Padre's Byrnes Trades 1B for Reliever

Saturday January 7, 2012

So let me get this straight.

Padres GM Josh Byrnes trades away:

A 22 year old prospect that was a centerpiece of the trade that sent Adrian Gonzales to the Red Sox and who grades out as a future star (if not All Star) quality everyday position player who crushed at AAA at age 21 in 2011

For:

A 25 year old reliever with a history of shoulder problems?

WTF?

Byrnes has made the cardinal mistake of anointing a 25 year old prospect as the Padres starting 1B after a cup of coffee in Cincinnati (one of the best hitting parks in baseball) and sends away a young 1B who struggled when he was called up too early.

In his last trade, Byrnes traded away two prospects likely to make the White Sox staff in 2012 for a oft injured, defensive liability with mediocre power who is very expensive in Padres terms and who is a free agent after the 2012 season.

On a team that has has a very low payroll so has to live and die on locking up young players and keeping a deep pool of prospects, Byrnes has traded away his best young pitcher, his best position player prospect and two good pitching prospects and brought in only two injury prone players in Cashner and Quentin.

These last two trades would make sense only as the final pieces needed for a playoff run by a team full of proven talent. The Padres are far from full of proven talent.

Time will tell if the Padres can even make it out of last place in 2012, let alone contend.

I am starting to think that Byrnes is not such a smart general manager. 

Padres GM Byrnes makes STUPID trade for Quentin

San Diego Padres GM Josh Byrnes is out of his f'ing mind.

He has just made what may be the single worst trade in the history of the Padres franchise sending Simon Castro and Pedro Hernandez to the Chicago White Sox for OF/DH Carlos Quentin.
Yes, that is a bold statement, but lets take a look at the facts of this trade.

What did the Padres give up?

Byrnes traded away two good young pitchers in Simon Castro and Pedro Hernandez that will likely make the White Sox staff in 2012. If Castro is not in rotation in 2012, he will be in 2013 at the latest. 

Castro was rated #2 or #3 in the Padres organization in both 2010 & 2011 (Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and John Sickels) and is widely thought of as a prospect with #2-#3 type starter potential at the major league level. Castro may not be top prospect in the PADRES incredibly deep system for 2012, but would rank in top 5 for White Sox today and will likely make the Sox staff by end of 2012. Castro could be a #2 - #3 starter on the Sox staff in 2013.

Hernandez is a  22 year old left handed control artist who had a decent chance of making the Padres pen at some point in 2012 and will likely break camp in the pen for the reliever deficient Sox. 

How about Carlos Quentin?  

Well Quentin is:

1. Extremely Injury Prone
   (Quentin has NEVER played over 131 games & averaged 120 games over past 4 seasons)
2. A Low Average Hitter
   (He hit .257 for the White Sox playing in one of best hitters parks in baseball. That translates to hitting .223 if he was a Padre over past 4 seasons.) 
3. An All or Nothing Hitter
   (17.4% strike outs vs just 7% walks but a .245 ISO)
4. A Free Agent at the end of the 2012 Season 
5. Relatively Expensive
   (Quentin will likely be paid $7-8 million in 2012. His 3rd & last year of arbitration)
6. An Absolute Butcher on Defense
   (Quentin has been THE ABSOLUTE WORST DEFENSIVE OUTFIELDER in baseball with more than 2500 innings played over past 3 seasons.)

So Padres got a one year rental of a mediocre player for two good prospects who will likely contribute for White Sox at Major League level in 2012. Byrnes is obviously trying to make up for his mistake of sending a CHEAP Quentin away from Arizona years ago. In the process he makes a HUGE mistake trading FOR him now.

The Padres will not contend in 2012 and adding Quentin wont change that. Quentin will go away after 2012 since the Padres cant afford to keep an expensive DH. The $7-8 million Byrnes will have to spend on Quentin is ALOT of money for the low payroll Padres and it is being spent on as bad of a fit for that ballpark as you can possibly find. 

WTF is Byrnes thinking.

I have had my say, now I would like to hear what YOU have to say about this trade.

- Web 

Edit: Changed Byrnes to Quentin in appropriate places.

What the Changes in the MLB CBA Really Mean

The Rich Get Richer

Bud Selig and the big market owners at MLB have put a hatchet in the back of the Small and Mid market teams with this new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The small market teams have been all but marginalized. They will no longer have any opportunity to compete under the new rules.

Changes in Arbitration Eligibility Rules

Players with less than three years of major league service will now have to have 2 years 86 days of service and be in the top 20% of the league in production. (Previously it was 17%)

All but the largest market teams will now hold their best prospects back to after the All Star break instead of early June to ensure they don’t get 86 days in that year.

Changes in Free Agency Compensation

Since they no longer lose a draft pick the rich will get richer. The Yankees, Red Sox, etc… can now sign Free Agents without losing anything unless the other team makes a $12 million offer to the FA.

It’s a crock. The old system didn’t work, but this is worse. Now small market teams are strictly farm clubs for the big market teams.

It marks the end of Tampa Bay’s ability to compete in the AL East. Once their current crop of players and prospects reach FA they will never compete again. IT ends ANY small markets teams possibility of contending. Under the old system at least you got something when you could no longer afford a free agent. Now you get nothing. Selig said bend over small market teams and take it like a Sandusky victim.

Changes in First Year Draft

More of the rich get ting richer.

Now teams that were horrible last year can no longer afford to pay big money for a great prospect (see Gerrit Cole) or they risk not being able to draft many players or have to pay a tax they can ill afford to pay for going over the line. 

The Yankees, Red Sox, etc... can afford to pay a luxury tax, but if a team like the Pirates or the Rays want to pay big money for a couple of exceptional prospects, they risk not being to sign other prospects prospects down the line.

Selig has finally turned all small market teams into nothing more than glorified farm teams for the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Congratulations Bud. You have finally killed competition in the sport completely.

RIP MLB.  

Out in Left Field