The Padres hae lost 27-year old lefty Dirk Hayhurst to the Blue Jays who claimed him off waivers. Hayhurst had a rough time with the Padres in 2008 as he pitched in 10 games (3 starts) in which he was 0-2 with a 9.72 ERA and a 2.22 WHIP. He allowed 27 hits and walked 10 batters in only 16.2 innings with the Padres last season. But, Hayhurst pitched reasonably well in AAA and that’s why the Blue Jays wanted him. He pitched in 46 games (2 starts) in AAA ball in 2008 and he was 2-3 with 2 saves, a 3.75ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Hayhurst whiffed 98 batters in only 84 innings in AAA which also probably caught the Blue Jays’ eyes as lefties are hard to find. It will be interesting to see how well Hayhurst pitches for the Blue Jays as the Padres might regret letting him go. Only time will tell.

The San Diego Padres have outrighted catcher Luke Carlin and shortstop Sean Kazmar to AAA making them both free agents. 27-year old switch hitting catcher Luke Carlin had a awful rookie season. He played in 36 games for the Padres in 2008 and he was 14 for 94 (.149 avg, .472 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. He also whiffed a stunning 34 times last season for the Padres. Carlin also played in 31 games in AAA ball in 2008 and he was 23 for 88 (.261 avg, .828 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 4 homers and 19 RBIs. 24-year old righty swinging Sean Kazmar played in 19 games for the Padres this season and he was 8 for 39 (.205 avg, .520 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Kazmar also had problems making contact against major league pitching as he whiffed 14 times in only 39 at bats as a rookie. Kazmar also played in 111 games in AA ball in which he was 101 for 382 (.264 avg, .692 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 3 homers, 39 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. The Padres won’t likely miss either of these guys as neither of them appear to have much of a upside.

The San Diego Padres continued to clean house by cutting loose Josh Bard and Shawn Estes. The 30-year old, switch hitting Bard played in only 57 games for the Padres last season and he was 36 for 178 (.202 avg, .549 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer and 16 RBIs. He was dogged by injuries most of last season after having two solid years with the Padres. In three years with the Padres, Bard played in 268 games going 225 for 798 (.282 avg) with 81 runs scored, 15 homers and 107 RBIs. 35-year old lefty starting pitcher Shawn Estes missed all of the 2007 season for the Padres recovering from major surgery but he pitched in 9 games (8 starts) with the Padres this season and he was 2-3 with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. Estes has now pitched in 283 games (281 starts) in his major league career and he is 101-93 with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Estes has good stuff but he has tended to nimble too much in his major league career walking 858 batters in 1678.1 career innings. Estes and Bard should both benefit from a new environment for the 2009 season.

The Padres continue to clean house outrighting Kevin Cameron, Tim Stauffer and Craig Stansberry to AAA making them all free agents. Letting go of 28-year old righty reliever Kevin Cameron was somewhat of a surprise as he pitched pretty decent for the Padres the last two seasons. He pitched in 10 games (0 starts) for the Padres last season and he was 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. In his two years with the Padres, Cameron worked in 58 games (0 starts) in which he was 2-0 with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. Cameron has had control issues walking 42 batters in only 68 major league innings thus far in his career but he also hasn’t allowed a homer. Some team will definately sign Cameron up and he might make the Padres pay for letting him go.

26-year old Tim Stauffer didn’t pitch at all in 2008. Despite the Padres having high hopes for him, Stauffer never really lived up to his potential for them. He pitched in parts of three seasons for the Padres covering 18 games (17 starts) in which he was 4-7 with a 6.37 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP.

26-year old righty swinging infielder Craig Stansberry also is being let go by the Padres despite the fact that he played well for them every single time that they called him up. He played in 12 games for the Padres this season and he was 6 for 16 (.375 avg, .882 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Stansberry played in 23 games over his two seasons in San Diego and he was 8 for 23 (.348 avg, .814 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 3 RBIs. But, Stansberry didn’t inspire much confidence in the minors this season. He played in 75 games in AAA ball last season and he was 68 for 273 (.249 avg, .752 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 7 homers, 27 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Look for all three of these players to get chances next season to continue their careers with a team other than the Padres.

The Padres have claimed 23-year old righty swinging infielder Travis Denker off waivers from the Giants. Denker played in 24 games for the Giants last season and he was 9 for 37 (.243 avg, 819 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. Denker also played in 92 games in A+AA+AAA ball last season and he was 80 for 314 (.255 avg, .770 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 8 homers and 40 RBIs. Denker projects to be a utility infielder in the majors but the Padres definately need the help so he might get a chance to show what he can do in 2009 for them.