Let’s face it ! The game of baseball relies on it’s fan base. It is the Fans who can have a profound affect on the game of baseball. If the fans don’t buy tickets, no one makes a profit. Why is the game of baseball allowing potential owners to purchase a franchise without deep financial pockets. Secondly, why was the San Diego Padres franchise not put up for a public auction for potential owners outside of baseball to place a bid for the franchise ? Isn’t this America, where opportunities exist for anyone such as Mark Cuban. Public perception of the San Diego Padres franchise is reaching the lowest point in history, and baseball needs to address this quickly. The loyal fans of San Diego has seen 1b Adrian Gonzalez, P Jake Peavy, RHP Health Bell, and RHP Mike Adams all leave due to financial reasons within the last 36 months. I do not subscribe to the philosophy things will change by building through the farm system. Why? You may ask. Simple, once a few players establish themselves as the upper tier players in the league as with Gonzalez, Peavy, Bell and Adams. The Padres will send them out for yet around round of prospect packages. Don’t get me wrong, this type of business model can be very successful provided, the franchise has a stable baseball operations and ownership. Ahhh ! which we all know in San Diego has not been the case ever since Larry Lucchino left San Diego. What I like to see is MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to place the San Diego Padres up for public auction and if Moorad can win the bid through a formal and organized bidding process so be it. Otherwise, this all seems like a shaddy business transaction and public perception can have a huge negative impact on the franchise.
The orchestrated trade of All-Star 1b Adrian Gonzalez to Boston Red Sox and the migration of ex GM Jed Hoyer and Assistant Jason McLeod to Chicago Cubs within 12 months has many Padres Fans wondering if Moorad can actually run a franchise. Remember, Moorad has fired several good baseball operations personnel from Sandy Alderson, Grady Fuson, Kevin Towers and has let others walk away Hoyer and McCleod. You wonder why Chris Gywnn just recently left for a lateral position with the Seattle Mariners as Player Personnel Director. As I said, public perception is critical not only the fans have been watching but apparently other owners in MLB have been as well. It’s time MLB to put the San Diego Padres franchise up for public auction. Let the formal process decide who has the deep pockets to buy the Padres. MLB is doing this with the Los Angeles Dodgers, shouldn’t the Padres Franchise be treated the same way ? Both franchises were literally taken down by similar circumstances.
Time for some blues mojo and here’s Blues Band named Dicky James and the Blue Flames with a song titled “Everybody Got To Pay”. Yes, that is right MLB, everybody got to pay and have deep pockets to own a baseball franchise.
Well, I’ve been taking the silence stance for the past few weeks to see what truly unfolds during the Josh Byrnes inaugural winter season as Padres General Manager. Being a long time season ticket-holder with the Padres I have vested interest to see what goes on and noting the dealings with the Angels in the adjacent county provides me great opportunities as well to take in some good old baseball. Let’s be real about this, spending hard earn money on a good entertaining team is one thing I pride myself and a stable legit franchise as well. Thus, why this season, the Padres have to make a statement. The franchise can ill-afford to lose more season ticket-holders who been with the ballclub since 1998 or before. We expect to see results now, especially with too many front office personnel moving in and out like there is a gold electronic transfer fund deposit in the Padres executive offices. No, I will not bore you of the world economics which will have an enormous impact on society but I will try to keep this baseball related, in particularly the Padres state of affairs. With that being said, what has Padres GM Josh Byrnes done since taking over the Baseball Operations for the Padres ?
Hmmm, let’s dig deep into what Padres’ GM Byrnes has done so far.
RHP minor league prospect Jeremy Hefner was picked up by Pittsburgh Pirates in waiver wire, and then later acquired by New York Mets. (Note: Hefner was drafted by Alderson).
RHP Andrew Carpenter was picked up by Toronto Blue Jays in a waiver wire.
Released UT Alberto Gonzalez.
Signed Free Agent OF/1b Mark Kotsay.
Traded LHP Wade LeBlanc to Miami Marlins for C John Baker.
Traded LHP Nick Schmidt to Colorado Rockies for RP Hudson Street.
Traded OF Aaron Cunningham to Cleveland Indians for RHP minor league prospect Cory Burns.
Traded RHP Mat Latos to Cincinnati Reds for RHP Edison Volquez, 1B Yonder Alfonso, C Yasmani Grandal, and RHP minor league prospect Brad Boxberger.
Traded C Luis Martinez to Texas Rangers for RHP minor league prospect Ryan Kelly.
Traded minor league prospects RHP Simon Castro and LHP Pedro Hernandez to Chicago White Sox for OF Carlos Quentin.
Look closely, Josh Byrnes like his former colleague Hoyer used Padres pitchers and pitching prospects in trades. There is one problem to this scenario. The Padres still have many Outfielders on the team and there is more work to be done before the plane can leave the hanger. I am a bit concerned about the amount of pitching the Padres have given up this year. I am wondering who is going to be the next Gomes this year when the Padres gave up so much pitching for SS Jason Barlett. Also, I feel that OF/1B Kyle Blanks can do much more that Carlos Quentin if Blanks is given a fair chance. It will be a huge mistake if the Padres do indeed trade Blanks this year. Kyle has shown previously that Petco Park is small with his hitting abilities, Blanks just needs playing time and Mgr. Buddy Black should give him some time, unlike what Black did to Aaron Cunningham.
So what is my opinion of the Josh Byrnes winter moves ? I am not impressed yet, just a few shuffling of blocks around and stacking up the chips for more major trades to come shortly. To me the Padres do not have a player that I can say “Hey we need to go to a game to see this player”. The Padres franchise needs to step up to the plate, their neighbors north of them has made a sales pitch to many of the north county residents for a better value per buck to watch baseball. One last statement to make, when is Jeff Moorad going to buy the team outright and show us season ticket-holders that he will bring a winning ballclub to the City on a yearly basis, not bi-yearly or bi-decade basis.
I want to wish all my loyal readers a Happy New Year and the best for 2012. Here is the last blues video of the year by ex-Bad Company Vocalist Paul Rogers singing “Muddy Water Blues” as the Padres franchise is in deep muddy waters and the competition for fans has been turned up a notch by the Los Angeles Angels.
Like his predecessor (Hoyer), Byrnes has been actived in one month as the latest Padres’ General Manager. A few transactions have been completed and here they are:
Released RHP Evan Scribner (acquired in trade with D’backs for 1B Tony Clark) and OF Cedric Hunter (3rd round pick in 2006).
Released RHP Jeremy Hefner (5th round pick in 2007).
Released RHP Wil Inman (acquired in trade with Brewers for RHP Scott Linebrink).
Signed OF Mark Kotsay.
Traded LHP Wade LeBlanc (2nd round pick in 2006) for C John Baker.
Once again, a few more pitchers have been disposed by the newest Padres GM. Even more ironic is that Hunter, LeBlanc, and Hefner were drafted under Alderson/Fuson regime. If you further investigate we can see the Scott Linebrink trade to the Brewers for LHP Joe Thatcher, LHP Steve Garrison and RHP Wil Inman by ex Padres GM Kevin Towers was dismal. Only Thatcher came through and the highly touted Garrison and Inman never reached the Padres roster. Though ironically these players were all released and picked up by other organizations which tells you something.
The Rule 5 draft is approaching on 8th December and I am very intrigued to see what Padres prospects will be selected. If I were a betting man, I would hedge some silver on the following players:
1b, Matt Clark drafted in 2008 a lefty with power. Most likely destination (Cubs or A’s)
RHP, Matt Buschmann drafted in 2006, a favorite of ex-Padres Scouting Director Grady Fuson. Most likely destination A’s.
LHP, Nick Schmidt drafted in 2007, former first round pick. Most likely destination (Cubs or Mets or Mariners).
LHP Rob Musgrave drafted in 2008, teams are always looking for a southpaw for their pitching staffs. Most likely destination (Mets).
For now, let’s see what unfolds and I shall sit back to observe closely. Atleast in the Padres community it will not be a boring off-season. The Padres have a tradition to make more news during off-season then they do during the regular season. It’s time to wrap it up, here’s an up and coming rising 16 yr old blues star Andy Poxon with the song titled “Don’t Burn Down That Bridge”. Oh Boy ! I hope the possible loss of Clark and Schmidt does not come back to haunt us and that bridge is burnt down.
As I always do, I like to conduct some serious due diligence on various subject matters that can have a profound affect on society as a whole. In this particular subject, we are dealing with baseball ownership characteristics. During my research I came across a wonderful article which had delve into the domain. I’ve used a few well noted statements from the article in the Los Angeles Times regarding the Los Angeles Dodgers. I know ! What does this have to do with the Padres ? Well, we need to further investigate what characteristics makes an Owner a successful one. Plus, what kind of Owner will Jeff Moorad be for the Padres. Let’s be honest, the media propaganda can heavily influence the public and if we can decipher that propaganda to accurately formulate the type of Owner Moorad would be.
Let’s get to the chase. Looking at the last 10 to 15 years, ownership changes involving the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics and Boston Red Sox have produced triumphant turnarounds. “Ownership of a pro sports team is a very diversified business. Your customers are your fans, but your productis winning and winning as relatively cheaply as you can, so you have to maintain the right balance of players and stars and evaluate your talent accordingly,” Robert Boland, a professor of sports business at New York University’s Tisch Center.
The article continues on as Boland makes some rather interesting points. “A lot of owners fall in love with their players and overvalue their own players and mess up the payroll that way, orthey don’t fall enough in love with them and hate them all. It’s a very complex business and some of it is knowing when do you break ties and when to produce stability, and knowing when the heck to get out of the way of your own management people with new and great ideas, and be able to adapt to the changing dynamics.”
Now, here’s a very very worthy comment which will give us a more true path to follow in determining what kind of Owner Jeff Moorad will be. Scott Rosner, associate director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania divides owners into two categories. Profit maximizers “are in it for the operating profit and the capital appreciation and some combination thereof,” he said. Utility maximizersbuy teams for ego or to network with power brokers and boost their other businesses.
Are you ready for the most profound statement ? “As a fan you want the new owner to be a win maximizer,” Rosner said. “You want them to own the team because they like winning.” There are a few Owners who fall into this category such as Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban, Boston Celtics Wycliffe and H. Irving Grousbeck and Stephen Pagliuca, Boston Red Sox John Henry, Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner, Texas Rangers Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan, and Los Angeles Angeles Artie Moreno.
Conversely, there are cases where new ownership has failed such as Phoenix Suns have struggled since penny-pinching Robert Sarver bought them in 2004 for $404 million, Michael Jordan hasn’t duplicated his on-court magic as an owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, Stephen Ross bought a half-interest in the Miami Dolphins in 2008 and most of the rest in 2009, but the team is 16-25 the last two-plus seasons, Daniel Snyder’s ownership of the Washington Redskins has been a mess, with seven coaching changes in 12 seasons. The one comment that stood out about Daniel Snyder is the following “He’s very involved in the day-to-day operations of the team, which is his right as the owner. It’s just not necessarily the most intelligent thing to do.” We just hope as Padres Fans that Moorad separates himself from the business and allows Baseball people make the calls in all baseball related issues/transactions. Remember who are your customers, the FANS, loyal season ticketholders who want to see a damn good product on the field that produces results.
The bottom line is all about winning and doing so with a very concrete balance way through the draft and a mixture of must see talented stars and homegrown players. The Tampa Bay Rays have shown this to work, if the Baseball Operations remains intact and stable. The question is where will Moorad fall under ? Profit Maximizer OR Utility Maximizer OR Win Maximizer? I have a feeling where Moorad falls under, though I want to see what truly happens in 2012 before I state the obvious. What do you think readers ?
Alright ! With all this being said here’s a closer, Blues Musicians Nick Moss and the Flip Tops featuring Jason Ricci playing the song “I Got My Brand On You”. Ohh ! And what brand of product would that be Jeff Moorad ?
When Ex-Padres’ GM Jed Hoyer was hired back in Oct 2009, Hoyer had walked into a situation where there was good talent in the minor leagues and a roster of good pitchers on the major league staff. The Padres organization was filled with good pitchers throughout the entire farm system and as you will see later in this post that Hoyer leveraged many of those pitchers during his era with the Padres.
So how well did Jed Hoyer do while he was here in San Diego ? Hmmm, there are a few transactions that we can judge Hoyer’s general manager performance. Keep in mind, this was Hoyer’s first gig and basically two years is a short time frame to gather a real indication. But, with the amount of transactions that occurred under his watch will give us a good barometer of his true value. Now, let’s get to the details as it’s time to critique Hoyer moves.
SS Jerry Hairston Jr was signed as a free agent and provided the 2010 Padres with a spark and killer-like instincts. Hairston was the most valuable player on the 2010 Padres team and this was very evident when the Padres lost Hairston in the latter part of that season. Grade A for Hoyer on this acquisition.
C Yorvit Torrealba was signed as a free agent and another key member of the 2010 Padres team. Yorvit started the majority of the games, handling the pitching staff to perfection. In addition, Yorvit provided a very good bat on the offensive side of the house. Grade A for Hoyer on this acquisition.
P Jon Garland was signed as a free agent, a key veteran whom lead the pitching staff in innings pitched and provided leadership on the staff. Grade A for Hoyer on this acquisition.
Trade of 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff and minor league 2b prospect Eric Sogard (2nd round pick in 2007) for OF Scott Hairston and OF minor league prospect Aaron Cunningham. Both Kouzmanoff and Hairston did not perform to par in 2010 season. Both players were playing for other teams in 2011. Though, Sogard was a call up for the A’s and filled in at SS, 3b and 2B in 2011. Aaron Cunningham has not been given a fair shot at OF position with the Padres, whom have settled for lesser talented player in Denorfia. Grade F for Hoyer as the Padres could use a valuable INF like Sogard on their team in 2012.
OF Chad Huffman was lost due to a waiver claim by the New York Yankees. Ironically, it was former Padres’ GM Kevin Towers who was a scout for the Yankees at that time recommended the Yankees to pick up Huffman. Chad played a few games with the Yankees. Grade C for Hoyer since Huffman departure had no profound affect on the Padres. Huffman is currently playing for the Cleveland Indians AAA minor league team.
OF Ryan Ludwick was acquired by trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Padres minor league players RHP Nick Greenwood (9th round pick in 2009) and LHP Cory Kluber (Compensation A pick in 2007 Draft). Historically prior to this trade, the Padres have a horrible track record trading with the Cardinals. So this trend continued as Ludwick did not produced at all during the stretch run for the 2010 Padres. Both minor league prospects are still in the Cardinals and Indians organization so Hoyer receives a grade of D for now. If one of the two pitchers pan out this grading could be lowered. At this writing Greenwood is pitching at AA level and Kluber at AAA with the Cleveland Indians.
SS Miguel Tejeda was acquired by trade with the Baltimore Orioles for Padres minor league prospect RHP Wynn Pelzer (9th round pick in 2007 Draft). Tejeda performed more than adequately at SS for the Padres once Jerry Hairston Jr went down with an injury. Tejeda provided invaluable leadership presence and a lethal bat in the line-up to protect Adrian Gonzalez. Grade B for Hoyer, though it can be change if Pelzer becomes a valuable cog in the major leagues. Currently Pelzer is in the AAA level for the Orioles.
Released LHP Steve Garrison whom the New York Yankees claimed in September 2010. It was a relatively minor move. The Yankees, surely on the recommendation of then-special adviser and former Padres GM Kevin Towers, claimed left-hander Steve Garrison off waivers from San Diego. Currently, Steve Garrison was recently claimed on waivers by the Seattle Mariners. Grade C for Hoyer, though can be lowered if Garrison does produce for the Mariners. Guess who is in charge of player personnel for the Mariners? Ex Padres Player Personnel Director Chris Gwynn.
OF Cameron Maybin was acquired by trade with the Florida Marlins for RHP Ryan Webb and RHP Edward Mujica. This by far was the BEST trade ever executed by Jed Hoyer as Maybin blossomed under the Padres. Webb and Mujica provided good results for the Marlins, though in the long term Maybin will provide more bang on the buck per se then Webb or Mujica can. Grade A for Hoyer.
SS Jason Barlett was acquired by trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for RHP Adam Russell, LHP Cesar Ramos (1st round pick in 2005), minor league prospects SS Cole Figueroa (6th round pick in 2008 draft) and Brandon Gomes (17 round pick in 2007). Bartlett underperformed in 2011 for the Padres. In 2011, he had the lowest slugging percentage of all major league ballplayers with 512 or more plate appearances, at .307. Russell was cut during the mid-season by the Rays, though Ramos and Gomes provided good middle relief for the Rays down the crucial playoff run. Figueroa is in AA and will be a force in a year or so for the Rays at 2nd base. Grade for Hoyer F and can be lowered if either Gomes or Figueroa have a profound affect long term wise for the Rays.
The Trade of 1b Adrian Gonzalez to Boston Red Sox for minor league prospects 1B Anthony Rizzo, RHP Casey Kelly, OF Raymond Fuentes, and journeyman OF Eric Patterson. We all know what Gonzalez did for the Red Sox, only put up MVP like numbers in Boston and the Padres did not get anything out of Patterson or mid-season call up in Rizzo. A grade F for Hoyer and can be upgraded if Rizzo, Kelly and Fuentes do actually come through.
Released C Mitch Canham (Compensation A draft pick in 2007). Oakland A’s signed Canham in April 2011 as Athletics special assistant to the general manager Grady Fuson originally drafted Mitch Canham when he ran the Padres’ drafts from ’05 through ’09. Grade INCOMPLETE for now, this grading will be adjusted during the 2012 season as I have a feeling this can be another David Freese in the makings.
Traded 1B minor league prospect Allan Dykstra (1st round pick in 2008 Draft) to New York Mets for minor league prospect P Eddie Kunz. Dykstra put up some numbers in AA and Kunz was servicable in AA as well for the Padres. For now,a grade of INCOMPLETE is given as more time is required before weighing the grade.
Released minor league 1b/OF prospect Mike Baxter (4th round pick in 2005 draft) in July 2011 and the New York Mets claimed Baxter immediately. Baxter was called up and played the last month of 2011 season for the Mets. Grade F for Hoyer as 1b was a problem for the Padres in 2011.
Traded RHP Mike Adams to Texas Rangers for minor league pitching prospects LHF Robbie Erlin and RHP Joe Wieland. Adams was a valuable cog in the Padres bullpen for 3 years and the Padres pen was never the same after the trade. Both Erlin and Wieland are just prospects for now. An INCOMPLETE grade for Hoyer at this writing as more time is warrant.
Traded OF Ryan Ludwick to Pittsburg Pirates for a player to be named later. Enough said about this trade, a grade F to Hoyer.
There you go, a mouth full for the two years Jed Hoyer was GM for the Padres. In your review, one thing that was most consistent with Hoyer was that Jed leveraged the pitching surplus in the Padres farm system that Alderson and Fuson had drafted. Trading many of them for players who were not impact types at all. What truly stands out is that Hoyer really overpaid for SS Jason Bartlett in giving away the house (Russell, Ramos, Gomes and Figueroa). Compare to that with Adrian Gonzalez trade where the Padres received prospects who haven’t produced at the major league level in 2011. In a nutshell, the Padres got ripped off in the Adrian Gonzalez trade. There is no way SS Bartlett is worth 4 players, 3 of whom has enormous upside potential whereas future hall of famer in Gonzalez can’t even gives us on major league ready prospect.
Here are the results:
4 grades of A
1 grade of B
2 grades of C
1 grade of D
5 grades of F
3 INCOMPLETE grades
Thus, if you have the grades weighed with A’s = 4 pts, B’s = 3 pts, C’s = 2 pts, D’s = 1 pt and F’s = 0 pts. Hoyer receives 24 pts / 13 transactions gives Hoyer a rating of 1.82. In layman’s terms a D+ so far with 3 incompletes that could worsen or better Hoyer’s performance. Don’t be so alarmed yet, because in truth Hoyer/McLeod draft’s (2010/2011) could make their grades even better overall. Only time will tell and so far the most successful Padres Baseball Operations team has been that of Alderson and Fuson who have produced an incredible amount of major league players 24 since 2005, a full major league roster in terms of numbers.
Phew ! Two posts in one day and I felt it was needed, so that Padres Fan’s around the globe can have something to read in their spare time. As I always do, you all know my ways and Blues musician Grady Champion song titled “Scratch My Back” is the closer. All that Josh Byrnes must do is scratch the back of Alderson/Fuson and accomplished what they set forth with the Padres organization back in 2005. Let’s see if Byrnes can make a profound impact and build upon from here on out. The bar has been set high already, we don’t need another Turner in San Diego.
In the latest news involving the San Diego Padres, Jim Callis of Baseball America looks back at the 2005-2007 draft and shows that the Cardinals (24) and Padres (22) have developed the most Major Leaguers from those three drafts to this point. Now, take a look who were in charge of baseball operations back then for the Padres ? Yes, the unpopular Sandy Alderson and his entourage which included Grady Fuson. Former GM Kevin Towers was here at the time, but let’s be honest Towers failed to produced players in 12 twelve years prior through the draft. So the Padres in less than THREE years have fired or let go two of the most successful baseball operations people in Sandy Alderson, Grady Fusion, Jed Hoyer, and Jason McLeod. Can you guess who is the common denominator through this all ? That’s right Padres CEO Jeff Moorad. Let’s see the next two years if Moorad’s guy (Josh Byrnes) can match that of his predecessors accomplishments. I tell you one thing, this is looking much like the Chargers situation when Norv was brought in only time will tell and the clock is ticking now. If you had been keeping up with the offseason moves, you will take notice the Padres have lost a few players. Let’s take an in-depth look:
P Evan Scribner – A’s. Padres had acquired Scribner in the deal that sent 1B Tony Clark to D’backs.
OF Cedric Hunter – A’s. Drafted under Alderson and Fuson regime in 3rd round 2006 draft.
P Samuel Deduno – Twins. Padres had acquired Deduno off waivers from Rockies.
P Luis Perdomo – Twins. Padres had acquired Perdomo through waivers from Giants.
P Jeremy Hefner – Pirates. Drafted under Alderson and Fuson regime in 5th round 2007 draft.
P Andrew Carpenter – Blue Jays. Padres had acquired Carpenter through waivers from Phillies.
Inf Steve Tollenson – Orioles. Padres had acquired Tollenson through waivers from A’s.
P Wil Inman – Red Sox. Padres had acquired Inman through a trade with Brewers for Scott Linebrink.
P Steve Garrison – Mariners. Padres had acquired Garrison through a trade with Brewers for Scott Linebrink.
In the above list, there are two players that may become the next David Freese. The two with the most upside potential are OF Cedric Hunter and P Jeremy Hefner. Ironically, both were drafted by Alderson and Fuson as was Freese. Hunter is an agile speedy OF that bats from the leftside of the plate, whom made the opening day roster in 2011 with the Padres. Hefner is a righty on the mound and can be a late bloomer, teams are always looking for more arms for their pitching staffs. The Padres already have a log-jam of lefties in their farm system Wade LeBlanc and Nick Schmidt. But then again, the same was said when Freese was in the farm system, and 3B was a log-jam with Chase Headley, James Darnell, and Logan Forsythe. All of them draftees under Alderson and Fuson, thus we do know where to give the credit. Enough said and thank you Sandy Alderson, Grady Fuson as you both have stamped your legacy on this franchise.
It is time to close out this post as I want to wish all my loyal readers a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving Weekend to your loved ones and extended family. Oh Yeah ! Here is a blues awesome tandem of Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa with the song called “I’ll Take Care Of You”. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone !
The San Diego Padres basically blew away a decade of an opportunity from 2000-2010 when the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise was performing way below their expectations. Now, as the Dodgers are about to be put up for sale, this does not bode well for any NL West team. Especially, if the Dodgers ownership is either Peter O’Malley or Mark Cuban. I will stand out on the limb to say this, in this next decade 2012-2022, the Los Angeles Dodgers will re-established themselves as a premier franchise on the west coast. Translation, the Padres will face the most toughest challenges of all the NL West franchises due to the lack of resources and the already jaded fan base. The silver lining in this entire scenario is if the Padres new ownership and baseball operations can assert themselves as one of the best scouting and development organizations. But this is a huge “IF” and history is against the Padres.
As for the current state of the Padres organization, there will be some tough decisions to make in regards to the personnel. In the background, awaits the Cubs, Mariners, Mets, and A’s to see what players are put on waivers by the Padres. There will be some major talent transfer going on that will most likely take 1 to 2 years before the impact can be seen at the Major League level. There are also other questions that need to be addressed such as:
Orlando Hudson, do the Padres move him for prospects and allow Evereth Caberra to take over at 2b.
Chase Headley, is it time to package him with another position player to get more prospects OR a legit pitcher.
Wil Venable, Aaron Cunningham, and Chris Denorfia, two of these players must go as the Padres need to keep Kyle Blanks. In Blanks, you get speed and outstanding power which only Venable can come close to this potential.
My prediction is that there will be two major trades during the winter season that will either setback or slingshot this organization. On the clock is new GM Josh Brynes and he has a hard task ahead. Every move Brynes makes is going to be very crucial as there are other organizations with insider information on the entire Padres farm system watching very closely.
Before I close out this post, I would like to ask the loyal readers of this blog a question. A comment would be most appreciate. Here is the question….
Which franchise (Diamond Backs, Mets, A’s, Mariners, or Cubs) do you most fear that are run by ex-Padres executives ?
Alright, it’s that time to close out this post and I look forward to hearing from my loyal readers via their comments. With that being said here is Blues Female Singer Beth Hart and Blues Guitarist Joe Bonamassa, song titled “For My Friends”. This goes out to all my loyal readers, have at !
I just don’t know what to think of this latest news, but when Director of Player Personnel Chris Gywnn leaves the Padres for the Seattle Mariners this just doesn’t sit right with me. Sooner or later we will all find out the truth that has been going on behind those office walls in Petco Park. Three key Baseball Operations Executives leave within a week and all fingers are pointing towards Padres Owner Jeff Moorad. Let’s now add a FIFTH baseball franchise which has key insider knowledge of the Padres (Mets, D’backs, Cubs, Athletics, and Mariners). Moorad and the Padres have a huge disadvantage, things are looking much like the economy. Where the media and newspapers keep on saying the economy is recovering where in fact the dollar is losing value and precious metals are rising quickly. The internal bleeding of the most crucial department of the Padres franchise is so severe and I have a feeling more fallouts may be in store. The only way the Padres can patch up things is to hire outside and please AJ Hinch is not the answer either. Hmmm, perhaps GM Josh Brynes can do some mojo and convince a member or two from Tampa Bay Rays baseball operations staff to join the Padres. But then again, would you want to work in San Diego or remain in Tampa Bay? Evidently, the Padres is either the retirement club or the mentoring executives for baseball operations gig.
Hey Padres fans, keep up your chin and if things proceeds to drag down alongside the economy. Atleast, North County Padres fans have an alternative, the Los Angeles Angels. Their owner, Arte Moreno seems to know what he is doing. Moreno holds his baseball operations staff members accountable and fires them. Whereas in San Diego, they simply leave when the Owner hires his favorite boys. I equate that to loving your stocks, one huge problem with this is, you should never fall in-love with a stock it only has significant value for a short duration. The same can go with executives, and the former D’backs exec’s had a losing record 3 out of 5 years. Moorad don’t fall in love, it can be troubling when the franchise can’t afford another losing season.
So for now, I remain a Padres season ticketholder but I will say this only by a thread. As with any consumer, I am now looking at other options and each day the Amtrak is looking better than the Coaster. Hint hint, maybe I can see some good baseball in 2012 at Anaheim. Wrapping up this post with Blues Female Artist Grana’ Louise singing old Jimi Hendrix blues song called “Hey Joe”. Ohhh Hey Arte ! Hey Arte ! A few of season ticket holders might migrate to the North and wouldn’t mind to run around with another baseball franchise.
What can we say ? Thank you Kevin Towers for sending Freese to St. Louis for Jim Edmunds. Atleast, the Padres are getting headlines about this wonderful transaction Towers made. It’s good to see a draftee under Sandy Alderson, Grady Fuson and Paul Depodesta make headlines in the World Series. The Padres are the minor league farm team for the Major Leagues and let’s just enjoy it. Speaking on this topic, yesterday I had posted that several teams have insiders knowledge of the Padres farm system. I overlooked one major person, that is Grady Fuson who was let go 2 years to this very date when Jed Hoyer came to the Padres. Oh my ! Oh my ! have times changed so quickly. Anyhow, Grady has been working for Billy Bean in Oakland and guess what. The following are transactions Billy Beane has made with the Padres with the input from Grady Fuson.
Oakland traded OF’s Aaron Cunningham and Scott Hairston to Padres for 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff and 2B Eric Sogard.
Oakland acquired (25 Oct 11) Padres P Evan Scribner and OF Cedric Hunter.
There you go, two more Padres draftees under Sandy Alderson and Grady Fuson whom were acquired on the cheap from the Padres. It’s arguably noted the Padres continue to give away talent and perhaps there is another David Freese in the making. It’s that time to close out this post with a Blues Artist known as JJ Gray and Mofro, song titled “DirtFloorCracker” as there are too much crums on the Padres Executive Offices floors. Time for the Padres to get their stuff together, the season ticket holders are watching closely. Otherwise, Silver looks like a better and more lucrative investment than Padres tickets.
Never boring time in San Diego when it comes to Professional sports. The Chargers still can not beat the Patriots or Jets or Steelers on the road. So what’s new ? Laughs. Oh, we have huge news on baseball which it seems the Padres make more news during the winter off-season than in regular season. So let’s get to the chase and not bore you with introductory.
As many of you know or heard of the rumors, that Padres GM Jed Hoyer and Assistant GM Jason McLeod will be leaving and heading to the Windy City to join up with another former Padres employee Theo Epstein. To be quite frank, this does not surprise me at all since I had a clue there would be a carousel of front office people moving about in the major leagues this year once bean-town had the baseball collapse. This analogy makes me cringe wondering what people would do when the economic one occurs while Occupy Wall Street gains momentum. So let’s stick to baseball and the impact this major shuffling of GM’s.
As we all know based on the forums, blogs and newspapers that former Padres GM Kevin Towers was the face of the organization for many years and did so much considering the circumstances of a tight budget. But in truth, Towers failed to build a successful farm system for the amount of years spent as Padres GM, 15 yrs. Towers was known to snatch unknown pitchers and assembled one of the best bullpens in baseball through waiver-wires or trades. Though, the last two major blunders that Towers did with the Padres proved costly. The 1st overall draft pick of Matt Bush which placed the organization four years behind as today Bush is in the minor league system with Tampa Bay Rays. The other major blunder was not resigning CF Mike Cameron and trading away 3b prospect David Freese to St Louis for CF Jim “aging” Edmunds. There was no way you can replace Cameron with Edmunds, totally unacceptable, but the trade did go through and Edmunds lasted one month on the Padres roster before signing on with the Cubs as a free agent. What did Freese do? In 2010, became the Cardinals starting 3rd baseman and in 2011 NL Championship series was the MVP. Ummm, at the same time Padres 3B Chase Headley has regressed and Freese was rated behind Headley when in the Padres farm system. Case in point, Towers traded away a good farm system player and a position player at that.
The people who should be praised for the start of the Padres promising farm system is Sandy Alderson, Grady Fusion and Paul Depodesta. They were the ones who placed a system and process into the organization and brought in accountability to the front office. Today’s Padres, were assembled by Alderson’s entourage through the draft (Headley, Hundley, Hunter, Bass, LeBlanc, Luebke, Latos, Hefner, Darnell, Forsythe, Blanks, Venable, and Tekotte). But no one has given the praise to Alderson’s regime, people should do so.
In 2009 offseason, the Padres hired Jed Hoyer, whom brought in Jason McLeod with him as well from Boston. What Hoyer did was put forth a more impressive drafting system and in the short two years has accomplished a lot through the drafts. The Padres farm system is stacked at the lower levels and overall have an impressive farm system. But the general public do not see this as results, just like a novice investor who continues to believe fortune 500 companies will outperform gold and silver mining companies. I believe if Hoyer and McLeod were to stay for atleast 5 years, they would have this Padres organization very stacked and well positioned for the future. But as we all know, nothing is forever and we can see this by observing the economic conditions throughout the Cities and States infrastructure whom are losing funding.
So what is the affect me factor per se on the Padres organization when Hoyer and McLeod leave for the Windy City? Plain and simple, there will always be an impact and if people tell you otherwise, that’s hot air. Let me give you a few examples…
When Towers was fired, Kevin became an assistant to the Yankees and his first input to Cashman was to grab Padres OF Chad Huffman off from waivers.
When Alderson was fired and Paul Depodesta joined Sandy with the Mets. The Mets acquired Padres former 1st round draft pick Allan Dykstra and also picked up 1b Mike Baxter on waivers from the Padres.
Hoyer and McLeod of the Cubs grabs ??????
Now, you see where I am going with this point. Three National League Opponents have vital insider information on the Padres entire Farm System. The NL West Champions Arizona Diamonds, The NL East New York Mets, and NL Central Chicago Cubs. Now, do you believe that the Hoyer and McLeod move to the Cubs will have no impact ? This business is based on competition and knowledge of your opponents. In this case, Padres are severely exposed and this is very unique considering the front office instability for the last few years in San Diego. Also, can the duo of Brynes and Hinch take the farm system to another level which Hoyer and McLeod did ? I, as a season ticket holder am not convinced of Brynes and Hinch. It’s one thing to be in a highly successful organization like the Red Sox, and the D’Backs had only two good years during those times of Brynes and Hinch. As for Padres Owner Jeff Moorad, this year is very important one as he can not afford to lose this upcoming season. There has been too much changing of the guards in the front office and season ticket holders are observing quietly during this off season.
Let’s see if there is a trade between the Cubs and Padres, just like last year with Adrian going to the Boston. The rooks and bishops have been placed on the chessboard. It’s curious to see what unfolds during the annual winter trading meetings. I expect one or two major trades to be executed, the question is who will be the trading partners. As I closed out this post, here is a blues female artist named Sharon Lewis performing the song “In Too Deep” which exemplifies the Padres opponents (D’Back, Mets and Cubs) with insider information.
