The Padres won 90 games in 2010, but they fell back into the NL West cellar in 2011. They changed GMs this offseason and traded ace Mat Latos to the Reds for a package of three young players and Edinson Volquez. New GM Josh Byrnes also bought low on Carlos Quentin and Huston Street, but a lot will have to go right for San Diego to return to contention this season.
ESPN.com and Baseball Prospectus agree that the Padres have the best farm system in baseball, and they're going to have a prospect-heavy Triple-A rotation led by three of their ten best minor leaguers: Casey Kelly, Robbie Erlin, and Joe Wieland. Kelly came over in the Adrian Gonzalez trade while both Erlin and Wieland came from the Rangers in the Mike Adams deal. With that kind of talent waiting in Triple-A, Byrnes figures to be able to shop a starter or two for more young players at midseason.
The 29-year-old Tim Stauffer (pictured) was San Diego's Opening Day starter last season. He finally made it through his first full season as a big league starter in 2011, eight years after being the fourth overall pick in the draft. He pitched to a 3.73 ERA in 185 2/3 innings spread across 31 starts, relying on ground balls (51.8%) and control (2.57 BB/9) rather than strikeouts (6.20 K/9). Stauffer did appear to hit a bit of wall in mid-August and finished the season on the shelf with arm stiffness, but he's healthy now and ready to go.
Dustin Moseley, 30, was enjoying a bit of a breakout year in 2011 before dislocating his left (non-throwing) shoulder swinging a bat in late-July, which ended his season. Before the injury he'd pitched to a 3.30 ERA in 20 starts (120 IP). Like Stauffer, he's a ground ball (49.5%) and control (2.70 BB/9) guy, not a strikeout guy (4.80 K/9). Also like Stauffer, Moseley is healthy now and will begin the season on time and in the rotation.
Stauffer and Moseley aren't the biggest of names, but they'll have plenty of trade value if they carry their 2011 performance over into 2012. The former will earn $3.2MM this year and the latter just $2.0125MM, plus both guys will remain under team control as an arbitration-eligible players in 2013. With expensive hurlers like Joe Blanton ($8.5MM) and John Lannan ($5MM) highlighting the current pitching trade market, Stauffer and Moseley could look very attractive at their salaries come June and July.
The Padres have plenty of young pitching on the way, so they should be able to replace a starter if they make any trades this year. They can always count on Petco Park to help their pitchers perform a little better than they probably should as well. Both Stauffer and Moseley are unspectacular but effective when healthy, and we've seen similar pitchers like Jake Westbrook and Ted Lilly fetch nice returns at the deadline in recent years. The San Diego duo is both younger and cheaper, and new ten-team playoff system could mean more clubs will be in contention and looking for rotation help this summer.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Trade Candidate: The entire Padres 25 man roster
Yeah, pretty much, except for Maybin, Alonso, and Luebke
Why a Mets fan would have such a complex over the Padres, I’ll never know.
I think Richard would be a more likely trade candidate than Stauffer.
Tim Stauffer For JP Arenciba
The Padres have no need for a catcher, it is one of their deepest positions. Now if you have a young SS you would like to give up, then there will be some discussion.
Yeah. How about Hechavarria.
That’s as crazy an idea as the Padres having any interest in Arencibia. If AA would be willing to deal Hechavarria, I would ecstatic the Padres get him, but I’m pretty sure Stauffer wouldn’t be enough.
The same guy that had a 4.95 ERA on the road last year? I’d pass.
I would think that the Pads wouldn’t mind trading one of these guys, as long as they keep Luebke. He had a great season last year and could very well be the opening day starter this year. And he’s 27 as opposed to 29 or 30.
Luebke is going no where. He looked really good last year and is throwing darts this spring. He has the skill and attitude to be something special.
Luebke, Wieland, Cashner, Bass are going no where but the rotation.
Quentin is hurt and and because the injury is to his right or drive leg it will rob him of power. Power was his only potential benefit to the team since he is the very worst defensive outfielder in baseball and has averaged just over 98 games in the field the past 3 season.
The oft injured Quentin is a very poor investment of money & prospects for the low budget Padres that they could not afford prospects and wont play 100 games in a Padres uniform before leaving after 2012 as a FA.
Stauffer is the new #1 on the staff. Plus, with only one full year in the majors he isn’t going to bring much in trade. He isn’t going anywhere.
Moseley is disposable. Padres have 6-8 ready or coming just as good or better. If he brought back a bag of balls in return it would hurt the overall production of the team.
Braaak Wrong answer, but thanks for playing.
Quentin only started in 45 games in which he was the DH. In those 45 games he only had 4 ab in 9. He was hurt and that is why he DH’d. He only played a complete game in 231 games total in 3 years. Thats 77 per season. A half season of complete games per season. Its pathetic.
Fact is he is an injury prone player who cannot play OF worth a damn (worst in the entire game) and has no business being on an NL team.
Add to that the fact that he hit only .245 in a hitters park and league and you have a guy that will play less than 100 games, play absolutely horrible defense in a park that requires good defense to win in, and hit under .230 with at least a 20% decrease in power IF he had stayed healthy.
Byrnes made a huge mistake on Quentin and his fragile body is already
telling the tale. He will start the season on the DL after surgery and the injury to
his right or drive leg will rob him of the only plus he offered, power.
BOTH Castro and Hernandez will be in a White Sox uniform THIS season. Hernandez may break camp with the team. That alone will tell you their value.
While Castro and Hernandez may be the best options the White Sox can scrape together they were never going to contribute to the padres. Theres at least a dozen better pitchers in the high levels of the padres system, which means they have zero value to San Diego. Who cares that they’re going to eat innings on a last place team in Chicago this year? Erlin and Wieland will do the same thing in San Diego and they’ll do it a lot better.
Why not send them away for a guy with a name, who even if he does hit .240 with 15 home runs would still be as good as anyone else the padres have? The Pads need a way to put people in the seats this year because Darnell, Liriano and Gyroko aren’t ready to be the stars yet.
And how is Quentin the worst defensive OF in the entire game? I get that he doesn’t have crazy range but the guy only made 1 error in a over 100 games last year which leads me to believe he’s at least competent. I’m not saying he’s the next tori hunter but he’s probably better than Blanks or Guzman.