a broken left leg. He needs to be on the field.

Still, the Padres have never been shy about promoting their top prospects quickly. Three years ago, Tatis won the Opening Day shortstop job, despite very little Minor League playing time. It's conceivable Abrams could make a similar push.

"He's not scared of anything, I know that," Melvin said. "I hit him ground balls, and I've spent a bit of time with him here recently. He's a very confident kid. He's very driven. He wants to play in the big leagues. We'll see what happens, but he's certainly very focused right now."

Musgrove debuts, avoids arbitration
Busy day for Joe Musgrove, huh?

The right-hander agreed to a one-year, $8.625 million contract, according to a source, to avoid arbitration ahead of Tuesday's deadline to exchange figures. Then, he made his Cactus League debut, allowing two runs over three innings and throwing 59 pitches in the process.

"It was a little bit of a stressful morning," Musgrove said, adding that he felt great despite the heavy workload, and he anticipates being full-go at the start of the season.

Musgrove is coming off an excellent debut season for the team he grew up supporting. He posted a 3.18 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP with 203 strikeouts across 32 appearances. One of those appearances, of course, saw him throw the franchise's first no-hitter.

At 29, Musgrove is slated to hit free agency for the first time after the season. On Tuesday, he noted that he'd be open to an extension, but he said that the Padres haven't broached the subject with his camp yet.

"I love playing here, especially with the team being the caliber that it is now," Musgrove said. "This is definitely a place I'd like to stay for a while. It has not been brought to me yet, but it's something that we've thought about."

Musgrove added that he would be open to discussing an extension in-season if the subject arose.

Prior to Tuesday's start, Melvin noted that either Musgrove or Yu Darvish would take the ball on Opening Day. Currently, Darvish is one place ahead of Musgrove in the Cactus League rotation, but with 2 1/2 weeks remaining until Opening Day, there's time for that to change, Melvin said.

"I view it as having five aces," Musgrove said. "Whatever day you take the ball, you're the guy that's in charge of getting the job done. It feels good to be tabbed the Opening Day starter, but it's not something I'm pushing for. We've got a lot of good arms here, man."

Padres settle all six arb cases
Including Musgrove's deal, the Padres settled all six of their remaining arbitration cases ahead of Tuesday's deadline to exchange figures.

Musgrove, Jorge Alfaro, Victor Caratini, Dinelson Lamet, Chris Paddack and Luke Voit all agreed on salaries with the club for the 2022 season. Had any of those six players not come to an agreement with the club, the two sides would've submitted separate salary proposals, and an independent arbitrator would've chosen between the two.

Instead, Tuesday's agreements mean the Padres have avoided arbitration for the eighth straight season, spanning the entire tenure of president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.