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Padres Trading From Position Of Depth This Offseason

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Every offseason we see teams try to improve by trading from a position of depth and strength. For many clubs that means prospects, but it could also be a spare position player or even a starting pitcher. Very rarely do we see a team trade away multiple quality relief arms in one offseason, though. That, however, is exactly what the Padres have done this winter.

San Diego's bullpen was far and away the best in the game this past season. They led MLB with a 2.81 ERA and a 2.9 BB/9 (2.5 if you take out intentional walks), and placed second with 9.6 K/9 and fifth with a 45.8% ground ball rate. If you believe in fielding independent metrics and WAR, the Padres relief corps led the game with a 2.97 FIP and 7.8 WAR, and not by a small margin either.

Given the general lack of decent bullpen help available, GM Jed Hoyer saw that he had not just a valuable commodity but a surplus of it, and he acted accordingly. First he secured five years of an everyday centerfielder in Cameron Maybin by trading a pair of bullpen arms – righties Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb – to the Marlins. The duo combined for a 3.29 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and just 1.4 BB/9 (removing intentional walks) in close to 130 innings in 2010. Maybin, still only 23, owns just a .692 career OPS, but that will be an improvement over the .680 OPS the Padres got from their center fielders in 2010. He should also be very good defensively.

The next move involved upgrading the middle infield. In exchange for Jason Bartlett (and a player to be named), Hoyer parted with four young players, including three relief pitchers. Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos combined to strike out 27 in 24 innings for San Diego last season, and Brandon Gomes pitched to a 1.87 ERA with 11.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 72 1/3 Double-A innings. Even if Bartlett repeats 2010's performance of .254/.324/.350 (a career low OPS in a full season), he'll improve on the .244/.306/.360 batting line the Padres got out of their shortstops in 2010.

Despite trading away five total relievers in the two deals, Hoyer still held on to the majors' best late game trio: Heath Bell, Mike Adams, and Luke Gregerson. They combined for 215 innings with a 2.34 ERA, 10.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 (removing intentional walks) this season. Bell, a free agent after the 2011 season, is a candidate to be traded during the summer, in which case Adams and Gregerson would simply move up a peg on the end-game totem pole.

Beyond the Bell-Adams-Gregerson monster, the Padres also have Ernesto Frieri (11.7 K/9 in a 33-game cameo in 2010) and lefty specialist Joe Thatcher (held left-handers to .197/.239/.288 in 2010) for the middle innings, plus they signed Dustin Moseley (3.77 ERA as a reliever in 2010) this offseason. Right-hander George Kontos (9.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 before having Tommy John surgery in the middle of the 2009 season) was selected in the Rule 5 Draft as well. Tim Stauffer was baseball's best long reliever (1.87 ERA) before moving into the rotation late in the year, but he could find himself back in the bullpen if some of the team's younger arms step forward and grab rotation spots.

Quality bullpen help is tough to find these days, but the Padres have plenty of it. Part of it is the Petco Park effect, part of it is great scouting and player development. GM Jed Hoyer identified his team's bullpen as a position of strength, and used excess pieces to improve other areas of his club this offseason.

Padres Close To Deal With Brad Hawpe

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4:48pm: The Padres are "close" to a deal with Hawpe, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

4:09pm: The Padres are considering Russell Branyan and Brad Hawpe as they look to acquire a first baseman. Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the club is talking to Hawpe, who has been a target since earlier in the month (Twitter link).

The Padres are open to making Branyan part of a platoon at first base, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Branyan excels against right-handed pitching (.241/.340/.501 career line), but struggles against lefties. If the Padres combined Branyan with a right-handed hitter like Kyle Blanks, they could get affordable production.

Blanks is recovering from Tommy John surgery and there's a good chance he won't be ready to start the season. Branyan hit 25 homers last year and 31 in 2009, but he has missed time with an assortment of back issues over the course of the past two seasons. Those injuries limited his value last offseason and he settled for a $2MM guarantee though he hoped for a multiyear deal.

Nick Johnson, another first baseman who bats from the left side and has dealt with back injuries, could fill a similar role for the Padres, in my opinion. Adam LaRoche is another possibility, but he has been discussing a three-year deal with the Orioles and the Padres rarely hand out multiyear free agent contracts (Orlando Hudson's deal is the exception, not the rule).

Another one of San Diego's free agent additions, Aaron Harang, is under the same agency (ACES) as Branyan, for what it's worth. About 9.6% of over 10,000 MLBTR readers expect Branyan to be the Padres' Opening Day first baseman.

Hawpe, 31, declined an offer of arbitration from the Rays, but he won't cost a draft pick. In 346 plate appearances for the Rockies and Rays last year, he posted a .245/.338/.419 line with 32 extra base hits. Like Branyan, he has better career numbers against right-handed pitching (.288/.386/.504 line).

Odds & Ends: Montanez, D’Backs, Rays

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A year ago today, the Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez from the Braves for a group of players led by Melky Cabrera. Neither headliner did much in 2010, but the two lefty relievers in the deal – Michael Dunn and Boone Logan – did well and the Braves acquired a promising young arm in Arodys Vizcaino. As we await the next big trade of the 2010-11 offseason, here are today's links…

  • Cardinals assistant GM John Abbamondi is leaving for San Diego, where he'll be a VP with the Padres, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links).
  • Luis Montanez told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com that he has drawn interest from some AL East teams and some Japanese teams. The 29-year-old outfielder posted a .223/.257/.323 line in 266 plate appearances for the Orioles from 2008-10.
  • The D'Backs have avoided incentive-based contracts in the past, but as MLB.com's Steve Gilbert explains, GM Kevin Towers has been creative with the contracts he's worked on this offseason. Click here for more contract details from around the majors.
  • Cork Gaines of Rays Index explains that Tampa Bay's Opening Day payroll projects to be much lower in 2011, perhaps under $40MM.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains that former Ray and Type A free agent Grant Balfour could end up returning to Tampa Bay, though it seems unlikely.
  • The Phillies will have almost no flexibility to acquire players next summer unless they trade Joe Blanton to free up salary, according to Rosenthal.

Padres Acquire Rob Johnson

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The Padres acquired catcher Rob Johnson from the Mariners for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to the team.  Johnson had been designated for assignment on December 13th to create a spot for Jack Cust.  He'll serve as Nick Hundley's backup in San Diego, presumably.  The Padres now have 38 players on their 40-man roster.

Johnson, 27, has a .200/.282/.302 line in parts of four seasons with the Mariners.  Last offseason, he underwent labrum surgery on both hips and had left wrist surgery. Johnson appeared in 61 games in 2010, batting .191/.293/.281 in 209 plate appearances. He threw out 35% of would-be base stealers, a career high (he has a 30% career mark).  In their 2009 Handbook, Baseball America called Johnson the best defensive catcher in the Mariners' farm system.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Padres To Sign Orlando Hudson

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The Padres officially announced that they agreed to sign Orlando Hudson to a two-year deal. The contract is worth $11.5MM, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Hudson first reported the deal himself on MLB Network Radio last Friday morning (Twitter links). Legacy Sports represents Hudson.

The 33-year-old hit .268/.338/.372 with 10 steals and 24 doubles for the Twins last year. The four-time Gold Glover didn't add to his hardware collection this offseason, despite ranking third among MLB second basemen in UZR/150 (minimum 800 innings, Hudson posted 12.0 UZR/150).

After signing two consecutive one-year deals, Hudson finally has himself a multiyear contract. He turned downs the Twins' offer of arbitration, so Minnesota will obtain a supplementary first round pick in the 2011 draft for losing the Type B free agent.

Poll: The Padres’ Opening Day First Baseman

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The Padres lost their best player when they traded Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox for three prospects earlier this month, and GM Jed Hoyer is still trying to find someone to replace him at first base. Hoyer recently told XX1090 sports radio that the team’s next first baseman will come via free agency (as opposed to trade), and it would also be a one-year solution only.

Derrek Lee, who was originally drafted by the Padres back in 1993, seemed like a logical fit, but yesterday we heard they were unlikely to pursue him after signing Orlando Hudson. Jorge Cantu, Brad Hawpe, and Adam LaRoche are on the team’s list of options instead. Another solution could be free agent Troy Glaus, who Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse reminds us was a client of Padres CEO Jeff Moorad’s back in his agent days (Twitter link). The free agent pool also offers guys like Russell Branyan and Casey Kotchman.

Kyle Blanks would have been an ideal candidate if he wasn’t out until midseason after having Tommy John surgery. Who do you think will be manning first base for the Padres when the season starts?

Padres Acquire Jason Bartlett

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The Padres have acquired Jason Bartlett from the Rays, tweets Marty Caswell of XX1090 Sports Radio.  San Diego will also receive a player to be named later from Tampa Bay in exchange for Brandon Gomes, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, and Cole Figueroa.  The PTBNL will be a minor leaguer and will be worked out in advance of Opening Day, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

The two sides reportedly had a deal worked out last week in which Bartlett would be shipped westward for Russell and Ramos.  There were rumblings that the Rays were concerned about Ramos' health but the club apparently feels comfortable enough with a new deal in place.

The swap marks a homecoming of sorts for Bartlett, who was originally drafted by the Padres in 2001 before being shipped to the Twins roughly one year later.  The shortstop shined in 2009 but slumped in 2010, hitting .254/.324/.350 with four home runs in 532 plate appearances.

With seemingly every Rays reliever on the free agent market, and limited spending power, Rays president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had to get creative to find relief help. Russell, a 27-year-old right-hander, pitched 15 2/3 innings for the Padres in 2010, posting 10.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 4.02 ERA. He also appeared in 50 Triple-A games, posting a 4.88 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9. It marks the second time in two years that he's been traded; the Padres acquired him in the 2009 Jake Peavy deal.

Ramos, 26, pitched briefly for the 2010 Padres, but spent much of the season at Triple-A Portland, where he posted a 3.28 ERA as a swingman. He has never struck out an overwhelming number of hitters (5.9 K/9 in 2010) and his walk rate rose to 4.0 BB/9 this year. The lefty turned down the chance to sign with Tampa Bay when they drafted him in the 6th round of the 2002 draft. Three years later, he signed with the Padres after they selected him 35th overall.

Figueroa was ranked as the Padres' 30th best prospect heading into 2010 by Baseball America.  According to the publication, the middle infielder is a patient hitter with lackluster power.  Defensively, he has an average arm and great hands, meaning that he'll likely wind up at second base.

Gomes, a right-handed pitcher, has spent the last two seasons in Double-A San Antonio.  Since earning the promotion, the 26-year-old has registered a 2.24 ERA with 12.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 116 appearances.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Heyman On Padres, Fuentes, Blanton, Greinke

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The offseason has been full of surprises and, as Jon Heyman of SI.com points out, we know a relatively small amount about the top remaining free agents. It appears that the A’s, Angels and Rangers have some interest in Adrian Beltre, but that's about all we know about him and it's more than we know about Rafael Soriano. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:

Padres Acquire Eric Patterson

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The Padres acquired Eric Patterson from the Red Sox, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). He is the player to be named in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). The Red Sox acquired Patterson from the A's for Fabian Williamson this summer.

Patterson, 27, has played second base, left field and center field in his four-year major league career. Given the Padres' outfield depth and need for a second baseman, it seems likely that they've acquiRed Patterson for infield depth. In 204 plate appearances for the A's and Red Sox last year, Patterson hit .214/.272/.406 with 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts.

 

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