So, what can he sell off, what should they keep?

I know squat about the farm but given they've called up/signed guys like Gerut, Huber, McAnulty, Estes, Glendon Rusch (nice to see him back ... but who knew?) I'm guessing it's not overflowing with top-notch ML-ready talent.

It's the same problem teams in this situation always have -- anybody who's any good you want to hold onto but the other guys won't bring you anything in trade.

Definite keepers (barring gargantuan trade offers):

Peavy, Gonzazlez (and Hoffman for sentimental reasons)

Almost-definite keepers (young, good, "cheap", not likely to get more in return than you're giving up):

Greene, Young, Bell (not young, still cheap), Meredith

Might-as-well keep (youngish and who else wants them):

Kouzmanoff, Huber, Hairston, Germano (maybe he belongs one above), Ledezma

You start by trying to move:

Maddux, Giles, Iguchi, Wolf

You pray to get something better than a bag of balls for:

Bard, Clark, Barrett (if he puts up numbers by the deadline)

Everything else is worthless on the market.

Giles should bring pretty good return and Maddux will bring you something worthwhile. But to make any real impact, you're gonna have to move at least one of the almost-definite keepers I think. I'd ship out Greene (but don't trade low) and Bell I guess.

its bad.

really

bad.

>Greene, Young, Bell (not young, still cheap), Meredith<

These are the guys, with Kouz, who have value and, therefore, should be on the block.

These are the guys, with Kouz, who have value and, therefore, should be on the block.

You put them on the block if you're in win-now mode. They probably shouldn't be.

I'd see if Hoffman would like to move to a contender come August. You could get value, and he could maybe get a ring.

I've been saying they should move Maddux for awhile. I just looked and he has a full no-trade. I wonder what it would take?

I wonder what it would take?

72 virgins?

I've been saying they should move Maddux for awhile. I just looked and he has a full no-trade. I wonder what it would take?

Maddux was asked about that in Chicago recently and he said he doesn't want to be traded, even to a contender. He said he's very happy were he is now, and hopes to stay.

Maddux has always preferred the west coast, he'll probably remain there and pitch in a great pitchers park until his career is over.

The attendance numbers at the park would drop to Marlins levels if they trade the vampire Greene, though I think he's the one that should go first. Why he is so beloved is beyond me. The puzzling thing watching this team—other than the listless play and sub-.250 batting averages—is seeing guys like McAnulty run out there every other game. Why, why, why? Can't a Gerut/Huber/Hairston platoon cover every game? Can't Headely figure it out in the majors? He can't be any worse than McAnulty, and he has some experience from his call-up last year. It just makes no sense to have a four-headed hydra in LF/CF if none of them are your future LFer. Additionally, any and all relievers who are not Hoffman should be made available.

What this team needs is a make-over in the worst way. Instead of waiting on .237 hitters to jack one out of the park every now and again they should be going for high-contact guys to take advantage of the park's dimensions. The whole woe-is-Petco is the excuse of the Nevins of the world. There are other ways to win baseball games.

The Mets don't really have any tradeable prospects, but I'd love to see Heath Bell back. Maybe the Padres would take Eddie Kunz.

its bad.

really

bad.

But look, some respect! A full article on a well-known national web site. Finally the Pads get their due!

But look, some respect! A full article on a well-known national web site. Finally the Pads get their due!

yeah it takes the idiot GM that built this crap to blow up in front of the players to get more than a 15 second sound bite.

As he spoke, the clubhouse cleared, Padres players passing and pretending not to hear.

HE ... needs to go.

Let Alderson or Depo run this team.

nothing would surprise me more than to see Towers trade for Gwynn jr [60 ops+] as a solution

Might as well get the gang back together and trade Maddux back to Atlanta.

Yeah! Then we'd have the largest collection of five inning starters in all of creation!

It becomes like Groundhog Day, over and over.

I think it's cool that that movie has permanently changed people's conception of Groundhog Day.

The attendance numbers at the park would drop to Marlins levels if they trade the vampire Greene, though I think he's the one that should go first. Why he is so beloved is beyond me.

Yes! I didn't think the "Khalil Greene is a vampire" meme had caught on anywhere! That thread was some of our finest work.

I know squat about the farm but given they've called up/signed guys like Gerut, Huber, McAnulty, Estes, Glendon Rusch (nice to see him back ... but who knew?) I'm guessing it's not overflowing with top-notch ML-ready talent.

Good guess. Headley and Antonelli are the two best players, and neither is lighting the PCL on fire. Antonelli is 0-17 against LHP but has drawn 7 walks with a HBP and SF for a tidy .000/.320/.000 line against portsiders...and he bats right! As for the pitchers - Wade LeBlanc, Will Inman and Matt Buschmann are the best of the bunch, and all are relatively low-upside types. LeBlanc has been lit up at Portland, and while Inman and Buschmann are doing decently at AA, both are finesse-oriented types (average fastballs, good location, change speeds) who I think would struggle if promoted to the majors now.

Towers certainly deserves some criticism for the state of the farm system, but I think that his decisions at the major league level were defensible, given that this team came within a Trevor Hoffman blown save of making the postseason a year ago.

-- MWE

Craig, Glavine is a 5 inning (if that) starter. Smoltz isn't even that. Maddux has been pretty consistently a bit more. I'm not saying he's a threat to go 8 innings per start, but he strikes me as a really solid 3 that would benefit many teams. Of course, looking around the web, it looks like he's not interested in leaving. It's a shame. he could really help a team and with a good offense behind him, he could pile up some wins. On the Pads, he may be lucky to catch Clemens.

EDIT:

Pitcher / GS / IP per start
Glavine / 7 / 4.96
Smoltz / 5 / 5.4
Maddux / 9 / 6.03

EDIT2: I'm not suggesting Atlanta should try to get him. He wouldn't put them over the top.

Ken Rosenthal has a look at the Padres as well:
Major changes in store for Padres?

Yeah! Then we'd have the largest collection of five inning starters in all of creation!

I'll take five from Maddux every time if it means I never have to see Chuck James again.

Crispix - a thing of beauty should not be left in the past. It's great, my girlfriend and her office-mates all use the term, and I don't think any of them know where it comes from. It's just urban legend at this point, supplanting the 'Khalil is a robot' bit that's also common in SD.

I would think Towers and DePo are considering an Oakland style sell off/reload about now. The trick is finding a partner with the prospects to burn that is willing to burn them. Also, none of the tradeable pieces the Pads have are as valuable as a Texiera or a Haren or a Santana. They've got their work cut out for them. I would make Peavy the only untouchable. I'd even trade Gonzalez for the right offer.

I'd look at a few relievers, but that's really about it.

You start by trying to move:

Maddux, Giles, Iguchi, Wolf

Maddux has a no-trade, and Giles has a limited no-trade.

"Maybe the Padres would take Eddie Kunz."

Why on earth would they do that? Less than a year ago, they got three minor-league pitchers that were all better than Kunz for a reliever who wasn't as good as Bell...

Crispix -

Thank you for linking to that old thread. You were working on an extremely rarified comic level there, I agree.

I would think Towers and DePo are considering an Oakland style sell off/reload about now. The trick is finding a partner with the prospects to burn

But these trades rarely happen in-season these days. Haren, Swisher, Teixeira, Santana were all acquired by teams with the intent of getting several years production out of them, not just a half-season. The Padres only have two guys like that -- Peavy and Gonzalez. I don't think they'd take the PR hit of trading Peavy. Gonzalez maybe.

I agree with Mike that Towers' moves were at the ML level have all been defensible. He's been a good GM. This year's team did have several holes coming in so he can be dinged for that, but there weren't a lot of great options available. But y'know, there have been several years I didn't think the Pads looked that good on paper but ended up doing quite well.

One thing about the Padres trading off parts - didn't the Giants try this with no-success? When you're offering up guys like Giles, etc., people aren't going to offer up prospects. Unless they're willing to part with Greene (who Kenny Williams is rumored to have a crush on), you're probably not getting much if anything.

But these trades rarely happen in-season these days.

But isn't that the sort of thing that would always be cyclic? If all but one of the contending teams this year decide they're not going to trade for a "win now!" guy, the one that does make the trades may get bargains in trades (relatively speaking) which will make the other teams wary of just avoiding those sorts of in-season "win now!" trades in the future. Then in later years as more teams become interested in making these trades, bargains will be harder to find and the winning strategy will be to not make the trades. And then more teams will figure THAT out and the bargains will emerge again.

My question: at what point does Brian Giles start earning serious consideration for the Hall of Fame? (Ok, perhaps never, because he reached the majors late and has toiled in relative anonymity with OBP-heavy value). At what point should he? (I.e., at what point does he deserve consideration for the Hall of Merit, say?)

Jim Edmonds: 1842 games, 7419 PA, 110 OBP+, 121 SLG+
Brian Giles: 1682 games, 7125 PA, 119 OBP+, 120 SLG+

Dunno what to make of their defense, but Edmonds right now is being talked about as being a borderline Hall of Famer, while Giles is still going fairly strong. (He's certainly doing well this year, although the last two years were less impressive). For someone who (by OPS+) has the same career OPS+ (in fewer games, admittedly) as Ken Griffey Jr. and Reggie Jackson, Giles sure is under-recognized by the national media, it seems to me.

My question: at what point does Brian Giles start earning serious consideration for the Hall of Fame?

when he becomes...FEARED

Jim Edmonds: 1842 games, 7419 PA, 110 OBP+, 121 SLG+

More games and + defense at a premier defensive position make Edmonds a borderline HOFer and leave Giles on the outside looking in. I agree that Giles is under-recognized--he's been great--but I'll take Edmonds'career over his.

Maddux was asked about that in Chicago recently and he said he doesn't want to be traded, even to a contender. He said he's very happy were he is now, and hopes to stay.

Good, I love Maddux, he's not better than 5 of the Cubs's options at starting pitcher. Of course one of the better options is on the minor league DL but still.

Brian Giles isn't really close to Larry Walker, and I got a lot of scepticism when I suggested Walker should get serious Hall consideration.

I think you guys dismissed Latin vampires too quickly. I know we've all seen From Dusk Til Dawn. Not only does that rule back in Gonzalez, it means pretty much anybody could be a suspect: Which Padres do you think have never been to TJ to party? Any one of 'em could have picked it up there. Even Piazza couldn't be immune to Salma with that python.

mlb.com post their own take on Towers' comments, with a few more quotes sprinkled in.

Yes, of the candidates mentioned in the earlier thread, Greene and Gonzalez have both been on the team for a while now - and both have gained in strength and renown as the team has gone through a steady decline. Maybe they are both vampires.

both have gained in strength and renown as the team has gone through a steady decline

Maybe it's an epic struggle between the vampire Greene and the righteous Gonzalez that's just tearing the team apart? Hard to have chemistry if you SS is a vampire and your 1B is a superhuman slayer of some sort. Seriously though, the team is in trouble, vampire battle or no.

Maybe it's an epic struggle between the vampire Greene and the righteous Gonzalez that's just tearing the team apart?

"Let that be your last battlefield!"

Hard to have chemistry if you SS is a vampire and your 1B is a superhuman slayer of some sort. Seriously though, the team is in trouble, vampire battle or no.

I'm just glad I went the extra buck on Gonzalez, now that I know he's a vampire slayer. Maybe he can go to work on Brad Hawpe, who must have left the tabernacle to become one of the undead, considering the way he's drained the life from my squad.

(sigh) Move Headley back to 3b and trade Kouz.

(damn typoes)

Sign Bonds.

Sign Bonds.

Plant a Victory Garden.

sign bonds????

- shock!!! horrors!!!

you mean to actually have someone on that team who can, you know, like HIT?

but bonds is this horrible terrible person who every single other baseball player hates. and he would be a total cancer in the clubhouse and the other ballplayers would all be so unhappy with him around they wouldn't win. which would prove how terrible a person bonds really is

sign bonds

honestly chris, where DO you come up with these KRAZY ideas?

besides, moores is NOT gonna buck bud selig let alone the media

Maybe if Barry frosted his tips...