Cameron, Padres Fan The Fire In Arizona
As early as April 2007 the Padres and Mike Cameron had seemed destined to go their separate ways, but the flames were rekindled down the stretch and the flirtation continued well into December to the point that a re-signing seemed likely.
Of course Cameron ran off to Milwaukee, but the two parties remain embroiled in a he said/they said with little reconciliation in sight. Tom Krasovic has the latest chapter in which Cameron shoots down the rumor he took a discount in signing with the Brewers, saying "I’m not stupid," and claiming the Padres punched his ticket when Jim Edmonds was brought to town via trade.
General Manager Kevin Towers claims Cameron’s side was looking for 2-years/$10MM, so the Padres never even made an offer. “Why make an offer if they said they’re not going to take less than $10 million?" Towers said.
Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle and can be contacted at eastwindupchronicle@gmail.com.
Odds and Ends: Foulke, Ordonez, Feliz, Phillips
All sorts of odds and ends to discuss this morning.
- I will be appearing on Rutgers Student Radio this morning at 8:40am CST. You can go here and click the "listen" link to hear it live.
- Keith Foulke threw for the majority of teams in baseball last week, topping out around 84. The D’Backs may make an offer. I don’t believe they have signed a free agent yet.
- The New York Times says Jose Canseco has apparently dragged Magglio Ordonez into the steroid mess, with the FBI getting involved on possible extortion. I have to admit, I am going to read Canseco’s new book. The first one was interesting but poorly written.
- The Giants’ two-year offer to Pedro Feliz was rejected, and they seem inclined to fill third base internally. Joe Crede is not out of the question though.
- Seems that the Reds might be talking about a long-term deal with Brandon Phillips.
- Rewriting history: the Padres almost acquired Mark McGwire in 1995. Speaking of Kevin Towers, here’s a quick look at his trading record. It’s good.
- Team payroll data for ’07 is out; it’s not terribly surprising.
Kevin Towers To Receive Extension
FROM 1-22-08 at 10:20pm: The new deal for Towers will run through 2010.
FROM 1-22-08 at 2:17pm:
According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, Padres GM Kevin Towers is signed through 2007 with a 2008 club option. MLB.com’s Corey Brock wrote today that Towers is set to receive an extension this week.
I haven’t done any rankings but I think Towers might be the game’s best GM. Maybe I’ll do an MLBTR poll on that.
Padres Looking For Corner OF Via Trade
Padres GM Kevin Towers chatted at MLB.com today. The money quote:
The one position that we still may be looking at would be a corner outfielder. This would most likely come via a trade, rather than a free agent signing.
And then Towers concluded the chat with this:
That is all the time that I have for this chat today. I now need to go find a corner outfielder for you all.
From these clues I have surmised that the Padres may be looking to add a corner outfielder via trade. The Padres missed out on free agent targets Geoff Jenkins and Kosuke Fukudome.
Possibly available left fielders: Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, Marcus Thames, Jay Payton, Matt Murton, and Adam Lind. Right fielders who might be available include Xavier Nady, Randy Winn, and Austin Kearns. Nady and Bay have been of interest to San Diego previously this winter. Your thoughts on the most likely targets?
Towers On Padres’ Trade Possibilities
The Padres are currently dead last in on-base percentage in the National League, at .313. They’re fourth from last with a .390 SLG (and the Pirates are threatening for that #13 ranking). The road rankings are a tad less bleak, as the Friars are 11th in OBP and 6th in slugging. On the other hand, the Padres easily have the best pitching in the NL.
Nonetheless, Padres GM Kevin Towers is focused on adding a starting pitcher and a bench player. To be fair, he’s still waiting to see what kind of boost recent additions Michael Barrett and Milton Bradley can bring.
Knowing Towers’ favorite trading partners, who might he hit up for the starting pitcher? Since 2001, Towers has made multiple trades with the following GMs: Brian Cashman (5), Theo Epstein (5), Bill Bavasi (4), Billy Beane (3), Omar Minaya (3), Jim Hendry (3), Jon Daniels (2), and Walt Jocketty (2).
Bavasi and Minaya are probably both in the market for starters, so we can count them out.
One intriguing name is Andy Pettitte, but the Yankees would be conceding the 2007 season. Their playoff chances are still in the 14-21% range, according to Baseball Prospectus. So don’t count on this one.
Fun idea for an August trade: the Padres bring Matt Clement back. His salary would easily get through waivers. Clement is currently at about 70% effort right now, so he’s a long shot to help. But it would be kind of cool.
The A’s could trade southpaws Joe Kennedy or Lenny DiNardo. Esteban Loaiza is an option; he could be back by the deadline. He’s another possible August trade candidate, with $7MM coming to him in ’08.
Jim Hendry’s been trying to unload Wade Miller for a while now, but like most of the names I’ve mentioned, he’d hardly be better than what the Padres have in-house. Jon Daniels might unload Jamey Wright, while the Cardinals are probably getting sick of Kip Wells. Nothing to see here.
Towers last dealt with Brian Sabean of the Giants about four years ago, getting Clay Hensley for Matt Herges. The pair could match up again on Matt Morris. I don’t believe Towers has ever made a deal with Tim Purpura, but the Astros likely deem Jason Jennings and Woody Williams expendable.
Towers last made a deal with Kenny Williams five years ago, sending him D’Angelo Jimenez. The two GMs should have plenty to talk about this month, as Williams has many starters to offer. [Correction: it seems the two GMs last hooked up on the Geoff Blum deal in ’05. Thanks to Nicholas for the tip.]
The problem is that the Padres don’t have much to deal with given their prospects. They need Kevin Kouzmanoff. Cesar Carrillo had TJ surgery. Cedric Hunter has been disappointing. Kyler Burke is with the Cubs now. Towers could trade an infielder – Matt Antonelli or Chase Headley. Outfielder Chad Huffman and catcher Nick Hundley also look promising.
Kevin Towers Trade Profile
I decided to compile a nifty spreadsheet of all the trades Kevin Towers has made since 2001. Go ahead – Download san_diego_padres_towers.xls. From this compilation I learned a few things about Towers’s favorite trading partners. He works well with Brian Cashman and the Yankees, albeit on mostly minor deals (5 trades since 2001). Towers also gets along well with Bill Bavasi and the Mariners – they’ve made four trades since 2001. He’s also made plenty of trades with the Red Sox, whether the GM was Mike Port, Theo Epstein, or the College of GMs.
Towers’s only swap with Dave Littlefield of the Pirates took place a year ago, when he acquired Dave Ross. However, you do have to wonder if Towers will simply replicate his move from last year: add Joe Randa. Randa represents only a modest upgrade over the current third basemen, however, and he was lousy with the Padres last year.
Given the Boston connection, Towers could pursue the resurgent Mike Lowell. The 32 year-old makes $9MM this year and another $9MM in ’07, but he is hitting .307/.359/.516 for Boston. Epstein could find catching prospect George Kottaras to his liking – Kottaras is hitting .276/.394/.451 for San Diego’s Double A affiliate. Ben Johnson could be expendable and any team would love to have righty Cesar Carrillo.
Towers acquired Rich Aurilia two years ago, and he could be a useful addition again if acquired from the Reds. Aurilia is slugging .488 on the season. Another low-tier option could be Tony Graffanino of the Royals, who has played 26 games at third this year.
Super long shot: Adrian Beltre. In an April interview with this website, Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist John Hickey indicated that Beltre could be available if anyone would take a chunk of his contract. And I already mentioned that Towers likes working with Bavasi. On the other hand, Beltre’s been awful this season and the Padres don’t typically trade for huge contracts.
I think Towers will make some sort of move, even if it’s far too late to actually make a difference. I expect something of the Aurilia/Graffanino flavor based on past history.