We were all holding our breath at the deadline, not just you, Ian.
Yes, the San Diego Padres have passed the trade deadline as winners for the first time in who knows how long.
They didn't deal Headley, they didn't deal Quentin, they didn't even deal Street, and although they should have maybe dealt some pieces (or got rid of some unwanted baggage *coughKotsay*), they only gave up Joe Thatcher off the major league roster to the Diamondback for a much needed starting pitcher, Ian Kennedy.
Neither are we at your performance this year.
Interesting to see an inter-division trade and interesting that a rumor about this wasn't even brought up about this until the deal was done, but the Padres managed to land righty none the less.
Full Details:
Padres get:
RHP Ian Kennedy (3-8, 5.23 ERA)
D'Backs get:
Joe Thatcher
AA reliever, Matt Stites
and a compensatory draft pick
Kennedy has shown some signs of regression since 2011, where he went 21-4, but last year he still posted a 15 win season with just over a 4 ERA. Upsides still on him? He is still only 28 years old and has shown some great MLB success. Also, he is a flyball pitcher, which could help moving into Petco rather than Chase Field.
Padres needed to make a move and there was concerns about Byrnes getting through the deadline with nothing, and although I know we would have liked to been buyers come July 31st, it still would have been good to deal off some guys on the team. To me, I feel we have too many competent players who are interchangeable, but still have some value to teams seeking a run in the playoffs this year. A guy like Denorfia or Guzman being moved would not have surprised me at all. Guzman, who has really turned in on in the last few months and Denorfia who is a solid .270 with some pop, good at-bats, and has a solid glove in the outfield.
It is sad to see Thatcher go, though. As a seven-year Padre vet, and a solid arm out of the pen, he was a good guy that I never minded seeing the ball get handed to him, but to see the potential upgrade from this deal gets me excited.
A possible middle to upper rotation pitcher who, although arbitration eligible at the end of the year, still only is making mid $4M and will get a slight raise. To put in perspective, Maybin makes $5M/yr and we see how that investment has gone so far, so risk/reward? I think the risk is way worth the reward.
My thoughts fast-forward to 2014 now thinking of a healthy rotation....
Luebke, Kennedy, Cashner, Stults, and Ross/Kelly/Weiland or...? doesn't sound like a bad group of five guys. No superstars (maybe), but five guys that could give you consistent outings and give the team chances to win ball games. I have loved the progression of Cashner as a starter this year and the recent flashes of brilliance by Tyson Ross makes me wonder how the dude went 2-11 last year as a starter. Get this team healthy and they could sniff at a wild card spot as early as next year.
According to Wikipedia, the greatest of all sources, the word cereal derives from Ceres (fascinating first couple paragraphs), the name of the Roman goddess of harvest and agriculture. You may be asking yourself what this has to do with our Padres. The answer? Not much.
Cereal is the best food on the planet and the Padres are the best baseball team on the planet. Therefore, I figured I should compare some of our favorite (or least favorite) Padres to their cereal counterparts. Yes some parts won't make complete sense, but remember I'm comparing human beings to cereal. I just ask for you, my reader, to take this article super cereal. I'm hilarious.
If you see spelling errors it's because this is a blog (I don't enjoy editing) and sometimes spell check doesn't identify unfinished words
I promise you'll somewhat enjoy this entry.
Please keep reading.
Please.
Chase "Deadly" Headley = Special K
My personal favorite cereal (the Fruit & Yogurt variety seriously go buy it right now) and personal favorite Padre. He'll never let you down- and just the like the delicious milk at the bottom of the bowl, he'll be there for you at the end of games.
You heard it here folks, "Chase Headley can give you the highest level of productivity available in a player, and productivity can help you win games. So make Chase Headley part of you daily lineup" That's what you heard too, right?
Chris Denorfia/Will "The Thrill" Venable = Cinnamon Toast Crunch/Frosted Toast Crunch
Damn, what a combination. CTC is old reliable for me. if I need a quick pick-me-upI mosey on down to the grocery and pick up a box or 4. The delicious blend of cinnamon swirl and milk leaves me wanting more every time. So I pour another bowl of course. The same, err, could be said about Deno. Solid, reliable platoon man out in right. Every year he impresses me and he still stands out as one of the few Padres who can actually have a chance to bat .300 every year (I guess it's hard?).
Then we've got The Thrill, Deno's comPADRE (see that?!?!?!?) in right field. FTC is my new jam, and Venable has quickly become one of my favorite Padres. FTC has a more smooth and rich flavor than CTC and allows for more consumption without flavor overhaul. I think I may have to refer to Venable's swing as "frosty" from now on. Also, have you seen this guy's hairline? Talk about perfection.
Sup.
Cameron Maybin = Reese's Puffs
Mmm...Reese's Puffs. What an amazing cereal. You get the perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter. With Maybin, you get a blend of speed and power. "But Matt, you're dumb Maybin hasn't even hit 10 home runs in one year!" My answer to that is "I know." But hear me out on this one- Maybin has incredible power, and we've had tastes of what he can do when he actually connects with a ball (skip to 2:50 and please mute your sound, you DO NOT want to listen to the song that is playing):
What I'm saying is that Maybin has true power- he just needs to become a better hitter all-around in 2013, hopefully reducing his strikeouts and having better plate discipline. I used to call him Cameron May...be He'll Get A Hit, but after his vast improvement in the second half of 2012, I see him having a great year, hopefully hitting somewhere near a .275 avg with 10-15 homers. And of course, we know the dude can play a mean center and steal a bunch of bases. Just FYI, Reese's puffs has never had a down year. Don't get it twisted.
Mark Kotsay = Lucky Charms
Yes you read it right, Mark Kotsay (he still plays?). This guys was a spark plug for the team last year, producing some clutch pinch-hits in crucial situations. He's a reliable veteranthat can come off the bench and still produce. I really hope he makes the squad this year, it really does make a difference having a veteran in the clubhouse and on the field for a team.
Sometimes I forget about Lucky Charms, sometimes I forget that Kotsay plays baseball. But when I remember, it tastes good.
Pretty much Mark Kotsay, right?
Carlos Quentin = Fruity Pebbles
Need I say more?
Yasmani Grandal = Wheaties
Sorry, but I have to:
Wow, he got big.
All jokes aside (Sorry Yasmani I know you love this blog), he is a GREAT player. He made a mistake and has owned up to it. I know we all hope this never happens again and that he will stay a Padre for years to come. He provides such a spark offensively and can only progress from here as such a young player. Plus, he is a switch hitter and can cause problems for pitchers on both sides of the plate. We got such an amazing package from the Reds in the Latos trade, and Grandal may end up being the prized possession (although Alonso and Volquez haven been equally as important).
The Entire Bullpen = Kix
Nothing special, but a great cereal. To the common eye, Kix look plain and boring. To the smart humans (Padres fans), Kix is a solid cereal that tastes refreshing and healthy (can things taste healthy...hot dogs, right?)
To the casual fan the Padres bullpen is lacking in big names and strong arms, to which I say lol. I want to see more from Nick Vincent but he had a productive 27 appearances for the team last year, posting a 1.71 ERA, .98 WHIP, and 9.6 SO/9, but I'd like to see the walks go down from 2.4 BB/9.
Thayer and Tatcher are solid relievers, with Thayer filling in as the closer for a portion of last year and Thatcher being awesome simply based on how he somehow pulls off his pitching delivery:
Huh?
Then we have Luke Gregerson, with a slider more deadly then Ricin (can Breaking Bad start again please?).
"Use the slider Luke, let go...of the ball."
Then we have Huston Street(Heath who?). The major problem for him was staying healthy last year. But, we can all be happy that his problems weren't shoulder or arm problems, so nothing mechanically will be or has been compromised. 23 saves a year ago, with only 17 hits allowed in 39 innings. Yeah I'll take that all day. If we can have an entire year with Street, the team will obviously benefit greatly. And hey, at least he'd be earning his 5 yr/$36M contract. If the bullpen produces like they should, who knows they may even evolve into Berry Berry Kix (and will be Berry Berry good, gosh I'm funny!)
Yes, please.
Starting Rotation = When you mix cereals and don't know how it'll taste
Yum?
I like all of the options for this year's rotation to start the year. Obviously when Luebke gets healthy, he's gonna be our guy. But for now I like all of the competition for the final 1 or 2 spots at the end of the rotation. Spring Training should be fun to watch for the young and Garcia (old) pitchers. But we won't know how good it will be until the real season starts, let's just hope we don't have 25 (or so) different starters like last year.
Kyle Blanks = Bran Flakes (with spoiled milk)
Awww thanks Mom this looks really good!
Sounds unhealthy amirite? Obviously a joke but seriously dude play for more than 55 games for once. If he can play like we all know he can, he could be a regular option on this team. I want him to get healthy and perform, then he can become Raisin Bran Crunch, with emphasis on the CRUNCH:
He can do this for the Padres, too? Please?
Honorable mention for Raisin Bran CRUNCH video:
There he is.
Alright folks, that's it. I love cereal and I love the Padres. Opinions shared in this entry do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the other writers, but they should start thinking like me because I'm always right.
The 2013 San Diego Padres season is closing in on us quickly. In just five days time, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Peoria to begin their spring training and just nine days time until the full roster voluntary date for all players invited to Spring Training this year.
This is going to be a big year for the Pads. With new owners, hopefully big things to expected and the lack of playoff streak can end. This being said, the NL West is not going to be a cake walk this year....again. Our rivals from two hours away have decided they wanted to spend every penny Magic Johnson and all his buddies have on signing every big name player they can get a hold of for the Dodgers and the Giants are coming off their second World Series in the last few years.
I have faith though. We have a good team as it is, when healthy, and if players play to their full potential we can get a lot out of this squad. Even with the 5th lowest payroll in the league (even after a 17% increase from last year according to Yahoo!), odds are against them, but I have a feeling this could be a great year.
The fences moving in, Headley coming off an MVP caliber season and Alonzo coming into his sophomore season (and Grandal after his 50 game...um...vacation). With Maybin getting hot the second half of the season, Hundley returning to the lineup after clearing his head in the minors and the Padres hopefully not using 15 different starting pitchers this year due to a ton of bad luck, I could see this being a fun summer being a Padres fans, with hopeful shades of 2010.
Of course ever team gets excited to start of the year and every teams fanbase is "going to win the World Series". I am not going to predict that, but I wouldn't be surprised if they snuck into the playoffs somehow. With the 5th best 2nd half record last year (other 4 teams made the playoffs), the Padres have shown what they are capable of and if they improve their road performance (34-47) and keep up their home performance (42-39), I have full confidence the Pads can break .500 this year.
Who knows? I could be speculating. But why not have faith? Why count out the Padres? I won't until they are mathematically eliminated. I hope for a fun season and I plan on being at Petco Park for as many games possible this year.
I hope to see everyone at Fan Fest this Saturday, February 9th at Petco Park where you can meet the players, get autographs, run the bases, tour the clubhouse, buy season tickets, play catch on the field, buy game used gear, and get excited about the 2013 Padres.
Good luck guys, and I hope to keep the excitement up late into October.
