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 turnover rate from last season, one thing is clear; Byrnes has a plan and he has wasted little time implementing it. His goal this winter was to continue to add to the deepening pool of young talent while improving the team for an unlikely but hopeful postseason run next season. Yes, the Padres will obviously miss Latos and the trade that sent him to Cincinnati for a prospect-heavy return is difficult to view as a step to improve the product on the field nest season. But Byrnes has still accomplished both goals with the plethora of deals he has made as GM.

Let’s take a look at how some of Byrnes’ winter acquisitions will impact the Friars organization whether for just this season, the future or both starting with the Latos move.

From the beginning, a goal of the Friarhood was to allow fans from all over keep up with the team.  I know if you live outside of San Diego keeping up with the Padres can be challenging.  In an effort to keep Padres fans involved I have set up Friarhood chapters on facebook.  The purpose of these chapters is to introduce yourself to other Padres fans in the area, for viewing parties or games. 

I have tried to place the chapters in major cities, ideally baseball cities.  If you do not see your city with an active link, leave a comment and I will set it up.  Please do your part and spread the word about the chapters to fellow Padres fans