The Padres have returned righty pitcher Ivan Nova back to the Yankees. The Rule 5 Draftee pitched in 8 games this spring for the Padres in which he was 0-0 with a 8.31 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP. The Padres just felt that Nova was too raw to help them this season.

The Padres have traded 29-year old righty swinging utility man Chris Burke to the Mariners for either cash or a player to be named later. Burke played in 15 games for the Padres this spring going 9 for 32 (.281 avg, .752 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 3 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. This is a good sign for the Padres as Burke doesn’t have a lot of upside.

The Padres have lost righty reliever Jae Kuk-Ryu on waivers to the Cleveland Indians. Ryu pitched in 8 games (0 starts) for the Padres this spring and he was 0-1 with a 10.61 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP. With as awful as Ryu pitched this spring they won’t miss him at all in 2009 or the future.

UPDATE: Jae Kuk-Ryu’s waiver claim by the Indians has been voided by Major League Baseball due to a injury so he is again property of the Padres.

The Padres have acquired 25-year old righty reliever Euligio De La Cruz from the Marlins for cash considerations. De La Cruz was the #23 prospect in the Marlins’ minor league system according to Baseball America. He had a rough time for the Marlins last season working in 6 games (1 start) in which he was 0-0 with a 18.00 ERA and a 2.89 WHIP. De La Cruz allowed 15 hits and walked 10 batters in only 9 innings of work for the Marlins last season. He also pitched in 25 games (all starts) in AAA-ball last year in which he was 13-8 with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. This was a good move for the Padres as De La Cruz has a nice upside as a reliever.

The Padres have signed 27-year old righty starting pitcher Shawn Hill to a minor league contract. He pitched in 12 games (all starts) for the Nationals last season and he was 1-5 with a 5.83 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. Hill has now pitched in 37 games (all starts) in his major league career and he is 7-15 with a 4.93 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Hill has had injury problems his whole major league career but if he’s healthy he will be in the Padres’ rotation so signing him was a good gamble.