Not Your Father's Padres
July 3, 2005
There is a sense of urgency in the Padres front office this
summer. The team is in first place despite some obvious
flaws. While it would be safe to ignore most of the trade rumors
swirling through the media, with Bonds and Gagne out, the Padres may
not have a better opportunity to secure the division title early and
enter the playoffs well-rested. Team president Sandy
Alderson is a man of few words who prefers to let bold actions speak
for him. He will not be content with GM Kevin Towers usual
shuffling of fringe players to better position the team for their
playoff run. However, the rumored deal of Brian Lawrence and Phil
Nevin to the Red Sox as part of a package for Trot Nixon, David Wells
and Kevin Millar probably isn't worth considering because it doesn't
address either team's problems. Still, any deal that they do
consummate will likely involve either or both Nevin and Lawrence.
Phil Nevin is entering a phase in his contract where his limited no
trade clause will become full blown carte blanche to negate any
trade. Several other factors - he's not a particularly good
fielder, he doesn't possess strong fundamentals, isn't particularly
coachable and he has been outspoken in the media - makes him a likely
target to trade. Additionally, trading him would not create much
of a hole in the field as the Pads could move Ryan Klesko to
first. This could solve two problems if the Pads acquired a solid
fielder in left.
Brian Lawrence also appears to have more value as a trade
bait than he does as a starter. While he has had some very good
starts this season, he has not developed into the reliable control
artist the team envisioned would counter-balance hard throwing Jake
Peavy and Adam Eaton. Like Nevin, Lawrence is also entering a
phase in his contract where is his cost will increase
significantly if he stays with the team.
Sean Burroughs could be moved as well. The fact that he's still a
couple years from free agency makes him an attractive target for other
teams. It appears that he will never develop the confidence to
become the power hitter scouts projected while playing at Petco, so the
thought that a change to a more favorable hitting environment freeing
him to develop adds to his value in trade.
The Padres biggest obstacle this season has been injuries. The
are currently playing without their starting second baseman (Mark
Loretta), catcher (Ramon Hernandez), center fielder (Dave Roberts) and
first baseman (Phil Nevin). All of those guys should be healthy
and playing regularly by the end of this month. however, they
would still need to address their biggest weakness, which is a lack of
fundamentally sound play. Being able to play small ball -
bunting, hitting behind runners, taking extra bases - is not something
the Padres do well and is frequently the difference between winning and
losing at crunch time. Their loss on Friday to the Giants can be
entirely attributed to the inability to do the little things. The
Giants turned three modest opportunities into three runs, while the
Padres were only able to net one run from two seperate bases loaded
situations. Their other run came on a solo homer. Several
times in the last several
years manager Bruce Bochy announced that the team would focus on
fundamentals entering spring training, yet the team has yet to
demonstrate reliable competence when the need called for it.
Bochy has many strengths as a manager that make him worth keeping, but
teaching is not one of them. Therefore the best option for the
Pads is to acquire players who are fundamanteally sound while
preferrably
ridding the team of ones who aren't.
Another need that could be addressed is better outfield range at the
corners. Neither Klesko nor Brian Giles have good range, although
Giles does do a solid job of making plays on balls he can get to.
But in a
park like Petco, outfield range is paramount.
Seattle's release of Bret Boone creates an opportunity for the Padres
to get an excellent defensive replacement for Loretta until he returns
and a decent power bat off the bench. Maybe hitting coach Dave
Magadan can help him recapture some magic, too; he's done wonders with
lesser talents. Joe Randa is another player that is often
mentioned. He was rumored to be part of a Carlos Beltran deal to
San Diego last year that obviously didn't materialize, but the interest
has not waned. Cincinnati is desperate for a groundball starter
and Randa's contract is reasonable so the teams do have a natural fit
for deal that involves Lawrence.
The Padres already traded two fifth starters - Darrell May and Tim
Redding for Paul Quantrill for help in the bullpen. Quantrill
wasn't nearly as effective in the AL as he was in LA, so a return to a
spacious park in the NL West might be the tonic to get him back on
track. Newly signed Pedro Astacio will get his chance to take
over the fifth spot in the rotation, and if gopheritis was the only
thing holding him back in Texas, he could be a solid addition in
Petco. If he doesn't pan out, the Padres, in Alderson's own
words, are "keeping some powder dry" to address that need. Those
words also indicate that if Astacio does work out, that the Padres will
continue to be active in the trading market up until and perhaps even
after the trade deadline. While it's unusual for a first place
team to remake their roster, it won't be much of a surprise to see many
new faces in San Diego over the next few weeks.