Runs? Yeah, We Got Some — and a Catcher
Wed, Jun 20, 2007
by Geoff Young
Crazy offense on Tuesday night, eh (recap | boxscore)? Eighteen runs at Petco Park — it’s like I’ve been saying all along, they need to move the fences in to stimulate more scoring. Did I mention that the Padres own the National League’s best record?
First off, props to the Orioles for not quitting at the end of the game. For all they’ve been through, it would’ve been easy for them to mail in the last few innings, but they didn’t. As a fan of baseball, I love to see two infield hits by a team that’s down six runs in the ninth.
Also, Nick Markakis is a stud. The numbers told me that already, of course, but now having seen him, I understand why the numbers are what they are.
FOX and the U-T are reporting that the Padres have acquired catcher Michael Barrett from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for catcher Rob Bowen and a minor-league pitcher. outfielder Kyler Burke. Cash also is involved, but there are conflicting reports on which way the money is flowing. An undisclosed amount of cash is coming to San Diego to help pay Barrett’s salary.
Padres.com now reports that minor leaguer is, indeed, Kyler Burke.
On the Padres’ side, Jake Peavy threw a gem for five innings before stumbling in the sixth. It reminded me a lot of his April 19 start against the Diamondbacks. Glide, glide, glide, boom!
Speaking of Peavy, there’s been some buzz about his getting the start in next month’s All-Star Game. Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but my position on this is simple: If it helps the Padres win the World Series, then I’m all for it; otherwise, I don’t care. Sorry, I have one goal for this club and it doesn’t involve glorifying any of our players in an exhibition game.
Anyway.
Nice to see Khalil Greene and Mike Cameron leading the charge on offense. After his second four-hit game of the month, Greene is hitting a robust .321/.345/.518 in June.
Marcus Giles and Jose Cruz Jr. set the table with their usual flair and aplomb. Giles paid a visit to the porch for his fourth homer, while Cruz was a general pain in the neck. I still can’t get over what a tough out that guy is.
The Padres also did something amazing on Tuesday. Maybe one of the math wizards can figure out the odds of these two events happening in the same game:
| Outs | Runners | Expected | Prob > 0 | Actual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adapted from Expected Runs/Chance of Scoring Table for seasons 1984-1994. | ||||
| 0 | 123 | 2.37 | 0.882 | 0 |
| 2 | - - - | 0.10 | 0.067 | 6 |
Yeah, the Padres should have scored in the first inning, but by my count that six-run outburst in the sixth makes up for about 59 innings of failing to score with nobody on and two out.
by Peter Friberg
You will not see Kellen Kulbacki until he makes his season debut. He has signed and will join the Eugene Emeralds shortly.
AAA
Tim Stauffer: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Andrew Brown: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR
AA
Will Venable: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; CS
Nick Hundley: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI; HR
High-A
[Ed note: Results from the California/Carolina League All-Star Game.]
Wade LeBlanc: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR
Matt Antonelli: 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 2 RBI; BB, SO
Kyle Blanks: 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 RBI; 2 BB
David Freese: 2 AB, 2 R, 1 H, 2 RBI; 2 BB, SO; SF
Chad Huffman: 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 1 RBI; BB, SO
Low-A
R.J. Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR
Short Season-A
Luis Durango: 5 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 1 RBI; SO
Danny Payne: 2 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI; 3 BB, SB
Commentary:
The Padres had a collective good showing in the Hi-A All Star game.
When the Padres drafted Danny Payne out of Georgia Tech, I was less than impressed. However, the more I’ve researched him, the more I like. He has solid speed, excellent plate discipline, solid arm strength (he doubled as Georgia Tech’s closer), and solid hitting skills. The only tool he has that is not average or better is power. While power is important, if he has all the other tools/skills and plays a premium position (he’s reportedly an excellent center field), he can still be an asset.
[Ed note: Baseball America's Aaron Fitt is a big fan of Payne.]
Thanks, Peter. Busy morning. Padres and Orioles hook up again Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. PT. As always, we’ll fire up the IGD about an hour before first pitch. Go Padres!
Barrett Scouting Report
Thanks to Joe Aiello at View from the Bleachers for this:
Michael Barrett is a love him or hate him type player in the city of Chicago. He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, but has slowly seen his value decline in the mind of Cub fans due to his defense and his recent issues with Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill. He is just two years removed from winning the silver slugger behind the plate and is on pace to have a career year in the power department. He’s got an average arm, but struggles at times behind the plate. Some, including Steve Stone, attribute the struggles this year to the contract situation, a new catchers mask used earlier in the season, and the movement on the Cubs pitchers. There is no question he’s a passionate player that can help an offense.
Picking up where last year's version left off, the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual provides in-depth analysis of and commentary on the San Diego Padres. Get your copy today.
June 20, 2007 at 8:09 am
Regarding the direction the cash is flowing (from the Fox blurb): The deal, first reported by ESPN.com, also includes a cash payment from the Cubs to the Padres that will help defray the remainder of Barrett’s $4.5 million salary.
The trade will not become official until the commissioner’s office approves the cash component, a major-league source said, indicating that the amount could be more than $1 million.
June 20, 2007 at 8:12 am
XX reporting that the deal is not final
June 20, 2007 at 8:16 am
Re: 2 - Towers is on XX saying it is not done… (but a deal w/ Chicago for an unnamed player is nearly done….)
June 20, 2007 at 8:17 am
True, but I would imagine the prospect could change.
June 20, 2007 at 8:21 am
If this trade goes through, I think it’s a good more. Barrett might just need a little change in scenery. He is a legit ballplayer. Hate to lose a switch hitting catcher in Bowen.
June 20, 2007 at 8:24 am
#1: The Rosenthal piece has changed since I published. That makes more sense to me.
June 20, 2007 at 8:32 am
Wow… what do you guys think? Barrett seems like an a-hole but he definitely can hit. Does this push Bard to the bench?
June 20, 2007 at 8:37 am
MLB.com is claiming its a minor league pitcher, not Burke
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....p;c_id=mlb
June 20, 2007 at 8:38 am
Hey, we just did a big interview with Burke….hope its not him..:)
June 20, 2007 at 8:43 am
Barrett destroys LHP:
2005: .320/.415/.624
2006: .313/.396/.663
2007: .262/.340/.548
That’s in a shade under 300 PA over those three years.
June 20, 2007 at 8:44 am
Wow! This is pretty exciting to me. I played against Mike Barret in Highschool twice per year and several times per summer before he was drafted (aside: I gave up at least one homer to him while never striking him out in something like 20 at-bats). He really was an amazingly nice guy, though we only spoke a couple of times. Outside of the Padres though, he is the player I follow the most. Though I would imagine that he would only catch for us, he was a great shortstop in HighSchool (for his summer team, he actually was so good that they played Adam Everett at 2nd base) and started his career in the bigs splitting time between Catcher and 3rd base. Anyhow, selfishly, this bring my favorite non-padre player to the Padres, so I’m emotionally very in favor of this trade! As far as baseball considerations go, I guess Maddux probably endorsed him and I would think that given his power numbers, he is expected to get the majority of the starts for the Pads. BTW - I haven’t looked up his % of runners thrown out, but the kid had an absolute cannon in highschool with a short-armed throwing motion.
June 20, 2007 at 8:45 am
XX reporting that the trade is final
June 20, 2007 at 8:50 am
Of Barrett’s 77 hits against LHP over the past three seasons, 44 (57%) are for extra bases. He has homered once every 18.2 PAs against them in that period.
June 20, 2007 at 8:52 am
#13: As a point of reference, that’s about how often Ken Caminiti homered in ‘98.
June 20, 2007 at 8:55 am
14: What does Barrett’s current contract look like? Also, anyone surprised that we didn’t have to give up Bard?
June 20, 2007 at 8:59 am
#15: FA at end of year.
June 20, 2007 at 9:15 am
I dont know if I am really happy about this. I dont really see an improvement.
June 20, 2007 at 9:15 am
Doesn’t that mean we’ll get another draft pick? I’m assuming he’ll be a Type A. If he produces and gets along with everyone, we resign him. If he’s a jerk or can’t adapt to Petco, we get the pick. Nice.
Personally I think Lou Piniella is a jerk who just causes problems in the clubhouse so I’m willing to give Barrett a pass on the Zambrano incident. We don’t have any pitchers who are that kind of jerk. Hell, he’ll probably get along great with Peavy.
June 20, 2007 at 9:17 am
What’s not to like about the trade? Barrett may be a passionate player, or even an a-hole, but with multiple people saying he’s a great guy, somehow I think the griping about his character is misplaced. Do we really think Carlos Zambrano is a good judge of character? He started the fight with Barrett if I remember correctly. And is Rich Hill going to blame Barrett for failing to live up to his hype so far?
Barrett automatically upgrades our bench by swapping him with Bowen. He’s a right-handed stick with pop. On that basis alone we come out ahead. But I have to think that Barrett will get the majority of the time behind the plate when he gets here. Bard hasn’t done much this season to dispel the notion that last year was out of line with his career norms. Frankly, neither Bard nor Bowen were that great behind the plate, so we aren’t losing much defensively with Barrett back there. (The Cubs must have been really impressed by Bowen this past weekend). This was a good move to acquire a player cheaply because his old club had to move him.
I’m relieved that Burke is not in the trade. He’s struggling and behind many players in the organization, but I wasn’t ready to give up on him yet.
But we gave up Bowen and a minor league pitcher that has not been named. That’s a cheap price to pay.
June 20, 2007 at 9:31 am
18. I thought that comp picks ended with this past draft.
I don’t have a problem with this deal, as long as Barrett doesn’t gripe when he doesn’t start five games a week.
I’m wondering if there isn’t another trade in the works, sending either Barrett or more likely Bard elsewhere. I think they feel comfortable enough with LaForest as the back-up to do something like this.
June 20, 2007 at 9:32 am
If we gave up Burke, then I think we get the short end of the trade simply because we would have acquired less players whose last name begins with B than we had to give up.
June 20, 2007 at 9:35 am
Nicest guy, a-hole, which is it? Unless he’s a Marybelli-acher, sure he’s a real happy to be coming to SD. Personally, I think KT is feeling it this year, like this might be the year to go deep into the PS.
June 20, 2007 at 9:40 am
Padres.com now says it’s Burke.
June 20, 2007 at 9:42 am
all outlets are now reporting that Burke is part of the deal.
June 20, 2007 at 9:43 am
Re: 23 you beat me to it G.Y.
June 20, 2007 at 9:44 am
Re: 20 I dont see them sending Bard anywhere, Barret is a FA at the end of the year and with Bowen gone that would leave the Padres with no starting catcher in 08.
June 20, 2007 at 9:49 am
20: Comp picks still happen. The draft dropped draft-and-follows, and the comp rules changed so that B free agents don’t cost the signing team a pick like they used to.
June 20, 2007 at 9:51 am
Too bad about Burke. But with Headley, Veneble, Huffman, Frese, and now Kulbacki, we have no shortage of corner OF prospects.
June 20, 2007 at 9:56 am
The one day the Padres make a major catching move, and I’m at a conference all day!
I was originally stunned and a little grumpy when I first heard this trade, but the more I think about it, the better it is for the Padres. XX did a joint interview with the Score in Chicago and they seemed to feel that the Towers completely hosed Hendry here.
It’s also important to realize that Barret has caught both Peavy and Maddux before for Team USA in the WBC. I think that the front office is trying to go for it all this year and from what I hear, this could just be the beginning.
On a related note, my dad told me that KT claimed a huge deal is on the verge of happening between the Padres or someone else. When asked how big a deal, KT reportedly said “a 10-15 foot wave that would wash over Jake Peavy.” Does anybody know what exactly that implies or what this deal could be?
June 20, 2007 at 9:56 am
I just read this in the comments at Bleed Cubbie Blue:
According to Bruce Levine, the trade initially involved sending Barrett, Jones, and Izturis, for Khalil Greene and Bowen?, but that fell through
Interesting that Khalil is in play.
June 20, 2007 at 9:58 am
It’s worth noting that Barrett is one of Peavy’s better friends in baseball. No worries of fighting between those two.
June 20, 2007 at 9:59 am
29: My dad has ammended this statement. It reportedly referred to the Barret trade.
30: Interesting indeed that Khalil is in play. I sincerely hope that the Padres wouldn’t be foolish enough to do this.
June 20, 2007 at 10:09 am
Re: 32 Alderson does not like Greene, also isnt next year the last year the pads have control over Greene?
June 20, 2007 at 10:16 am
Reading more of the BCB comments, a lot of Cubs fans like Barrett. Some say that Piniella didn’t like him but that he got along great with Maddux. Also some rumors that Linebrink was involved but that sounds like wishful thinking. I can’t see him going for anything less than Dunn, and even then I’d be surprised.
Sandy is definitely not a Khalil fan but trading the starting shortstop of a first place team is a pretty gutsy move, especially if you’re going to replace him with Izturis.
June 20, 2007 at 10:17 am
I don’t think Greene is untouchable, but it would have to be a sock-knocker of a deal. Khalil would need to bring a lot more than Izturis… if we really wanted Jacque Jones, we would have him already. He’s made no secret among his friends that he wants to come play for his hometown team, and a competitive offer with a SD discount would have snared him as a free agent.
Personally, I like Jacque, but I’ll defer to KT on that one…
June 20, 2007 at 10:20 am
33: I think we still control Greene through the 2009 season. He only got into 20 games in 2003. You need 6 full seasons to be a free agent.
I don’t know if Alderson doesn’t like Greene, only that he’d like to see better production out of that spot.
June 20, 2007 at 10:23 am
35: Jones has been a mediocre offensive player most of the time. The last thing we need is another LH-hitting corner outfielder with medium power who needs to be platooned.
June 20, 2007 at 10:27 am
All trades carry some risk, but this seems like a real good way to shore up the #5 spot in the batting order. I think Barrett will be a good citizen; if nothing else, he is a FA next year and his contract depends on it.
If Giles comes back soon and we see a starting OF of Cruz, Cameron, and Giles, with a Barrett Bard platoon at the plate (or more Barrett?), is this enough offense or will they still go after a LF power bat?
June 20, 2007 at 10:31 am
36.
I got to watch a game with Alderson in his box during the 2005 season and he told us point blank that he “didn’t think much” of Khalil. That might have changed since then but I can’t really see why it would have.
June 20, 2007 at 10:31 am
22: KT has a feeling? So this is our big right handed bat? I really find it hard to believe we come out on top here. This is a slight improvement for an overpaid catcher (4.5) who is basically a rental for 3 months. Catcher really wasnt our area of concern. We need a hitter, I wouldnt be the least bit surprised if this was KT’s “big move” again alot of build up and talk for nothing, just like Todd Walker last year.
June 20, 2007 at 10:33 am
Re: no the pads still need to make a move to get a LF, which is still possible because they did not give up any major chips to get Barrett.
But who knows KT does not want to break up the bullpen so this may be it.
June 20, 2007 at 10:34 am
38: Do you really think when Giles comes back that he is going to make a difference?
June 20, 2007 at 10:37 am
I really wouldn’t be that shocked if KG got traded. In fact, it would only be about half as shocking as when Nomar got traded out of Boston, which was arguably the spark that got Boston to the ALCS the year that they won the World Series. Moreover, I’m a fan of KG getting the boot if we can pick sell his potential to another team in return for a solid shortstop (read: not superstar) and some more outfield production. Imagine how Adrian Gonzalez could hit if he had some more protection in the lineup.
June 20, 2007 at 10:41 am
42.
I would rather have OG in the lineup than Crudge-achica. I know he isn’t the Orange roided out mashing freak he used to be but he is a threat to go on a tear at anytime and he is still a better hitter than any other option we have.
June 20, 2007 at 10:42 am
43: 100% agree, but the fans are in love with Greene and most wouldnt want to see him go. I think in a hitters park he might be a greater asset since he is streaky as hell in Petco. His defense is good, but replaceable. He is flashy, but that doesnt mean a solid shortstop cant get the job done the same without the flash.
June 20, 2007 at 10:43 am
40: Barrett’s a better player than Bowen. Period. We came out on top. He’s not going to cost us anything like 4.5 million. The Cubs have already paid almost half his salary for this year and they’re sending us money. Since the commissioner’s office is involved, that might be more than 1 million. They basically bought Burke with that cash.
43, 39: I wouldn’t be surprised if they traded Greene either, but it won’t be because of some personal animosity towards him by Alderson.
June 20, 2007 at 10:44 am
or…
Branya-Crudge-achica
June 20, 2007 at 10:44 am
45: Very true and yet Boston fans were naming their kids after Nomar and he got traded…. and, they got over it! Funny how a world series ring can do that…
June 20, 2007 at 10:44 am
42: if he gets back to where he was (not great, I know) he would be an upgrade over Sledge/Bocachica, which is basically what he’s being replaced with.
I think an OF could really put this team over the top (Dye would be my top choice), demoting Jose Cruz to an active 4th outfielder type backing up all three. I just don’t know that the Padres will make the move.
June 20, 2007 at 10:45 am
37. Well, yeah… but you want to say that to his buddies that grew up with him here in San Diego? Why? I don’t need to get myself into that argument with some of our mutual acquaintences. There’s no profit in it for me.
Nah, I’ll let KT do his thing and continue to say how nice it would be if Jacque could come home to play
I think that Greene is hard to trade because of the fear that he learns to lay off low and away and stays healthy. If he could do that, he could turn into a monster… but that’s not to say I wouldn’t pull the trigger for the right deal…
June 20, 2007 at 10:46 am
44, 47: Agree, OG is at least slightly better than one of the composite OF corners we’ve been using.
It’s going to be hard to find a big bat. Not many people are selling them.
June 20, 2007 at 10:47 am
44 Man, you said that (49) a lot better than I did!
June 20, 2007 at 10:47 am
#46: And we’re betting that we’ll get a better player than Burke with the Barrett compensation pick.
#47: That’s frightening.
Has Khalil passed Garry Templeton as best shortstop in franchise history yet? I think it’s gotta be real close.
June 20, 2007 at 10:49 am
I think KG is here for at least this season and probably next. He is about as solid a defender as anyone and I have a feeling KT doesn’t mind waiting on his bat. After next season all bets are off though. If he gets injured again for an extended period of time my thoughts might change.
June 20, 2007 at 10:49 am
RE: 53 Yes but thats not saying much
June 20, 2007 at 10:50 am
I’m surprised that anyone thinks it would be so easy to replace Greene. Think about it. The best shortstop the Padres had between Templeton and Greene was Chris Gomez!
June 20, 2007 at 10:52 am
#55: Well, it’s saying that he’s the best shortstop in franchise history. People dog Greene a lot for the things he doesn’t do and I think sometimes lose sight of what he brings to the table. I’m not real objective when it comes to Khalil, but I’m curious to know who folks think might be available on the current market that would represent an upgrade at the position.
June 20, 2007 at 10:53 am
If the pads want to move greene that should look at a deal with the orioles to get Tejada, a package of Greene, Ring, Brown and Cassidy would make alot of sence for the orioles.
June 20, 2007 at 10:55 am
42 … yes, when Giles is in RF, the Padres are a better team than when Cruz or Sledge or “replacement-level-player” is in RF … and that makes a difference.
re: Barrett … this deal is GREAT for the Padres … Bowen is, at best, a replacement-level-player … Burke is a LOOOONG way from being an MLB player (ie. we can NOT regret this move if Burke does turn into an MLB player) … Barrett is 30 years old (near prime) … BP’s projected VORP = 26.4 (compare to Adrian @ 28.7, for example) … he is a VERY SOLID bat for our lineup … I think Barrett is only available because of major problems within the Cubs organization … KT did the classic “strike while the iron is HOT” … well done!
41 … agree that we still have and need to use our “major chips” to get a stud LF’er … and I recognize this is not a straight forward thing to do (and so it may not happen) …
I am bum’d about losing Burke … I’d heard he was going to get “sent down” to Eugene, which meant I’d get to see him for myself … but, alas, he’s now gone … he’s the kind of player I’ll try to keep an eye on as he either progresses or continues to flame out … I’ll root for him all the way (along with Tagg Bozied, Jon Knott, Freddy Guzman, Paul McAnulty … heck, I was still rooting for Sean Burroughs and Ben Davis and Dennis Tankersley and … well, you get the idea …)
June 20, 2007 at 10:56 am
Re: 57 Im a big Greene fan (My Padres jersey has a #3 on the back) im just saying that the padres history with the SS is not a good one.
June 20, 2007 at 10:57 am
44: I really dont think he well be the same when he returns from his injury and he was even doing great when he got injured. At least with Cruz/Bocachica we get some speed out of the deal. Bocachica has been quite the distraction when he gets on base and his and Cruz’s defense is on par with Giles. Besides the fact of Giles being from San Diego and having his brother on the team, he is easily replaceable.
June 20, 2007 at 10:58 am
We’ve had this discussion on Khalil lots of times. I remember reading an article that said shortstops take longer to develop offensively, citing a bunch of examples, Tejeda, Ozzie, and a bunch of others I can’t remember. I think this is historically the year that shortstops break out, if they’re going to do it.
I think we need to keep Khalil this year. It’s hard to argue against him defensively, when he’s hot he can carry a team and it would take a lot of guts to trade one of your most popular players who already has 41 rbi’s.
Hearing KT on XX this morning, he said he’s been talking to Maddox a lot about the Chicago lineup the last few days and that Maddox knows that team as well as anybody. Makes me more comfortable with the clubhouse issues.
June 20, 2007 at 10:59 am
Ems roster has been updated
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.....mp;cid=461
Nothing all that surprising.
June 20, 2007 at 11:01 am
#58: More sense for the O’s than the Padres. Tejada has $30+ million left on his current contract, which runs through 2009, and he appears to be entering the decline phase of his career. I don’t see Alderson et al. taking on more Klesko/Nevin type contracts.
June 20, 2007 at 11:02 am
64: You gotta throw Giles in with Klesko and Nevin, maybe even CHP
June 20, 2007 at 11:02 am
#60: No argument here. I can’t tell you how much it pained me to list Tempy as our #1 shortstop in the book.
June 20, 2007 at 11:04 am
#65: Possibly. I’m not convinced that OG is done just yet, and I like his clubhouse presence. I have no way to measure it, but I believe he adds value to the organization beyond what we see on the field.
CHP and Nevin were basically the same contract.
June 20, 2007 at 11:07 am
64 … sure Tejada’s in “deline phase” … but that doesn’t mean the Padres have to pay for all of the decline … as we’ve seen with Barrett, the O’s could still eat some of the cash …
Here’s what BP’s Pecota was projecting for Tejada coming into this season …
Year VORP WARP
2007 (age 31) 46 7.7
2008 (age 32) 43.4 7
2009 (age 33) 38.4 6.5
2010 (age 34) 27.2 5.2
2011 (age 35) 24.2 4.8
… those 2007/2008 (age 31/32) season’s are VERY JUICY … and 2009 ain’t bad either … ymmv.
June 20, 2007 at 11:07 am
Re: 64 It would be more for the run this year. Also Tejada is not a liability in the field like Nevin/Klesko were.
June 20, 2007 at 11:09 am
69: Very True
June 20, 2007 at 11:09 am
RE: Greene/Alderson
I remember hearing an interview with Alderson on XX last fall where he discussed a 1 year extension for Greene (no idea what calendar year it was for). Alderson’s comment when asked why only 1 year and he said there was no interest on either the Padres or Greene’s part on anything longer.
Feel free to read between the lines on that one. I read it to mean that if they had a replacement they liked in the pipeline, even that extension wouldn’t have been discussed; ie the front office sees him as tradeable.
June 20, 2007 at 11:11 am
67: I think he’s breaking down, kind of like Barry Bonds. He may help the clubhouse, but I think he would be a good 4th outfielder at this point. We kind of just have to eat his contract and hope it turns out better than some.
June 20, 2007 at 11:12 am
Re: 72 OG will not be a 4th OF as long as he’s a Padre
June 20, 2007 at 11:15 am
#68: Yeah, Tejada still is a darned good player, but I’d want to see the O’s eat a serious chunk of that contract.
June 20, 2007 at 11:15 am
It’s pretty tough not to like this deal from the Padres perspective. The worst case scenario is that we got a lefty-mashing bat off of the bench, which has been a need all year (with apologies to Bocachica). However, the more likely scenario is that we have a new starting catcher who is an offensive weapon.
I think it’s possible that Bowen will go to Chicago and put up the kind of half season that Bard did last year. But Bard has made it clear through the first half of this season that he is not a starting big league catcher on a championship team. Barrett is an upgrade, there’s no question about it.
June 20, 2007 at 11:17 am
73: Yes I know, but I dont think he should be
June 20, 2007 at 11:20 am
I heard Bowen on XX this morning. He said that he has had a great time here and he’ll miss everyone, but that the move is good for his career, since he has a chance at the starting catcher’s position. He called it “bittersweet.”
June 20, 2007 at 11:24 am
Was the BP Pizza Feed last year or the year before? In any case, at that event Sandy flat out said he was frustrated with Khalil’s lack of progress at the plate, ie his inability to lay off those breaking balls. I doubt he’s become any more enamored of him since then. I agree that if Khalil can figure that out he could be one of the elite shortstops in the game. I think he would be an all star right now if he played in a better park for his fly ball tendencies.
I would keep Khalil over Tejada at this point. I think Tejada is in serious decline and highly overpaid.
I have a completely irrational hunch that this injury will end up being a good thing for OG. It gets him out of the lineup for an extended time so he can rest and get healthy. He pays the game hard and never takes a day off, he’s getting too old for that.
June 20, 2007 at 11:26 am
75: Absolutely. Worst case scenario for this deal is that there is one more bat on the bench that Black trusts more than Blum. I disagree that Bard is not a starting quality backstop, though. He’s been a bit unlucky on balls in play this year. I think he can provide Lo Duca level offense, perhaps a little more, which is fine for your catcher. I’d certainly rather see Bard back next year as the starter than go out and sign someone like Lo Duca, Pudge Rodriguez, or Posada to a big deal for their catastrophic decline years.
June 20, 2007 at 11:26 am
76 and other SDSUBASEBALL posts: You’re not replacing Cruz with Giles. Cruz is a starter now. You’re replacing Bocachica and Sledge with Giles, and Giles is the better player. Bocachica’s a 30 year old journeyman. Being a distraction when you’re on base only matters if you actually get on base.
Giles isn’t nearly what he was, but he’s still a better player than those two. Sledge and Bocachica make fine backup outfielders.
If we can find a power-hitting outfielder, then you push Giles to the bench or into a loose platoon with Cruz, since Cruz is a better hitter from the right side.
June 20, 2007 at 11:29 am
Re: The KG discussion.
I’m probably one of the biggest Khalil fans in San Diego, so keep that in mind.
I think that at this stage, unless you get an absolute phenom back, trading Khalil is a horrible idea. People have brought up Tejada. His bat is seriously slumping now and you can’t legitimately say he’s not a liability in the field. He makes poor decisions and either tries to do too much or nothing at all when the ball is hit to him.
Someone said that Khalil’s defense is “replacable” and I find that completely hillarious. Defensively, Khalil saves double digit runs a year and the team just plays better when he’s in the lineup. As others have said, when he’s hot, he can carry this team. As others have also said numerous times, Khalil’s offensive struggles are only maximized by the relative futility of those that play around him. I think if we get more hitters like Barret in our lineup, there would be way less pressure on Khalil.
In his rookie season, batting in the 8 hole, Khalil posted a .275 average with 15 HRs. Since he’s been moved into higher leverage situations, and since people have learned to throw him sliders, he’s struggled. However, he still shows flashes of power offensively and he is a legitimate asset defensively. Not to mention that Khalil is one of the most beloved Padres from a fan perspective, and trading him would be a significant blow to team morale.
People have floated the KG + for Tejada in the past, and I really dislike that idea. In addition to making a ton of money, Tejada has shown no reason in the past few years to think that he’s going to get any better. I think he’s one of the most over-rated talents in the game and I would really hate to lose KG for him.
June 20, 2007 at 11:29 am
75: There have been some bad catchers win championships. Nobody ever thought Bard would keep hitting like he did last year, did they?
79: Amen.
June 20, 2007 at 11:30 am
Let’s not get too enamored with Cruz. His OPS+ for the last four years are 104, 101, 118, and 88, with that 88 being last year, and he’s 33.
June 20, 2007 at 11:31 am
SDSU…
I think you are under-estimating OG a lot. Yes he is overpiad but he isn’t the guy this team relies on for power or even rbi’s anymore (like Klesko and Nevin were signed to do). He is a guy who plays decent defense in right and will see a bunch of pitches and get on base. From what I remember he got hurt a long time before he went on the DL so if you are going to talk about his poor performance this year you have to remember he was playing hurt for a while before he went on the DL. I don’t think anyone has any illusions about him coming in and being Vlad Guerrero all of a sudden but you can’t tell me he isn’t a better option than any of the guys on our current roster. You also can’t tell me Adrian Gonzalez wouldn’t benifit from hitting behind OG. Cruz is having a nice year, Bocachica is decent and Branyan is nice to have around but none of them is a better player IMO than OG even at this point in his career.
June 20, 2007 at 11:32 am