You cannot stop links, you can only hope to contain them.

Adrian

• Adrian Gonzalez trade links (Friar Forecast). Myron provides a “one-stop shop” of links to commentary on the trade.
• Hoyer: Gonzalez deal ‘absolutely necessary’ (Padres.com). Quoth GM Jed Hoyer: “We have to make this kind of move and get the prospects. … If we don’t, we could look back later on and feel like we really sold our future short.” Manager Bud Black offers his thoughts: “You know, trades happen in this game. Players move. New faces come in. We feel as though we are going to have some talent again in our group.”
• Why the Adrian Gonzalez trade doesn’t really matter. (Gaslamp Ball). Dex delivers the goods. His “smart fan” rant doesn’t make much sense, but this is money: “Everybody else should just get over themselves. The Padres didn’t do anything that you wouldn’t care about if you weren’t so self-absorbed, thinking everybody’s always out to get you.” Or as the late Richard Feynman (winner of Nobel Prize for Physics in 1965, before the Padres even joined the National League) once said, “What do you care what other people think?”
• I like my trades like I like my women (Watson Files). As Dan so aptly puts it, “I thought Jed Hoyer had a pretty good weekend. Because, especially when you’re operating on a $40-million payroll, you have to make consistently good deals. And since he took over, I can’t think of any ‘Uh, what?’ moves.”

Padres-ish

• Deckers form Padres’ dynamic duo (MiLB.com). Oddly, the article fails to mention that Cody and Jaff Decker are not related. Still, it provides a nice overview of the system.
• It Is Time For Jed to Blow Up the Padres (Friarhood). From the article: “The last thing I want to see is a 2011 Padres team scratch and claw all year, trying to repeat 2010… not developing their younger players, renting veterans that may or may not be the best fit, falling short and then watching Bell and Gonzalez walk away for compensation picks.” Well, he’s off to a rousing start.
• Million Dollar Cutters (Baseball Analytics). Reader Didi notes that Mike Adams can close for the Padres after Heath Bell is traded.
• Padres hire Byrnes as senior VP of operations (Padres.com). Former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes worked for Padres owner Jeff Moorad in Arizona and with Hoyer in Boston. Byrnes comes with the reputation of being a smart guy, which is great because you can never have enough of those.
• Padres moving on, planning for 2011 (Padres.com). The Cardinals’ Brendan Ryan is mentioned as a shortstop possibility, while free agents Lyle Overbay, Russell Branyan, and Adam LaRoche are possiblities at first base until one of the kids is ready. No surprises.
• Minor League Free Agents Leaderboards (Baseball-Reference). Study these lists. Tim Torres might make for an intriguing middle infield option, while Chuck James wasn’t a bad pitcher once upon a time. I’m sure you can find others.
• Strong & Deep Bullpens (Baseball-Reference). Hey, I can see the ’96 Padres from here! And how ’bout the ’98 squad’s postseason pitching?
• Jim Leyritz Sentenced To Probation & $500 Fine In DUI Case (CBS New York). According to this article about one of the Padres’ 1998 postseason heroes, “The 47-year-old former ballplayer was acquitted last month of DUI manslaughter following a 2007 traffic crash that killed 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch.” [h/t BBTF]
• More than three decades of exciting games (Hardball Times). Fun stuff from Max Marchi. The Padres have participated in two of the most exciting games since 1974. Rollie Fingers worked 5 2/3 innings in one of them… don’t see closers do that too often anymore.

Hall of Fame

• Former Padres Roberto Alomar and Fred McGriff (once traded for each other) are getting plenty of ink, while Kearny High alum Alan Trammell remains an unfortunately lost cause (although maybe the voters will finally get it right with Tim Raines… to say nothing of the long overdue Bert Blyleven).
• Ron Santo dead at 70 (Chicago Tribune). Speaking of guys who belong in the Hall of Fame… RIP, Ron Santo, a Chicago icon and a player who never quite got his due. At Hardball Times, Bruce Markusen and Chris Jaffe pay their respects as well.
• Should Kevin Brown Be in the Hall of Fame? (FanGraphs). Dayn Perry makes the case for Brown, another Padres hero from ’98. Fred Claire does the same for Dale Murphy [h/t BBTF], albeit using different arguments.
• The Descriptive Hall of Fame Ballot: 2010 (Wezen-Ball). Larry Granillo, meanwhile, adds his own graphical twist to the proceedings.
• Pat Gillick Elected to Hall of Fame, Marvin Miller Snubbed (Biz of Baseball). Labour’s Love Lost.

Stuff That Deserves a Better Heading Than This

• Benefit of the Doubt: Batters in the Zone (Beyond the Box Score). This is intriguing. [h/t BBTF]
• Unidentified Team – Signed Chone (BBTF). Sean Smith is now employed by an MLB team, which is awesome. The downside, for the rest of us, is that his CHONE projections will not be appearing for 2011. Congratulations, Sean!
• The Favorite Toy and…Babe Ruth (Seamheads). Such fun!
• When Bill James comes to town (Hardball Times). Speaking of fun, Anna McDonald got to attend a panel that featured James, Bob Costas, and Joe Posnanski… so jealous.
• Lincecum Helped Shape, Reaffirm Tribe’s Draft Process (Seamheads). There but for the slotting system went Tim Lincecum to Cleveland. Remind me again, how is this not collusion?
• Prospectus Q&A: Jimmy Wynn (Baseball Prospectus). Although I never got to see him play, the diminutive but powerful Wynn is one of my all-time favorite players. It’s nice to see that he has a clear grasp of his place in history: “if I’d have played in a different ballpark I could have had a little over 400 home runs and been in the running for the baseball Hall of Fame.” +1000 for self-awareness. Wynn also shares an amusing anecdote about Reggie Jackson and gives mad props to the power of milk.
• Boras book gave mostly accurate look at player A-Rod would become (SI.com). Agent Scott Boras did a pretty good job of projecting his client’s future production and an even better job of projecting Derek Jeter’s. [h/t BBTF]
• Interview with Mark Simon, ESPN Researcher and Writer – Pt. 1 (Beyond the Box Score). Nice behind-the-scenes look at writing, production, and the like. I’ve had the pleasure of rubbing virtual elbows (really? how does that work?) with Simon on occasion, and he’s a smart cookie. [h/t SweetSpot]

Teh Funny

• CSI One-Liners, Baseball Style (Crashburn Alley). Need a laugh? Bill delivers the goods. [h/t Platoon Advantage]
• Baseball Players Hold Annual Meeting To Discuss Benefit Of Wearing Index Finger On Outside Of Mitt (The Onion). C’mon, people; this is important stuff!

There you go…

Tagged as: adam laroche, adrian gonzalez, alan trammel, alex rodriguez, babe ruth, bill james, bob costas, brendan ryan, bud black, cody decker, dale murphy, derek jeter, fred mcgriff, hall of fame, heath bell, jaff decker, jed hoyer, jeff moorad, jim leyritz, jimmy wynn, joe-posnanski, josh byrnes, kevin brown, lyle overbay, marvin miller, mike-adams, pat gillick, richard feynman, roberto alomar, rollie fingers, ron santo, russell branyan, scott boras, tim lincecum, tim raines