Sunday May 232, 2010
How nice would Roy Oswalt look in a Padres uniform?
Yesterday Roy Oswalt, the Houston Astros star pitcher asked for a trade. Oswalt, 32, is the ace of their staff and one of the top pitchers in the NL.
This season he is sporting a 2.66 ERA/3.28 xFIP with a 1.07 WHIP and .217 BAA and still has a 2-6 record over 8 starts. The team is a hearty 14-27 and has lost 6 of their last 10. No wonder he wants out of Houston.
Oswalt has a full trade clause, so we don't know if he has given Ed Wade a list of teams he would accept a trade to or if he just wants out period. I would bet he just wants out.
So how nice would he look in a Padres uniform for the rest of the year?
Yes, I realize that he makes Peavy money, but just think about this rotation:
Oswalt
Garland
Corriea
Richard
Latos
I like that. In fact, that looks like a playoff rotation to me.
So how has Oswalt done at Petco?
2.51 ERA .347 slg .653 ops in 5 starts.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/split_stats.cgi?full=1¶ms=site|SAN02|oswalro01|pitch|AB|
In a word. Exceptional.
Next question. Can the Padres afford him?
Right now the short answer is no. The Moores' divorce is not final and the payroll is still locked at $40 million.
The good news is that the two sides have come to an agreement on terms and all that remains is for the judge to agree and the papers to be signed.
It’s been 3 months now since the agreement was reached after 2 years of acrimonious arbitration and divorce proceedings, so I hesitate to say when the divorce order may actually be signed and the Padres pursestrings unstrung. If the Moores' divorce is finalized by the end of June, then the Padres may have the payroll flexibility to go after Oswalt.
Adding $7-8 million for the balance of Oswalt's 2010 salary puts the Padres at only $45-46 million in payroll. Even a 2 home game playoff run would earn the team $15+ million. Great pitching and plus defense will win you games even with a mediocre offense.
The Padres would also be on the hook for $16 million next season and at least the $2 million buyout on 2012.
What would Padres have to give up to get Oswalt?
That depends on what the Astros are willing to pay of his remaining salary. The more they pick up, the better the package they will get in return.
Regardless of the money the Astros pay, its going to take a lot of good prospects to get Oswalt. Oswalt is a premier pitcher. A Stopper.
What are the Astros needs?
Houston is a very old team on the field with, as often as not, every player in the starting infield being 30+ years old. The only infielder under 30 that has any considerable tim on the field is SS Tommy Manzella, who has played in 31 games, but Manzella is only hitting .196 in 97 ABs.
Berkman,34, is already talking about retirement at 1B and Pedro Feliz at 3B is older than Berkman at 35.
They have a couple of highly regarded prospects in the middle infield, but the Astros really need corner infielder prospects to fill the holes in years to come.
The middle to back end of the Astros starting rotation is also hurting and they really don’t have any great prospects coming any time soon. Felipe Paulino (0-6) has a 5.36 ERA in 8 starts and Bud Norris is at a robust 6.75 ERA in 8 starts. Opposing batters are hitting .300 against the 25 year old righty.
Back of the rotation pitchers is something the Padres are pretty deep in.
As a Padres fan, I would like to see the Padres only have to send a ML or ML ready starting pitcher and a couple of A ball prospects for Oswalt.
Something like Kevin Correia, Edinson Rincon and either a pitcher like Cesar Carrillo or another corner infielder like Craig Cooper.
I would even be up for sweetening the pot by throwing in Aaron Poreda for a 4-1, but I tend to think it’s going to take a bigger name.
A major league pitcher like Correia plus a Forsythe or a Darnell plus at least one other good pitching prospect like Castro or Pelzer. A three for one trade with the Astros picking up $5+ million of the $25 million left on Oswalt's contract.
Are you willing to make that trade? Would KT have done it?
For me the answer is yes. A legitimate run at the playoffs and a legitimate top of the rotation pitcher means a lot more than the promise of prospects.
Correia is an eminently replaceable pitcher. Stauffer will be back by July and can take a spot at the back of the rotation for 2010.
Forsythe or Darnell are great prospects, but they are still prospects. No prospect is a sure thing. Oswalt is a known quantity and what is known is awesome.
So yes. Make that trade.
Showing posts with label Houston Astros. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Houston Astros. Show all posts
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Un-BEE-lievable!
Thursday July 2, 2009
After Padres starting pitcher Kevin Correia's pitches were stung by Houston Astros bats for 8 hits and 6 runs in 5 innings, today's game at Petco Park was delayed for 52 minutes in the top of the 9th because of a swarm of bees.
The swarm of several thousand bees completely covered the jacket of the Padres ballgirl after the Queen apparently nested under the jacket. Eventually a beekeeper was called in to remove the queen and break up the swarm. The game continued after the delay and the Astros took the victory 7-2.
Once again the Padres offense looked anemic against a left handed starter. Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez held the Padres to 7 hits and 1 run in 7 innings. To date the Padres are hitting just .230 against LHP.
Former Padre Geoff Blum went 2-4 today including a 3 run homer and 4 rbi.
Scott Hairston provided the only real Padres highlights going 2-4 with a booming double to right center in the 5th inning to drive in Everth Cabrera.
Next up is the Los Angeles Dodgers and the freak show that will undoubtedly follow steroid abuser Manny Ramirez.
Tomorrow's game at 7:05 is sold out as Angelenos are undoubtedly streaming down at this very moment to spend their 4th of July holiday watching the joke that is Manny return from the 50 day suspension he recieved from MLB for being caught using not only steroids, but also a women's fertility drug that is also banned by baseball.
So folks if you don't have a ticket, that may be a good thing for you, as a visit from the Dodgers always brings with it the type of fans that the Raiders attract. In other words, way too many beligerent drunks and gang bangers.
While I will be in my seat all 3 games, I sometimes I wonder why I go to every game when the Dodgers come to town. I avoid the Raiders games even if it means eating my tickets, but I force myself to come to these games and even enjoy baiting Da Bums fans.
Oh well. See you at the park this weekend. Go Padres.
Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!
After Padres starting pitcher Kevin Correia's pitches were stung by Houston Astros bats for 8 hits and 6 runs in 5 innings, today's game at Petco Park was delayed for 52 minutes in the top of the 9th because of a swarm of bees.
The swarm of several thousand bees completely covered the jacket of the Padres ballgirl after the Queen apparently nested under the jacket. Eventually a beekeeper was called in to remove the queen and break up the swarm. The game continued after the delay and the Astros took the victory 7-2.
Once again the Padres offense looked anemic against a left handed starter. Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez held the Padres to 7 hits and 1 run in 7 innings. To date the Padres are hitting just .230 against LHP.
Former Padre Geoff Blum went 2-4 today including a 3 run homer and 4 rbi.
Scott Hairston provided the only real Padres highlights going 2-4 with a booming double to right center in the 5th inning to drive in Everth Cabrera.
Next up is the Los Angeles Dodgers and the freak show that will undoubtedly follow steroid abuser Manny Ramirez.
Tomorrow's game at 7:05 is sold out as Angelenos are undoubtedly streaming down at this very moment to spend their 4th of July holiday watching the joke that is Manny return from the 50 day suspension he recieved from MLB for being caught using not only steroids, but also a women's fertility drug that is also banned by baseball.
So folks if you don't have a ticket, that may be a good thing for you, as a visit from the Dodgers always brings with it the type of fans that the Raiders attract. In other words, way too many beligerent drunks and gang bangers.
While I will be in my seat all 3 games, I sometimes I wonder why I go to every game when the Dodgers come to town. I avoid the Raiders games even if it means eating my tickets, but I force myself to come to these games and even enjoy baiting Da Bums fans.
Oh well. See you at the park this weekend. Go Padres.
Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Ouch! Padres win but may lose Gonzalez
Tuesday June 30, 2009
Adrian Gonzalez was injured sliding into 3rd base and was forced to leave the game in the 4th inning of the San Diego Padres 4-3 win over the Houston Astros at Petco Park tonight.
While we still do not know the extent of the injury that the Padres are calling a strain, losing Gonzalez would be the capper on a season that has been plagued by injuries to key players such as Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Scott Hairston and Cha Seung Baek. The Padres currently have 9 players on the DL and are on pace to equal last seasons MLB record 1244 player days on the DL.
On the bright side, David Eckstein went 3 for 4 and improved his batting average to .274 and starting pitcher Josh Banks went 7 full innings giving up just 5 hits and 3 runs while striking out 4 in his first start and win of the season.
Heath Bell pitched 1 1/3 innings for his NL leading 22nd save.
In other Padres News:
Shawn Hill had the 2nd Tommy John surgery of his career and is likely out for the rest of 2009 and the entire 2010 season. Tommy John surgery is only effective 25% of the time when it has to be repeated and the oft injured Hill may have pitched for his last time professionally.
Adrian Gonzalez was injured sliding into 3rd base and was forced to leave the game in the 4th inning of the San Diego Padres 4-3 win over the Houston Astros at Petco Park tonight.
While we still do not know the extent of the injury that the Padres are calling a strain, losing Gonzalez would be the capper on a season that has been plagued by injuries to key players such as Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Scott Hairston and Cha Seung Baek. The Padres currently have 9 players on the DL and are on pace to equal last seasons MLB record 1244 player days on the DL.
On the bright side, David Eckstein went 3 for 4 and improved his batting average to .274 and starting pitcher Josh Banks went 7 full innings giving up just 5 hits and 3 runs while striking out 4 in his first start and win of the season.
Heath Bell pitched 1 1/3 innings for his NL leading 22nd save.
In other Padres News:
Shawn Hill had the 2nd Tommy John surgery of his career and is likely out for the rest of 2009 and the entire 2010 season. Tommy John surgery is only effective 25% of the time when it has to be repeated and the oft injured Hill may have pitched for his last time professionally.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Geer Gets Pounded, Eckstein Gets Hurt, Padres Get Swept By Astros
Sunday May 10, 2009
San Diego Padres get swept by the Sad Sack Astros in Houston.
2009 is starting to take the same path as 2008.
Yes I know I am being negative and there is a lot of baseball left to play, but this Padres team was favored to win this series over a 12-17 Astros team that was hitting under .250 coming into this series while playing in one of the best hitters parks in baseball.
The Astros pitching staff was in tatters leading the NL in hits allowed and trailing only the Washington "Natinals" in WHIP.
So what happened to set me off on this rant?
I do know that the Padres lead the league in injuries once again this season so I am cutting them some slack.
The Padres have 5 pitchers currently on the DL including 3 starters and their most effective reliever from 2008.
The big bat the Padres were counting on off the bench has been on the DL since before the season began and the promising young speedster SS broke his hand and is out until the beginning of July.
What else can happen to this team?
The pesky second baseman David Eckstein, the player that typifies the kind of hard nosed, do all you can with what you have attitude the Padres need to win, gets hurt today and is headed to the DL.
Cha Seung Baek left his rehab assignment in Portland yesterday with soreness in his elbow and is headed back to San Diego for an MRI.
The hitters on this team seem to have given up or to be fair, maybe have just have tightened up so much that they simply cannot hit with men on base. A .217 BA with men in scoring position is bad enough. The Padres .115 BA with the bases loaded is simply not acceptable.
So whose fault is it?
Managing the game and inspiring the team.
I have absolutely no confidence in the Padres manager Bud Black to do the right thing in important situations in games or to inspire the team to excel.
It is the managers job to bring pitchers into the game in a timely and efficient manner to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Black has failed.
It is the managers job to call for bunts and hit and runs and when a batter should swing away. Black has failed on a consistent basis to do so effectively in key game situations.
It is the manager and hitting coach's job to get the guys to relax and hit. They have failed.
Injuries
The Padres players have been among the most injured in the league for much of the last 8 seasons. Part of that is the older players often coming off injury plagued seasons that the Padres have been forced to pick up because of a limited budget.
Part of the blame for the rash of injuries must be assigned to Trainer Todd Hutcheson and Strength and Conditioning Coach Jim Malone.
If it was a fluke thing and the Padres had one season like 2008 every 10 years or so it could be passed off to chance, but to have been in the top 10 in baseball for number of player days on the DL every season since 2001 is not chance.
It is the training staff doing a poor job of conditioning the athletes.
What SHOULD happen to this team?
Fire Bud Black. Now!
To begin the season I was among his biggest supporters, saying to give him a full season without MLB record injuries to see if he could give fans a winning team, but he has failed to execute in so many situations this year, from when to pull a pitcher to when to bunt to whom to play, that I am no longer willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and I truly hope the FO is no longer willing to lose like this either.
As fans we show game after game that we care. It is time for the Front Office to show they care as much as the fans do.
It is time for someone in management to get angry about this. Black is incapable of getting angry, so the ownership or Kevin Towers need to say enough is enough and start making changes.
Bring in Bobby Valentine or Davey Johnson or even Ned Yost. Or any firey manager for that matter. The Padres need to change things up and the first thing that needs to be changed is the attitude and personality of the manager. Bochy was an easy going guy and so is Black. Bring in a fire breathing butt kicker who has won as a manager before.
Sit Brian Giles against left handed pitching. You think Giles' .151 BA is bad, take a look at his .098 BA against LHP. That is right .098. 5 hits in 51 at bats. Maybe platooning him for a month will light a fire under him and he can be the Giles of last year for the 2nd half of this season.
Play Jody Gerut EVERY day!
Gerut was the best leadoff hitter the team had last season and he hit .308 against lefties in 40 games. Maybe you sit him occasionally against the toughest LHP, but for the most part just let him play and get a rhythm going. Oh, did you notice who Gerut hit his HR off today? That is correct, a lefty.
Platoon Chris Burke and Luis Rodriguez.
With Eckstein headed to the DL it will muck up the middle infield since the Padres really have no one they can call up, but for now give Edgar Gonzalez 2B and platoon Burke and Rodriguez.
Bring up Greg Burke, DFA Duaner Sanchez and send down Arturo Lopez.
Burke is absolutely dominating AAA. He has given up just 7 hits and 4 walks in 15 innings while striking out 14 in the worst pitchers league in baseball. His ERA is just 1.80 and he has 6 saves in 6 opportunities.
Sanchez on the other hand is done. His confidence is shot. He absolutely refuses to throw a pitch near the strike zone. Especially not his fastball. Pitch after pitch is off the outside corner and misses by a foot more often than not. He has NO confidence in his fastball and has thrown more than 30% changeups and far too many sliders off the plate. When he does come inside with a fastball he is already behind in the count and it is getting crushed. His ERA is 7.56 and he has given up 12 hits and 7 walks in just 8.1 IP. Opposing batters are hitting .364 off him and on the road it gets worse.
There is little chance that Sanchez gets picked up on waivers so designate him for assignment now and let him go to AAA and regain some confidence.
Lopez has a 19.29 ERA in 4 appearances after today's game. Any questions?
Get a fifth bat on the bench.
The Padres need a right hand hitting bat on the bench. Call up Emil Brown or even Luis Durango.
The Padres are hitting .219 vs left handed pitching. .219!
Get another BAT up here who can help out.
Ok, now I have had my say and my rant is done.
What do you think?
San Diego Padres get swept by the Sad Sack Astros in Houston.
2009 is starting to take the same path as 2008.
Yes I know I am being negative and there is a lot of baseball left to play, but this Padres team was favored to win this series over a 12-17 Astros team that was hitting under .250 coming into this series while playing in one of the best hitters parks in baseball.
The Astros pitching staff was in tatters leading the NL in hits allowed and trailing only the Washington "Natinals" in WHIP.
So what happened to set me off on this rant?
- The Astros pitching staff shut out the Padres in game one.
- Brian Moehler, who came into the 2nd game with a 14.00 ERA and a BAA against of .479 in 3 previous starts and shut out the Padres for 5 innings before giving up just one run in 7 innings. Possibly the worst starter in baseball and he looks like Maddux against the hapless Padres batters? Give me a break.
- And today the Padres most consistent starter gives up 7 runs, 5 earned in 3.1 IP.
I do know that the Padres lead the league in injuries once again this season so I am cutting them some slack.
The Padres have 5 pitchers currently on the DL including 3 starters and their most effective reliever from 2008.
The big bat the Padres were counting on off the bench has been on the DL since before the season began and the promising young speedster SS broke his hand and is out until the beginning of July.
What else can happen to this team?
The pesky second baseman David Eckstein, the player that typifies the kind of hard nosed, do all you can with what you have attitude the Padres need to win, gets hurt today and is headed to the DL.
Cha Seung Baek left his rehab assignment in Portland yesterday with soreness in his elbow and is headed back to San Diego for an MRI.
The hitters on this team seem to have given up or to be fair, maybe have just have tightened up so much that they simply cannot hit with men on base. A .217 BA with men in scoring position is bad enough. The Padres .115 BA with the bases loaded is simply not acceptable.
So whose fault is it?
Managing the game and inspiring the team.
I have absolutely no confidence in the Padres manager Bud Black to do the right thing in important situations in games or to inspire the team to excel.
It is the managers job to bring pitchers into the game in a timely and efficient manner to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Black has failed.
It is the managers job to call for bunts and hit and runs and when a batter should swing away. Black has failed on a consistent basis to do so effectively in key game situations.
It is the manager and hitting coach's job to get the guys to relax and hit. They have failed.
Injuries
The Padres players have been among the most injured in the league for much of the last 8 seasons. Part of that is the older players often coming off injury plagued seasons that the Padres have been forced to pick up because of a limited budget.
Part of the blame for the rash of injuries must be assigned to Trainer Todd Hutcheson and Strength and Conditioning Coach Jim Malone.
If it was a fluke thing and the Padres had one season like 2008 every 10 years or so it could be passed off to chance, but to have been in the top 10 in baseball for number of player days on the DL every season since 2001 is not chance.
It is the training staff doing a poor job of conditioning the athletes.
What SHOULD happen to this team?
Fire Bud Black. Now!
To begin the season I was among his biggest supporters, saying to give him a full season without MLB record injuries to see if he could give fans a winning team, but he has failed to execute in so many situations this year, from when to pull a pitcher to when to bunt to whom to play, that I am no longer willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and I truly hope the FO is no longer willing to lose like this either.
As fans we show game after game that we care. It is time for the Front Office to show they care as much as the fans do.
It is time for someone in management to get angry about this. Black is incapable of getting angry, so the ownership or Kevin Towers need to say enough is enough and start making changes.
Bring in Bobby Valentine or Davey Johnson or even Ned Yost. Or any firey manager for that matter. The Padres need to change things up and the first thing that needs to be changed is the attitude and personality of the manager. Bochy was an easy going guy and so is Black. Bring in a fire breathing butt kicker who has won as a manager before.
Sit Brian Giles against left handed pitching. You think Giles' .151 BA is bad, take a look at his .098 BA against LHP. That is right .098. 5 hits in 51 at bats. Maybe platooning him for a month will light a fire under him and he can be the Giles of last year for the 2nd half of this season.
Play Jody Gerut EVERY day!
Gerut was the best leadoff hitter the team had last season and he hit .308 against lefties in 40 games. Maybe you sit him occasionally against the toughest LHP, but for the most part just let him play and get a rhythm going. Oh, did you notice who Gerut hit his HR off today? That is correct, a lefty.
Platoon Chris Burke and Luis Rodriguez.
With Eckstein headed to the DL it will muck up the middle infield since the Padres really have no one they can call up, but for now give Edgar Gonzalez 2B and platoon Burke and Rodriguez.
Bring up Greg Burke, DFA Duaner Sanchez and send down Arturo Lopez.
Burke is absolutely dominating AAA. He has given up just 7 hits and 4 walks in 15 innings while striking out 14 in the worst pitchers league in baseball. His ERA is just 1.80 and he has 6 saves in 6 opportunities.
Sanchez on the other hand is done. His confidence is shot. He absolutely refuses to throw a pitch near the strike zone. Especially not his fastball. Pitch after pitch is off the outside corner and misses by a foot more often than not. He has NO confidence in his fastball and has thrown more than 30% changeups and far too many sliders off the plate. When he does come inside with a fastball he is already behind in the count and it is getting crushed. His ERA is 7.56 and he has given up 12 hits and 7 walks in just 8.1 IP. Opposing batters are hitting .364 off him and on the road it gets worse.
There is little chance that Sanchez gets picked up on waivers so designate him for assignment now and let him go to AAA and regain some confidence.
Lopez has a 19.29 ERA in 4 appearances after today's game. Any questions?
Get a fifth bat on the bench.
The Padres need a right hand hitting bat on the bench. Call up Emil Brown or even Luis Durango.
The Padres are hitting .219 vs left handed pitching. .219!
Get another BAT up here who can help out.
Ok, now I have had my say and my rant is done.
What do you think?
Friday, May 08, 2009
Padres waste another good pitching performance
Friday May 8, 2009
The San Diego Padres wasted another good performance from a starting pitcher tonight and lost 2-0 to the sad sack Astros in Houston.
The Padres Chad Gaudin went 7 innings giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in a losing effort.
The Padres offense once again could night drive in runs with men in scoring position wasting opportunities in the 1st and 2nd innings and mustered only 5 hits and no walks in 8 innings off lefty Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez.
Rodriguez had struggled in his last start vs Atlanta going just 5 innings, but showed a seemingly effortless mastery over the Padres bumbling batters.
Struggles against left handed pitchers is nothing new for the Padres who have a hit an anemic .220 against left handed pitching in 2009 while hitting a relatively robust .251 vs right handed pitching.
The Padres troubles against LHP are a continuation of a problem that plagued the team in 2008 when they hit just .236 vs LHP but hit 30 points higher against RHP.
Could it be time for the Padres to sit Giles vs LHP and start Gerut in his place with Hairston in CF? Is it also be time to bring up a right handed bat to fill a bench spot?
Sadly, other than Kyle Blanks, the entire Portland squad is hitting under .300 with Emil Brown being the best hitting outfielder at .292 in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League. Brown is a right handed hitter, as is Chad Huffman who is currently hitting just .235.
Maybe the outfielder the Padres should consider bringing up until Floyd comes off the DL is Luis Durango who is hitting .369 with a .444 OBP for the Padres AA squad, the San Antonio Missions. Durango would also bring speed on the bases that has been missing since Everth Cabrera broke the hamate bone in his hand.
All I know is the Padres need to shake things up a bit.
I have had my say. Now what do you think?
The San Diego Padres wasted another good performance from a starting pitcher tonight and lost 2-0 to the sad sack Astros in Houston.
The Padres Chad Gaudin went 7 innings giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in a losing effort.
The Padres offense once again could night drive in runs with men in scoring position wasting opportunities in the 1st and 2nd innings and mustered only 5 hits and no walks in 8 innings off lefty Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez.
Rodriguez had struggled in his last start vs Atlanta going just 5 innings, but showed a seemingly effortless mastery over the Padres bumbling batters.
Struggles against left handed pitchers is nothing new for the Padres who have a hit an anemic .220 against left handed pitching in 2009 while hitting a relatively robust .251 vs right handed pitching.
The Padres troubles against LHP are a continuation of a problem that plagued the team in 2008 when they hit just .236 vs LHP but hit 30 points higher against RHP.
Could it be time for the Padres to sit Giles vs LHP and start Gerut in his place with Hairston in CF? Is it also be time to bring up a right handed bat to fill a bench spot?
Sadly, other than Kyle Blanks, the entire Portland squad is hitting under .300 with Emil Brown being the best hitting outfielder at .292 in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League. Brown is a right handed hitter, as is Chad Huffman who is currently hitting just .235.
Maybe the outfielder the Padres should consider bringing up until Floyd comes off the DL is Luis Durango who is hitting .369 with a .444 OBP for the Padres AA squad, the San Antonio Missions. Durango would also bring speed on the bases that has been missing since Everth Cabrera broke the hamate bone in his hand.
All I know is the Padres need to shake things up a bit.
I have had my say. Now what do you think?
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