Towers Leaning?
Thu, Oct 20, 2005
by Geoff Young
I have avoided talking about this too much because it’s mostly been speculation, but the Kevin Towers-to-Arizona thing seems to be gaining momentum. I know a lot of folks think the Padres can do better than Towers at GM. Me, I’ll believe it when I see it.
“Getting rid” of Towers doesn’t accomplish anything unless the Pads find someone better to do the job. As I mentioned before the season, KT has his flaws — infatuation with the Rule V draft, signing mediocre players to large contracts (although some of those deals were more Bob Vizas than Towers), a spotty draft record — but he’s done a tremendous job identifying pitching talent and finding guys in Indy ball or on the international scene.
If you wanted a blueprint on how to assemble a bullpen on a budget, you’d need look no further than what Towers did with the Padres in 2005. Scott Linebrink was a waiver wire pickup, Akinori Otsuka came from Japan with a very nice price tag, Chris Hammond and Rudy Seanez pulled in just over $1 million between them, and the Giants practically gave away Clay Hensley.
Getting back to the topic at hand, my feelings on the Towers situation are this:
- Losing Towers doesn’t help the Padres unless they find a replacement who can do a better job. If that person is Sandy Alderson, then fine; he’s the man who taught Billy Beane and he’s got a heckuva track record. But the primary names we’re hearing right now are Special Assistant to the General Manager Grady Fuson and Oakland A’s Assistant General Manager David Forst. Could either of those gentlemen do a better job than Towers? Possibly. I don’t know, and neither does anyone else.
- I don’t like the idea of Towers going to a division rival. Honestly, the thought of having the Snakes run by someone as accomplished as Towers bothers me quite a bit. They have a lot of really good young players already and more on the way. The one area in which they’re deficient — pitching — is Towers’ area of expertise. Can you imagine the Diamondbacks with some decent arms? I can, and frankly, I’d just as soon not see it happen.
Those are my thoughts on the situation. As John Wetton once said, only time will tell. (You can thank me later for planting that song in your head.)
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October 20, 2005 at 8:41 am
Towers with young talent only scares me when he’s with the padres. I love the idea that he’s going to the D’ backs and they have young talent. He’ll probably trade them all away for expensive veterans with short contracts, (see: Jason Bay trade, Mark Kotsay Trade, Matt Clemment Trade, Derek Lee Trade, ect…) the pads may have recived veterans in return but look at what the pads lineup would be today if he would have let his talent develop.
C: who ever we wanted to stick there
1B: Derick Lee
2B: Mark Lorreta
SS: Greene
3B: who ever we wanted to stick there
LF: Bay
CF: Kotsay
RF: Nady
With Peavy; Eaton, Clement all as starting pitcher
the pads would be great for a long time with those players
October 20, 2005 at 9:49 am
Steve:
Let’s look at your lineup.
Derrek Lee wasn’t the player that he is this year when we traded him away. Plus, the trade netted the Padres Kevin Brown, without whom, ‘98 WS participants would have been the Yankees and some other team.
Jason Bay was not a Padres’ farm product. We got him from the Mets for Steve Reed. Besides, Giles is no slouch in that deal.
Kotsay still has his back problem with the A’s. I remember the last season he was with the Padres that started with Kotsay being an MVP candidate for the team and ended up with him on the DL one third of the season.
Clement was erratic and only have good September record for the Padres. He couldn’t even make it for the Cubs the first season. Even now, he’s merely an average pitcher for Boston.
Oh,you also mentioned Mark Loretta. That’s KT’s doing. So is bringing Ramon Hernandez to SD.
October 20, 2005 at 10:15 am
Didi hit the nail on the head. You can add Peavy, Khalil, and Linebrink to the list of key guys KT brought to SD.
October 20, 2005 at 10:59 am
I know the players i listed weren’t great at the time but that’s why you DEVELOP them, other clubs seemed to have been able to. Isn’t the job of the GM being able to determine who will be good or who is worthless? Linebrink was a good find, so was Peavy but that was more of one of towers scouts, Khalil was a gold spikes winner and holds college records i don’t think he was that tuff of a find.
October 20, 2005 at 11:02 am
Also, how much did brown help us after 98? how much will ramone help us next year? will giles be in SD next year? I would love to see the pads compete every year like the Twins, A’s ect all citys with the same size payroll but develop thier own talent.
October 20, 2005 at 11:04 am
I am not so much worried by who will take Towers’ place here in SD as I am about him going to the Snakes. While my animosity toward the Dodgers will always run deep, in recent years I have disliked the Diamondbacks from top to bottom almost as much. It sickens me to think that Towers might wind up with a divisional opponent, much less one with all the young hitting talent that the DBacks have.
That being said, Towers was not the only guy behind the operation, he may have overseen it, but our scouts found a lot of the talent that Towers can take credit for. Plus I have never felt that he has had a strong grasp of the economics of the game. The Padres can definitely make better use of their resources, and I am not sure Towers is the right person for that job. I am ok with losing him because it looks like Alderson will be the prime player relying on his right-hand man of Fuson or Forst operating in much the same capacity that they are now, as assistants. By no means does it seem like Fuson or Forst will be given as free of a role as Towers has enjoyed. Given Alderson’s track record, I think the Padres have much to gain with that setup. It just may take a year or so to offload our garbage.
Plus, if the UT is to be believed, Richard might get his wish if Towers is to take Bochy with him! But that is a whole other topic of conversation.
October 20, 2005 at 11:34 am
Steve: Kevin Brown > World Series > Petco Park. That’s a slight exaggeration, but it’s really hard to overestimate Brown’s impact on this franchise even today.
Bruce: You may be right about KT and economics. His main strengths are identifying & developing young pitchers and finding talent in unusual sources. Maybe Fuson et al. can do those things also.
October 20, 2005 at 12:26 pm
As a Diamondbacks fan, I’m heartened to hear that Towers’ perceived strength — evaluating pitching talent — matches the D-Backs’ biggest weakness — serious inability to evaluate pitching talent.
But it seems like Moorad has taken a very strong role in putting together the team thus far. And so isn’t Towers potentially stepping into the same situation he’d be leaving?
October 20, 2005 at 4:00 pm
I agree with Bruce about KT going to the Dbacks. I really don’t want him in the same division.
I think KT is in a better situation in Dbacks, if he goes, because Moorad was an ex-agent. Not nearly the MLB insider as Alderson. Plus, Dbacks can used KT’s pitching evaluation experiences.
If KT goes, it’s because of the Nevin, Klesko contracts and the likes.
October 20, 2005 at 4:25 pm
maybe they can work out a deal with the D’ backs, they can have Towers but they have to take Klesko with him.
October 21, 2005 at 4:37 am
Here’s a thought: What happens if KT does not get the D-Backs job?
http://www.signonsandiego.com/.....adres.html
October 21, 2005 at 8:25 am
If Towers doesn’t get the job then it will be an odd year between him and Alderson, and he will look for another job again in 07
October 21, 2005 at 10:52 am
if that were to happen, it’d be the ultimate irony….he’d be the new Nevin.