Padres return for Adams or Bell?

Saturday July 16, 2011

Greetings from beautiful Port Charlotte Florida, home of the Stone Crabs.

I have spent the past two days watching the Treshers with several Padres scouts & the Phillies general manager also in attendance. Taking a look at the players the Padres would likely be getting in return for Heath Bell (or Mike Adams) and Ryan Ludwick if Hoyer & Amaro pull the trigger on a trade.

The scuttlebutt is that if the Padres are willing to pick up a major portion, maybe as much as $4 million, of Bell and Ludwick's $7 million in combined remaining salaries this season that the Padres will receive one of the following top prospects -Brody Colvin, Julio Rodriguez or Trevor May - and 2-3 other players.that would include one of Jonathan Singleton or Sebastian Valle and at least one other lower level prospect.

Sounds like a huge haul and it is, but the Padres would be sending one of, if not THE, best closers in baseball and a valuable RHB that would hit much better than his current .240 in Citizens Bank Park along with a huge chunk of cash. When you consider the value of a World Series run, it is an entirely reasonable trade.

Monday and Tuesday of next week I will be spending time in Myrtle Beach before flying to Texas for the weekend. Hope to get to see starting pitchers Robbie Ross or Miguel De Los Santos and OF Travis Adair play for the Pelicans. Another player I had wanted to see, Mike Olt, is on the DL. They are all potential pieces in a trade for Bell or Adams by the Rangers.

Once I get to Frisco I am hoping to see Robbie Erlin pitch. He is the piece I would most like to see coming back the Padres way in a trade for Bell from the Rangers system.

I am afraid that by the time I get to Frisco the Padres will have pulled the trigger on a trade, possibly two.

Even if the trades are made prior to my getting to Texas its going to be a busy, exciting week of minor league baseball.