Padres trade Meredith for Salazar

Monday July 20, 2009

I have no problem with the Padres in essence dumping Cla Meredith for a utility infielder. In fact I am pretty happy with the Padres getting so much for a highly ineffective reliever.

Meredith has a decent ERA, but among relievers with at least 30 ip this season, he is among the bottom 30 (of 131) in LOB%. More than half of the guys who have done a poorer job of stranding base runners have spent significant time in the minors this season or are rookies.

He has also allowed 45% of inherited runners to score this season and 50% to score last year. As a starter you would cringe if you knew Meredith was coming in to try to clean up your mess. Chances are he is going to allow a runner to score if you left 2 on the bases.

By comparison for Padres pitchers,
Bell has allowed only 13% of inherited runners to score this season.
Greg Burke - 9%
Luke Gregerson - 20%
Edward Mujica - 27%
Even Joe "Becky" Thatcher has only allowed 30% to score.

League average is 32%. So 45% to 50% is not what you are looking for in a 7th or 8th inning reliever. In fact it is simply not acceptable performance for any major league reliever.

Meredith has also blown all 6 of the save opportunities he has had over the past 2 seasons. 100%. You just cannot get any worse than that in clutch situations.

And he was allowing a ludicrous Batting Average Against of .324!!
.324 is the stuff of Hall of Famers...HOF Batters that is.

So to get Salazar, a utility guy that has hit .321 in 112 abs coming off the bench for the Orioles to take the place of Edgar Gonzalez in the Padres lineup, for Meredith is a bonus. I would have been happy if the Padres got 10 bats or a A ball schlub for him.

So I will not shed tear one for Cla Meredith.

If the Orioles are lucky he will learn how not to choke in pressure situations in the AL East. I highly doubt it, but anything is possible.