San Diego Padres MLB News - Padres Baseball Blog

The San Diego Padres sign Micah Owings

chinmusic — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:10:37 +0000

The Padres have signed 29-year old righty reliever/starter Micah Owings to a 1-year deal. Owings pitched in 33 games (4 starts) for the Diamondbacks last year and he was 8-0 with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He has now pitched in 132 games (68 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 32-31 with 1 save, a 4.91 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Owings is also a lethal hitter. He is 58 for 203 (.286 avg, .820 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 9 homers and 35 RBIs. I really like this addition for the Padres’ bullpen in 2012.

The San Diego Padres have added a lot of new faces for the 2012 season

chinmusic — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:05:17 +0000

The Padres have made a few big deals and they have signed some free agents over the winter. They have added 10 players that will have a good shot of making a mark for the Padres in 2012 and here’s a look at them:

In the field: The Padres have added 1B Yonder Alonso and RF Carlos Quentin to the starting lineup and that should give the Padres a nice boost offensively. Lefty swinging catcher John Baker and lefty swinging 1B/OF Mark Kotsay are really going to give the Padres’ bench some nice juice. Catcher Yasmani Grandal will probably have to wait a year or two before he is the starting catcher on the Padres and he has a huge upside.

On the mound: Edison Volquez is going to step right into the starting rotation to replace the guy he was traded for (Mat Latos). Volquez has a nice upside and he will benefit big time from pitching his home games at Petco Park. Huston Street was brought in from the Rockies in a deal earlier this winter to replace Heath Bell who signed with the Marlins. He should do a really good job for the Padres in 2012. Andrew Cashner will likely be the top setup man for Heath Bell in 2012. Matt Palmer could be the next guy to step up out of virtually nowhere to revive his career with the Padres. He can start or relieve. Righty reliever Brad Boxberger came over in the Mat Latos deal and he will get a shot to win a spot in the Padres’ pen.

Overall: I think the Padres have improved their team over the winter as they have added some bats that are badly needed. The Padres have improved the bullpen over the winter and Volquez is going to be a very pleasant surprise for the rotation in 2012.

The San Diego Padres acquire Andrew Cashner from the Cubs

chinmusic — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:11:36 +0000

The Padres have acquired 25-year old righty reliever Andrew Cashner and 20-year old lefty swinging outfielder Kyung-Min Na from the Cubs for 22-year old lefty swinging 1B Anthony Rizzo and 22-year old righty starting pitcher Zach Cates. Cashner missed most of last season due to a shoudler injury, but he looks fine now. He pitched in 7 games (1 start) for the Cubs last year and he was 0-0 with a 1.69 ERA and a 0.66 WHIP. He has now pitched in 60 games (1 start) in his first two years in the majors and he is 2-6 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Cashner throws his fastball in the mid to high 90’s, so the Padres are going to use him out of the pen in 2012. Kyung-Min Na played in 83 games in rookie+A+AA-ball last year and he was 72 for 269 (.268 avg, .671 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 0 homers, 22 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He has now played in 149 games in his first two years in the minors and he is 109 for 447 (.244 avg, .619 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 0 homers, 33 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. Na is likely going to be a long term project.

The Padres have decided that 22-year old lefty swinging 1B Anthony Rizzo wasn’t ready for prime time, so they dealt for Yonder Alonso earlier this winter to replace him at 1B……making him expendable. Rizzo played in 49 games for the Padres last year and he was 18 for 128 (.141 avg, .523 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer, 9 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Rizzo whiffed 46 times last year for the Padres as he often looked like he was going up the plate with a hole in his bat. Rizzo did look good in AAA last year for the Padres. He played in 93 games in AAA-ball for the Padres last year and he was 118 of 356 (.331 avg, 1.056 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 26 homers, 101 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Zach Cates pitched in 25 games (all starts) last season in A-ball and he was 4-10 with a 4.73 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. It was his first year in professional baseball.

The San Diego Padres sign Brad Davis

chinmusic — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:08:00 +0000

The Padres have signed 29-year old righty swinging catcher Brad Davis to a minor league deal. Davis played in 101 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 92 of 344 (.267 avg, .704 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 5 homers, 49 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He did play in the majors back in 2010 with the Florida Marlins. Davis played in 33 games for the Marlins that year and he was 23 of 109 (.211 avg, .647 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers, 16 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Davis might get to compete for the backup catcher slot in spring training.

The San Diego Padres acquire Carlos Quentin from the White Sox

chinmusic — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:23:51 +0000

The San Diego Padres have acquired 29-year old righty swinging RF Carlos Quentin from the White Sox for 23-year old righty starting pitcher Simon Castro and 22-year old lefty starter/reliever Pedro Hernandez. Quentin played in 118 games for the White Sox last year and he was 107 of 421 (.254 avg, .838 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 24 homers, 77 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 616 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 529 of 2,100 (.252 avg, .836 OPS) with 321 runs scored, 121 homers, 383 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Quentin will give the Padres some much needed thump in the middle of the batting order. Simon Castro came into last season as the Padres’ #3 prospect according to Baseball America….but he was awful in 2011. Castro pitched in 22 games (all starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 7-8 with a 5.63 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Pedro Hernandez wasn’t a highly ranked prospect for the Padres. He pitched in 28 games (18 starts) in A+AA+AAA-ball last year for the Padres and he was 10-3 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. I love this move from the Padres end of things as they really didn’t give up much for Quentin.

The San Diego Padres DFA Luis Martinez

chinmusic — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:30:02 +0000

The Padres have designated 26-year old righty swinging catcher Luis Martinez for assignment. He played in 22 games for the Padres last year in his first taste of the majors and he was 12 for 59 (.203 avg, .614 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer, 10 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Martinez also played in 58 games in AAA-ball for the Padres last year and he was 64 for 198 (.323 avg, .813 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 1 homer, 28 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Padres needed Martinez’ roster spot for the new additions in the Matt Latos deal.

UPDATE: (12/22/2011) - The Padres have dealt Luis Martinez to the Texas Rangers for 24-year old righty reliever Ryan Kelly. Kelly pitched in 40 games (5 starts) in A-ball for the Rangers last year and he was 3-6 with 9 saves, a 3.95 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Kelly has now pitched in 121 games (16 starts) in his first five years in the minors and he is 9-13 with 20 saves, a 4.50 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

The San Diego Padres deal Mat Latos to the Reds

chinmusic — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 20:27:52 +0000

The San Diego Padres have dealt 24-year old righty starting pitcher Mat Latos to the Cincinnati Reds for 24-year old lefty swinging 1B Yonder Alonso, 28-year old righty starting pitcher Edison Volquez, 23-year old switch-hitting catcher Yasmani Grandal and 23-year old righty reliever Brad Boxberger. This was a very impressive haul for the Padres. Yonder Alonso will be the new starting 1B for the Padres. He was the Reds’ #4 prospect heading into last season according to Baseball America. Alonso played in 47 games for the Reds last year and he was 29 for 88 (.330 avg, .943 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 5 homers and 15 RBIs. He has now played in 69 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 35 for 117 (.299 avg, .833 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 5 homers and 18 RBIs. Edison Volquez will likely take Mat Latos’ spot in the Padres’ starting rotation. Volquez pitched in 20 games (all starts) for the Reds last year and he was 5-7 with a 5.71 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He has now pitched in 94 games (90 starts) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 33-29 with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. I think Bud Black and Petco Park will bring out the best in Volquez in 2012. Yasmani Grandal came into last year as the Reds’ #6 prospect last year according to Baseball America. He played in 105 games in A+AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 114 of 374 (.305 avg, .901 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 14 homers and 68 RBIs. Grandal has now played in 113 games in his first two years in the minors and he is 122 of 402 (.303 avg, .888 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 14 homers and 69 RBIs. Grandal could push Nick Hundley for the starting catcher job this spring. Brad Boxberger came into last year as the Reds’ #18 prospect according to Baseball America. He pitched in 55 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA-ball for the Reds last year and he was 2-4 with 11 saves, a 2.03 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Boxberger only gave up 32 hits in 62 innings in the minors last year, while whiffing 93 batters….showing just how nasty he is. He has pitched in 91 games (14 starts) in his first two years in the minors and he is 7-14 with 11 saves, a 3.75 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Boxberger could win a job in the Padres’ bullpen next spring.

Matt Latos pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the Padres last year and he was 9-14 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He pitched in 72 games (all starts) in his three years with the Padres and he was 27-29 with a 3.37 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Latos will be hard to replace at the top of the Padres’ starting rotation, but they just couldn’t pass up this deal.

The San Diego Padres deal Aaron Cunningham to the Indians

chinmusic — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:03:00 +0000

The Padres have dealt 25-year old righty swinging outfielder Aaron Cunningham to the Cleveland Indians for 24-year old righty reliever Cory Burns. Cunningham played in 52 games for the Padres last year and he was 16 for 90 (.178 avg, .624 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 3 homers, 9 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He played in 105 games in his two years with the Padres and he was 54 for 222 (.243 avg, .697 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 4 homers, 24 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Cory Burns pitched in 54 games (0 starts) in AA-ball for the Indians last year and he was 2-5 with 35 saves, a 2.11 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He has now pitched in 130 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the minors and he is 6-9 with 88 saves, a 2.02 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Burns has only given up 108 hits in his first 147 1/3 innings with 188 whiffs and only 35 walks. This was an excellent deal for the Padres as Burns has a nice upside, while Cunningham was a huge disappointment for them.

The San Diego Padres release Eric Patterson

chinmusic — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:27:22 +0000

The Padres have released 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Eric Patterson. Patterson played in 47 games for the Padres last year and he was 16 for 89 (.180 avg, .564 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers, 8 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. He has now played in 226 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 110 for 508 (.217 avg, .637 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 10 homers, 50 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. This won’t be much of a loss for the Padres as Patterson didn’t play too well for them last year.

The San Diego Padres DFA Jeremy Hermida

chinmusic — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:25:08 +0000

The Padres have designated 27-year old lefty outfielder Jeremy Hermida for assignment. Hermida played in 20 games for the Padres last year and he was 9 for 40 (.225 avg, .754 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. He has played in 619 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 511 of 1,988 (.257 avg, .749 OPS) with 246 runs scored, 65 homers, 248 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. Even if Hermida clears waivers, he’s going to reject an outright minor league assignment to become a free agent.

UPDATE: (12/13/2011) - The Padres have decided not to tender a contract to Jeremy Hermida for 2012, so he has become a free agent.

UPDATE II: (12/19/2011) - The Padres have re-signed Jeremy Hermida to a minor league deal.