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Would Cuban 2B Hector Olivera be a good fit for the Yankees?

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Cuban second baseman Hector Olivera should be eligible to sign soon. Should the Yankees go after him?

Last week the Yankees traded Martin Prado to the Marlins, but up until that point, it had looked like Prado would be the team's starting second baseman. Now Brian Cashman has said that he's fine with Rob Refsnyder and Jose Pirela competing for the position during spring training. If the Yankees still wanted to go the free agent route for a second baseman, there aren't really a lot of options left on the market at this point, especially after Asdrubal Cabrera agreed to a deal with the Rays yesterday. There is still time for a reunion with Stephen Drew, but if they want to look elsewhere, then Cuban second baseman Hector Olivera should be available soon. Would Olivera be a good fit for the Yankees?

Olivera is a 6-foot-2, 220 pound right-handed hitter who is described as having a "loose, quick swing and a good hitting approach." He has decent power for a middle infielder, and was considered to have plus speed in his prime. Throughout his career in Serie Nacional in Cuba, Olivera was a very consistent hitter, averaging .336/.437/.572 during five seasons from 2008-2012. Unfortunately, Olivera missed the entire 2012-2013 season in Cuba due to a blood condition (thrombosis in his left bicep, according to the Cuban press). He did return for the following season, and he was able to hit .316/.412/.474 with 7 HR. Scouts haven't gotten a chance to see him play live recently, so it is expected that he will hold a showcase at some point.

The 29-year-old defected from Cuba earlier this year, but he is not yet eligible to sign because he still needs to obtain residency papers and a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control and there's no telling how long that will take. On the plus side, after he is eventually signed Olivera will be ready to go straight to the major leagues. Ben Badler of Baseball America considers him to be an upgrade over both Refsnyder and Pirela at second base, and also thinks that the Yankees are one of the top three teams expected to sign him (the other two being the Padres and Athletics). It's estimated that he will end up with a contract somewhere around what fellow countryman Yasmany Tomas received, which was six-years and $68.5 million. The Yankees offseason moves so far have revolved around the idea of saving money, so that could mean that they're saving it up to hand out to someone like Olivera or that they're just saving for the sake of saving.

Do you think the Yankees should pursue Olivera when he is cleared to be signed, or are you content to see Refsnyder and Pirela battle for the position during spring training?


Colorado Rockies sign Nick Hundley to 2-year deal

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Baltimore wanted the 31-year old catcher back, but he ultimately took Colorado's $6 million offer.

Colorado was seeking a defensive-minded, veteran catcher this offseason, and added one by signing Nick Hundley to a two-year, $6 million deal on Wednesday afternoon. Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun was among the first to report the deal, which is pending a physical.

Hundley, 31, batted .243/.273/.358 to complment six home runs and 22 RBIs in 83 games with both the Padres and Orioles last season. Baltimore reportedly wanted to keep him, but declined his $5 million club option in November. Although his offensive numbers last season were around his career mark (.238), the Rockies were not seeking a power bat. Instead, the club was after an experienced backstop that can manage a young pitching staff in 2015.

The Rockies utilized several young arms last season, and are looking for consistency moving forward. Wilin Rosario, 25, batted .267/.305/.435 to complement 13 home runs last season and is known as a power hitter. He is still developing defensively, and battled several injuries a season ago. Rosario's name has been mentioned in several trade rumors this offseason, and some scouts believe he may be better suited for the American League, where he can serve as a designated hitter. Michael McKenry could receive playing time behind the plate in 2015 as well. Colorado has had a somewhat quiet offseason, with Daniel Descalso being the only other player the team signed to a Major League contract.

Connolly noted that the Orioles offered Hundley a two-year deal, but the proposed contract did not match the approximately $3 million yearly salary the Rockies offered, and Baltimore could not assure him he would get consistent playing time. A year after playing in the postseason, the Orioles have been forced to reassemble their roster, notably losing Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis, Andrew Miller, and now Hundley to free agency this offseason.

Miami Marlins yet to find partner for Dan Haren trade

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The 34-year old wants to play on the West Coast, but the Marlins have yet to find a trade partner.

When the Miami Marlins acquired Dan Haren, they knew there was a chance he would not pitch for them in 2015. Haren publicly said if he was not traded to a West Coast team he would consider retiring, and the Marlins in recent days have been trying to deal the 34-year old veteran. But according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, the Marlins have yet to find any takers.

At his request, the Marlins have been trying to trade pitcher Dan Haren to a team closer to his Southern California home but have found no takers.


Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/2014/12/examing-dolphins-first-round-draft-options-dolphins-chatter-harren-update-um.html#.VKNusZ7N6j8.twitter#storylink=cpy

Upon introducing Dee Gordon, Michael Morse, and Mat Latos at Marlins Park, President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill noted that the club has not set a deadline for Haren to make a decision. The Marlins, even after dealing Andrew Heaney, Anthony DeSclafani, and Brian Flynn this offseason, have starting pitching depth, but rightfully want Haren to be in the rotation. Henderson Alvarez, Jarred Cosart, Latos, Tom Koehler, Brad Hand, Aaron Crow, and Justin Nicolino will all see starting time this spring, as Miami is looking for consistency until Jose Fernandez returns this summer.

Haren may not make a decision until immdiately before spring training, which could lead other clubs who might be interested to explore other options. The Angels appear to be comfortable with their rotation, and a deal with the Padresinvolving an outfielder that would be sent to Miami has been rumored.

Ultimately, the Marlins received Haren's $10 million 2015 salary from the Dodgers, so adding him to the payroll would not be a concern. But Jackson also notes that the Marlins want to use that money towards Latos' $8.4 million salary. As a result, Miami may not include cash in a deal that involves Haren, which may be the defining issue.

If the Marlins want to trade Haren and receive some form of compensation that would ideally come in the form of a fourth outfielder, they would likely have to include some of the $10 million they received from Los Angeles. If Haren elects to retire, the Marlins' rotation will not necessarily be dramatically affected. But dealing him, even if it requires some form of financial compensation, might be beneficial moving forward.

2014 Padres Transactions

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The year 2014 saw many changes to the Padres roster. The team today looks vastly different from the team just one year ago, and it's likely to look even more different the closer we get to Opening Day, as AJ Preller and co. continue to work hard to give San Diego a winning baseball team. As we approach 2015 this New Year's Eve, let's look back at all the signings, trades, waiver claims, and releases the Padres made over the last year.

DateSigned/Re-signedTradedTraded toReceivedClaimed off waiversReleased
Jan 8Brooks Conrad
Jan 9Blaine Boyer
Jan 17Travis Buck
Jan 22Matt Andriese, Matt Lollis, Maxx Tissenbaum, Brad Boxberger, Logan ForsytheTampa Bay RaysJesse Hahn, Alex Torres
Jan 23Xavier Nady
Feb 6Josh Geer
Feb 7Tony Sipp
Feb 10Rob Johnson
Mar 7Alex Castellanos (Texas Rangers)
Mar 19Hector Ambriz
Mar 21Zach Braddock, Brandon Wood
Mar 25Jeff Francoeur
cashKansas City RoyalsAdam Moore
Apr 2Bobby LaFromboise (Seattle Mariners)
Apr 19Billy Buckner
Apr 22PTBNLAtlanta BravesTyler Greene
Apr 23Dan RobertsonTexas Rangerscash
Alberto Gonzalez
Apr 25Brian Bixler
May 1Tony Sipp
May 5Odrisamer Despaigne
May 11Xavier Nady (DFA, cleared wavers, elected for free agency)
May 15Kyle BlanksOakland AthleticsPTBNL (Ronald Herrera), Jake Goebbert
May 24Nick Hundley, cashBaltimore OriolesTroy Patton
Jun 18Chris Nelson
Jun 26Chris Smith
Irving Falu (Milwaukee Brewers)
Jul 17Irving Falu (DFA, claimed by Brewers)
Jul 19Trevor Gott, Huston StreetL.A. AngelsTaylor Lindsey, Elliot Morris, Jose Rondon, R.J. Alvarez
Jul 22Chase HeadleyNew York YankeesRafael De Paula, Yangervis Solarte
Jul 31Chris DenorfiaSeattle MarinersStephen Kohlscheen, Abraham Almonte
Aug 2Billy Buckner
Aug 21Hector Ambriz, Brooks Conrad
Aug 24Bobby LaFromboise (DFA, claimed by Pirates)
Sep 29Jeff Francoer (granted free agency), Chris Nelson (granted free agency)
Oct 1Troy Patton (granted free agency)
Oct 30Tim Stauffer (granted free agency)
Oct 31Josh Johnson (granted free agency)
Nov 3Adam Moore (granted free agency), Ryan Jackson (DFA claimed by Dodgers)
Nov 4Brian Bixler (granted free agency), Travis Buck (granted free agency), Alex Castellanos (granted free agency), Josh Geer (granted free agency), Tyler Greene (granted free agency), Jason Lane (granted free agency)
Nov 12Eric Stults (granted free agency), Donn Roach (DFA claimed by Cubs)
Nov 26Blaine Boyer (granted free agency)
Nov 27Jason Lane
Dec 2Everth Cabrera (granted free agency)
Dec 5Clint Barmes
Dec 15Brett Wallace
Dec 18Yasmani Grandal, Joe WielandL.A. DodgersTim Federowicz, Matt Kemp, cash
R.J. Alvarez, Jesse HahnOakland AthleticsSeth Streich, Derek Norris, cash
Dec 19Brandon Morrow
Max Fried, Dustin Peterson, Mallex Smith, Jace PetersonAtlanta BravesAaron Northcraft, Justin Upton
Jake Bauers, Rene Rivera, Burch Smith, Joe Ross, PTBNLTampa Bay Rays, Washington NationalsJose Castillo, Gerardo Reyes, Ryan Hanigan, Wil Myers
Ryan HaniganBoston Red SoxWill Middlebrooks
Dec 29Johnny BarbatoNew York YankeesShawn Kelley
Dec 30Seth SmithSeattle MarinersBrandon Maurer

Thursday Rockpile: Rockies open 2015 with new catcher, signing Nick Hundley to two-year deal

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The former Padres and Orioles backstop will be paid $6 million for two years behind the plate at Coors Field.

Nick Hundley agrees to 2-year deal with Colorado Rockies, report says - The Denver Post
Nick Groke has all the details on the Rockies' acquisition of Hundley, a seven-year MLB veteran who split his age 30 season in 2014 between San Diego and Baltimore, playing in 83 games, hitting .243/.273/.358 in 218 at bats with six home runs, 22 runs driven in and an OPS+ of 79. His busiest season came in 2013 with the Padres, when he got 373 at bats in 114 games, hitting .233/.290/.389, good for a 94 OPS+, to go with 13 home runs, a career-high.

Hundley will almost certainly be an improvement defensively from Wilin Rosario, who may or may not be with the club in 2015, but will almost certainly not match his offensive production. If he can match his 2013 production at the plate, the move would likely be a lateral one, if not a slight improvement, from a WAR perspective, but the Rockies' pitching staff could benefit from a more veteran presence behind the plate.

Rox hope rotation steps up to complement elite defense - Rockies.com
Thomas Harding counts down 10 key issues facing the Rockies in 2015, coming to the conclusion that the season will hinge on pitching and defense. Harding focuses especially on the starting rotation, which will look for another solid season from Jorge De La Rosa, a return to health for Jhoulys Chacin and improvements from Tyler Matzek and Jordan Lyles in 2015.

Happy New Year, Rowbots! May 2015 be better than 2014 for you, both on the field and off.

The late Joe Pittman was born this day in 1953

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Of the four former Friars born on New Year's day, Joe Pittman was the first. The first to be born, that is; Bob Owchinko pitched for the Padres a couple years before Pittman came over from the Astros in 1982, but was born two years after Pittman.

Joe Pittman passed away this past June, just three days before his former teammate Tony Gwynn. Although Pittman played in just 55 games with the Padres, he was present for Gwynn's first major league game. Pittman wasn't in the starting lineup, but he did pinch-hit for Tim Flannery in the seventh inning, flying out to left field.

Pittman spent the entirety of the 1983 season in Las Vegas with the Padres' AAA affiliate; after the season he was sent to San Francisco for Champ Summers. He split 1984 between the Giants and their AAA team in Phoenix, then spent all of his final pro season of 1985 with Detroit's AAA club in Nashville. In his three years in the majors he got into 139 games and went to the plate 312 times, putting together a slash line of .263/ .309/ .302; the latter total was aided by his grand total of zero home runs.

He's pictured above on his 1982 Topps Traded and 1983 Topps cards. His Traded card features some decent airbrushing; it's definitely better than most examples from the era. His 1983 card was his final Topps issue; he never made it onto cardboard as a Giant.

Bob Owchinko birthday cards: A lefty looks at 60

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As I mentioned earlier in Joe Pittman's birthday card post, Bob Owchinko was the first New Year's baby to play for the Padres although Pittman was born two years earlier. Pittman was a Padre in 1982 and was depicted with the team on baseball cards in 1982 and '83; Owchinko came along nearly six years earlier. He debuted with the Padres and pitched two games in 1976, then appeared in at least 30 games for the club each of the next three seasons. Owchinko was included in Topps' base set as a member of the Padres from 1978 through 1980; his '78 and '79 cards are pictured above because I don't have his 1980 release. For shame.

In general I like the 1978 Topps set a lot more than its successor, but as far as these two cards are concerned the 1979 issue is the undisputed champion. Between that uniform and the background, it's virtually perfect. I also like that the team-name banner is orange even though the Padres had yet to adopt that color.

I've heard people talk about what songs would be on their desert island mixtape; since I'm a card nerd I've wondered what cards would be in my desert island binder. I was going to say that Owchinko's 1979 Topps card would be a no-doubter, but then I realized I'd probably actually fill the binder with nothing but Joey Cora cards. Much in the same way the first three-quarters of my desert island mixtape would be all of Social Distortion's White Light, White Heat, White Trash album.

When I'm digressing from my digression, that's probably a good cue to wrap it up.

Happy birthday, guy!

Baseball America likes Nationals' return in Rangers, Padres/Rays trades this winter

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Baseball America writers John Manuel and Lacy Lusk both posted articles yesterday on the return Washington Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo received in the trades with the Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres this winter.

With Tanner Roark off to a strong start as part of the Washington Nationals' rotation this past May, Nats' General Manager Mike Rizzo talked in an MLB Network Radio interview about the deal that brought the Texas Rangers' 2008 25th Round pick into the organization.

In July of 2010, Rizzo sent veteran infielder Cristian Guzman to the Rangers in exchange for Roark and right-hander Ryan Tatusko.

Guzman played 15 games for the Rangers that season, in his last major league campaign. Tatusko worked his way up to Triple-A in the Nationals' system, but never broke through, and he finished the 2014 season in Korea.

"[Bostick is] an athletic player, runs well, has enough arm to play shortstop and a very versatile athlete that can play both shortstop and second base." -Nats' GM Mike Rizzo on infield prospect Chris Bostick

Roark, on the other hand, after 45 games and 36 starts in the majors, has been a sort-of-out-of-nowhere success story for Washington.

The 28-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.57 ERA, a 3.25 FIP, 50 walks (1.78 BB/9) and 178 Ks (6.35 K/9) in 252 ⅓ IP, and he spent all of last season in the Nats' rotation.

"Tanner Roark is an extremely good story for scouting and player development," Rizzo explained last May.

"Our professional scouts, Jay Robertson in particular, and our scouting department identified him in a trade that we made a while back. It was a low-level trade with Cristian Guzman and got ourselves two good arms that we really liked and player development has really allowed this kid to step to the next level."

The Rizzo-led Nationals made the second relatively "low-level" deal with the Rangers of his tenure this winter when they shipped left-hander Ross Detwiler to Texas in return for 21-year-old minor league infielder Chris Bostick and 22-year-old right-handed prospect Abel de Los Santos.

As the Nats' GM explained to reporters at NatsFest, they acquired two players they've scouted extensively.

"They were both seen on multiple occasions this year and throughout their careers," Rizzo said.

"Bostick is an offensive middle infielder. We feel that his power is on the come. He hit 11 HRs last year. He's an athletic player, runs well, has enough arm to play shortstop and a very versatile athlete that can play both shortstop and second base.

"[Abel] de Los Santos is a starter-made-reliever and since he's gone to the bullpen his velocity and stuff has spiked. Had a terrific year last year..." -Nats' GM Mike Rizzo on Abel de los Santos

"[Abel] de Los Santos is a starter-made-reliever and since he's gone to the bullpen his velocity and stuff has spiked. Had a terrific year last year and we think that he'll come really quickly."

Potomac Nationals' skipper Tripp Keister, who managed against both now-former Rangers' prospects in the Carolina League in 2014, told Baseball America's Lacy Lusk, as quoted in an article yesterday, that he was impressed with the return the Nationals received on Detwiler.

"[Bostick's] best tool is obviously his bat, but he’s really good defensively,'" Keister tells BA's writer. "'He killed us all summer, too. He played mostly second, but he’s definitely athletic enough to move all around the field.'"

As for de Los Santos, Keister says he has a "really big arm," a mid-to-high 90s fastball and he, "'... showed some flashes of a really good breaking ball.'"

"'I hated to see Ross go,'" Keister says, "'but it was a great job by our pro scouts to get who they got.'"

Mr. Lusk's colleague at Baseball America, John Manuel, was equally impressed with the return Rizzo and the Nats received in the three-team trade with the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays that sent Steven Souza and minor league lefty Trevor Ott to the Rays and brought Padres' prospects Trea Turner (SS) and Joe Ross (RHP) to the Nationals.

In ranking the prospects who changed organizations after the Winter Meetings and before the holidays, Manuel put Turner, a 21-year-old, 2014 1st Round pick who can't officially be traded until mid-June, at no.1 on the Top 10 list.

While noting that Turner does not have a big arm, which may have led some in San Diego to think he doesn't profile as a major league shortstop, Manuel writes that he and the Nationals, apparently, are, "all-in on Turner and his combination of wiry strength, savvy, explosive speed and off-the-charts makeup."

And getting Ross, 21, in the deal as well, "was a master stroke," according to Manuel, like getting, "Doug Fister for spare parts from Detroit," or, "Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps from the Twins," except, "This may be the best one."

Of course, Souza is ranked second on Manuel's list, but Souza was, at best, fourth on the depth chart in the outfield in D.C. and 25-going-on-26 with just 26 major league plate appearances on his resume.

Souza will likely get a chance to play every day with the Rays, and the Nationals added what they seem to think is a potential successor at short should Ian Desmond depart via free agency and a hard-throwing starter who enjoyed success at Double-A as a 21-year-old.

Nice work by Rizzo so far this winter... now about that second baseman?


Jeff Suppan's 2012 season in far too much detail

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Jeff Suppan turns 40 today, which was all it took for me to go back and relive his brief stint with the Padres. I swear I'm not a masochist, it just sort of happened. It starts with an innocent enough question ("That was 2012 that he was a Padre, right?"), then minutes later I have a half-dozen open tabs because I have far too much interest in the most mundane and inconsequential things. If I could care as much about things that matter as much as I'm engrossed by the last six games of Jeff Suppan's career, I'd probably be remotely successful. Or at very least I'd have clean towels.

But instead of doing laundry or bothering to go through all the effort of eating food, here I am poring over Jeff Suppan's last set of game logs, along with various Gaslamp Ball posts from his four months in the Padres organization. It's a sickness.

Suppan was over a year removed from his last major league action when Padres GM du jour Josh Byrnes signed him to a minor league deal on February 8, 2012. He had spent all of 2011 with the Royals' AAA affiliate in Omaha, and started the 2012 season back in AAA. He was hit early and hit often in two starts with the Tucson Padres, allowing nine earned runs in less than seven innings, but got the call up to San Diego on May 2 to fill in for an injured Cory Luebke. Well, the injured Cory Luebke. "An injured Cory Luebke" makes it sound like there were two or three injured Cory Luebkes, and Suppan was filling in for one of them.

His first start for the Friars was more than could have been expected, or even asked, of him. Suppan, who didn't reach four innings in either of his AAA starts, scattered four hits and two walks over five shutout innings on a somber day in San Diego. As impressive as his comeback game was, it took a backseat in the big picture as the city -- and the world -- was still reeling from the loss of Junior Seau. Even though the game weirded Dex out, he still ranked it number one game of the year up to that point.

jeff suppan cy young

Suppan's second outing was more of the same. As he did in his first game, he allowed four hits and two walks over five innings, but this time he permitted a run to score. He still picked up his second win as the Padres beat the Rockies 3-1, and Dex wasn't weirded out anymore.

That there was a really happy win.

Like it makes me happy to see Jeff Suppan go out there, all old as sh_t, and fill in for these fragile youngsters and dominate a hard hitting Rockies team.

After those two successful starts the Padres stuck with Suppan, then the smoke started to clear and the mirrors began to break. His third start wasn't what you'd call bad, but he was starting to look more human and actual trends were emerging. He gave up six hits over six innings and was charged with two of the three runs allowed on his watch. He struck out one batter, matching his tally from his previous game, giving him a grand total of four in his 16 innings of work. On the encouraging side, Suppan didn't allow a single free pass, let alone the two he gave up in each of his first two games. San Diego lost 3-2 to Cole Hamels and the Phillies, with Suppan picking up his first loss of the year, but Dex saw it as a moral victory and his logic behind that was unimpeachable.

Honestly, I've said it before, but Jeff Suppan was not supposed to be here. Regardless of how down on this team you may be, you were not expecting Jeff Suppan to be pitching games for us in May and yet here he is holding things down like a boss.

Would we have won this game with one of the other half a dozen options that were supposed to be here before Jeff Suppan?

Probably not. Maybe yes. But probably not.

There were no moral victories to be found in Suppan's fourth start. Despite jodes wishing him well before the game by way of modified Weezer lyrics, the old man did not get back to the good life. He gave up four runs (all earned) on six hits and five walks over five innings and, for the first time all season, he failed to strike out a single batter. The Angels were victorious, and Suppan's record went to 2-2. The only silver lining of this game was that although he pitched poorly, he looked good doing it. This was the day the club wore the 1978 throwbacks in which he is pictured up top, 812 unnecessary words ago.

The fifth and penultimate game of Suppan's season didn't go any better. This time he allowed five earned runs on eight base hits and four walks in 4.2 innings. A season-high in baserunners in a season-low amount of innings is never a good combination, so Suppan was awarded his third loss accordingly. He did manage to strike out one batter, bringing his total to five over 25.2 innings.

Despite his recent struggles, Suppan was afforded one more opportunity by the Padres, essentially for the lack of another warm body more adept at pitching. On Memorial Day, in the same game in which Carlos Quentin made his Padres debut, Suppan was knocked around one last time. In what proved to be Suppan's final pro game of any sort, the Cubs laid six earned runs on him in five innings. He didn't walk any batters but five of the six hits he allowed went for extra bases. Although his performance was the sort of thing that usually merits a capital-L next to someone's name in the paper, the Padres' offense had an oddly strong showing and bailed him out.

After that disastrous showing, Suppan's season stats reached their terminal. His ERA of 5.28 jibed with his FIP of 5.61. He had put up worse numbers in each category over much longer seasons, but the way he got to those numbers was more telling. Most glaringly on the surface, he walked nearly twice as many batters as he struck out (13-7). Perhaps more telling is the consistent decline in results from start to start. After pitching five shutout innings in his Padres debut, Suppan allowed more runs in each start than he had in the one before it. Observe:

Gm.RER
100
211
332
444
555
666

Part of me wishes they had let him go out there a seventh time just out of sheer morbid curiosity whether he'd allow seven or more runs but, alas, it was not to be. Suppan was designated for assignment a couple days later to make room for Yasmani Grandal's arrival, and Jason Marquis was summoned from San Antonio a few days after that to take Suppan's spot in the rotation. There are many parallels between the two, but I probably shouldn't get started because then I'll get carried away even more than I already have. I fully intended this post to be two short paragraphs, and look at where we are now.

The Yankees bullpen depth and where the relievers fit in.

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Without question, the Yankees are loaded with power relievers. Where and how do they all fit in?

Brian Cashman continued his retooling of the club by adding two more power relievers to the fold, after trading prospect Manny Banuelos to Atlanta in exchange for righty David Carpenter and power lefty Chasen Shreve. The bullpen has been widely viewed as a position of strength for the Yankees, at both the big league and upper minor league levels, and after making a few trades, the position is even stronger.

Yankees Bullpen

Brian Cashman has been busy reshaping the team this offseason and the bullpen has been no exception. While there is plenty of time left for moves to be made, as of this moment here is where things stand.

CL

Dellin Betances

SU

Andrew Miller

RP

David Carpenter

RP

Adam Warren

RP

Dan Burawa

LOOGY

Justin Wilson

Swing

Esmil Rogers

It appears that Dellin Betances and free agent signing Andrew Miller will be locking the eighth and ninth innings down, in one way or another this season. When Shawn Kelley was dealt to the Padres he alluded to a conversation with GM Brian Cashman stating that being traded was part of a bigger plan. At least part of that plan has come to fruition, as newly acquired David Carpenter will most likely slot into the seventh inning role vacated by Kelley himself.

Middle relief duties will likely be handled by Adam Warren with a very intense competition being held for the other spot among a cast of many candidates. If I had to place a bet, I would say that Danny Burawa has as good of a chance as any to win it in camp. Going into spring training, recent acquisition Justin Wilson will most likely have the leg up on recently acquired Chasen Streve and 2014 second round draft pick Jacob Lindgren for the lefty job. Rounding out the bullpen will be right-handed swingman Esmil Rogers, who was claimed by the Yankees from Toronto last season.

In the mix

Andrew Bailey: Re-signed to a minor league deal in November, the Yankees are hoping that the 30-year old Bailey can finally recover from shoulder surgery, which caused him numerous set-backs last season. Shoulder injuries to pitchers are always tough blows to overcome, but the upside is a pitcher that closed 75 games in Oakland from 2009-2011. If he's healthy in camp, expect him to get a long look for a roster spot.

Jacob Lindgren: Transitioning to professional baseball proved to be an easy one for the "Strikeout Factory," as he climbed all the way to Double-A Trenton in 2014 after being drafted in the second round of the draft. Lindgren struck out an absurd 48 batters in only 25 innings before fatigue set in late in the season. Currently on the fast track to the Bronx, he’s expected to get a look in spring training with an outside shot at breaking camp with the big club. The future is bright for this budding star; he will most likely begin the season with Triple-A affiliate Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

Danny Burawa: Recently added to the 40-man roster, the Yankees are hoping that the 25-year-old can finally command his outstanding stuff. Even in a year in which he struggled, Burawa still managed to hold opponents to a .258 average with 73 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. The front office hopes that everything will click in 2015, and if it does, Burawa will find himself in the Bronx at the end of spring training.

Branden Pinder: Like Burawa, Pinder was also protected from the Rule 5 Draft and to the 40-man roster this offseason. After being demoted in 2013, it looked like bad times were ahead for the 25-year-old. This year, Pinder held batters to a miserly .209 average while showing much better control (4.11 K/BB). He's someone to keep in mind for next year, but will likely start the season off in Triple-A Scranton instead.

Chase Whitley: After being called up and giving the Yankees seven decent starts, the former 15th round draft pick will find himself in the mix for a spot in Joe Girardi’s bullpen. His most likely fit will be as a long-man/spot-starter at the big league level in 2015, but with Esmil Rogers re-signing, the most probable scenario has him starting the season in Scranton.

Nick Rumbelow: Another impressive right-handed reliever in the stable is Nick Rumbelow. He was flat-out dominant after pitching to a 2.62 ERA to go along with 81 strikeouts in 58.1 innings of work across four levels in 2014. With Pinder and Burawa already on the 40-man roster, Rumbelow is a long shot to make the team out of spring training. Chances are that he heads back to the Triple-A bullpen, awaiting the opportunity to shine in the majors.

Chasen Shreve: Acquired from Atlanta in the Manny Banuelos trade, Shreve joins Jacob Lindgren and Tyler Webb as the top three relief lefties in the organization. At 24 years old, Shreve joined the Braves bullpen late in the season and struck out 15 and walked only three batters in 12.1 innings. He will get a long look in spring training, but the Yankees can afford to send him back to Triple-A for a time.

Jose Ramirez: Talent and stuff have never been a question with Jose Ramirez. Unfortunately, injuries continue to plague him and with other relievers rapidly rising through the system, time might be running out for the soon to be 25-year-old. He doesn't really have much of a shot to make the team out of spring training, so he'll head to Scranton to work on his control and hopefully shake the injury bug.

Other names to watch

Johnny Barbato: Barbato was acquired in the trade that sent Shawn Kelley to San Diego. Currently assigned to the Double-A Trenton roster, there is a possibility of him needing Tommy John surgery, as GM Brian Cashman has stated. Barbato’s ceiling is another live arm that could be a late-inning reliever.

James Pazos: Another fastball-slider reliever that the Yankees are high on is lefty James Pazos. As much as they like him, though, he currently sits behind the trio of left-handers in Lindgren, Shreve and Webb–a ranking that just reflects how much depth the team currently enjoys. He's destined to spend 2015, his age-24 season, in Triple-A.

Gonzalez Germen: The Yankees brought in Germen through a rare trade with the Mets this offseason, he struck out 31 batter while walking 14 over 30.1 innings in 2014. He will essentially occupy a similar position in the bullpen hierarchy that Preston Claiborne once did and will start the season in Scranton to wait for the eventual injury to strike.

The Yankees have positioned themselves well with young, cost controlled power relievers. It’s not only an abundance of arms, but an astounding quality as well. With the Royals garnering the attention for their big three in 2014, people forget that the Yankees championship teams had quality bullpens as well. With all the options they have, it would be surprising if they didn't use some of their depth to trade for something of great need. One thing is for sure, spring training is going to be exciting.

Tito Fuentes turns 71 today, is probably still cooler than you

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These are two of my favorite cards ever. I've been meaning for years to throw together a post about them, but me remembering to do stuff is basically a coin-flip. Today is Tito Fuentes' seventy-first birthday, so that was all the reminder I needed to dig around through a folder of unlabeled pictures since I knew I'd scanned them like a year or so ago one of the other times I meant to do this.

It's not like Tito Fuentes is one of my favorite players -- in fact, he played his final game four years before I was born -- but the two cards I have of him would be two of the last I'd part with if I had a gun to my head. I just really appreciate the fact that he had his own style back when individuality was discouraged even more than it is now.

He and his headbands are shown here on his 1976 and '77 Topps cards; these were his only licensed cards as a Friar since his tenure in San Diego lasted just two seasons, 1975 and '76. This wasn't just a passing phase for Tito, though. He's pictured wearing head bands on his Topps cards both before and after his time with the Padres, as a Giant on his 1974 card, and as a Tiger on his 1978 card.

2015 Hall of Fame Ballot: Craig Biggio

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Middle infielder with 3000+ hits, 250+ home runs, 350+ steals. No, not Derek Jeter.

Career Statistics: 12503 PA, .281/.363/.433, 291 HR, 414 SB, .352 wOBA, 115 wRC+, 65.1 fWAR (84th among position players all-time, 10th among second basemen)

Years Active: 1988 - 2007

Position: Second Baseman

Time on the Ballot: Third (74.8% of the vote in 2014)

The seventh entry in this series on members of the 2015 Hall of Fame Ballot looks at the seventh and final player who cleared the 75% threshold for induction on the  Pinstripe Alley mock ballot;Craig Biggio. Unlike several of the six who came before Biggio is also a virtual certainty to be named by 75% of the BBWAA voters and punch his ticket to Cooperstown in 2015, having fallen two agonising votes short in 2014.

"Short catchers are better because they don't have to stand up as far"

Yogi Berra, on Craig Biggio

Biggio was selected by the Houston Astros in the first round of the 1987 draft, as a catcher out of Seton Hall University. Despite being relatively undersized for the position, Biggio stuck at catcher during his quick ascent through the minor leagues, making his major league debut midway through the 1988 season. By 1989, his first full season, Biggio was a Silver Slugger with a 115 wRC+ and by 1991 he was a National League All Star having posted 3.5 fWAR. Craig Biggio played 428 of his 2,850 MLB games as a catcher, all but one before the end of the 1991 season.

Unusually quick for a catcher, Biggio swiped 75 bags over his first three full seasons. Houston started playing Biggio in the outfield part-time to save his legs, and heading into the 1992 season the Astros decided to move Biggio to second base full-time.  An infielder in high school, Biggio took to the switch comfortably as he played all 162 games, posted 3.9 fWAR and earned his second All-Star appearance; becoming the first and still only player to have made the All Star team at both catcher and second base.

In 1993, Biggio developed his power stroke as he set a then-career-high in home runs with 21. If his speed was unusual for a then-catcher, his power production was rare both among second basemen and leadoff hitters. He remains the NL record holder for home runs leading off a game, with 53. Biggio made five consecutive All-Star teams between 1994 and 1998, in in that spell four times posted a wRC+ figure of 144 or higher - he was regularly 40% better than the league average hitter, providing incredibly valuable production for the Astros from a position not usually known for offensive contribution.

1997 was Biggio's career year, posting a .309/.415/.501 slash line towards 148 wRC+ and excellent defense at second base that helped him tally 9.3 fWAR. Along with teammate and fellow member of the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot Jeff Bagwell, Biggio led the Astros to the postseason for the first time since losing the 1986 NLCS to the New York Mets. The 1997 Astros were swept by the Atlanta Braves of the Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz vintage, though. Houston made it back to the postseason in 1998 and 1999 but they lost in the NLDS to the eventual pennant winner each time; 1998 to the San Diego Padres and 1999 to the Braves again.

After playing in all but four of the 648 Astros games from 1996 to 1999, Biggio faced his first serious injury in 2000. Not from one of his modern-era record of 285 hits by pitch, but rather a hard slide into second base into the leg of Biggio as he was attempting to turn a double play left him with a torn ACL and MCL. The injury cut short his season in early August, but even before that Biggio was on pace to post the worst season of his career. He had fallen to league average offensively (101 wRC+) and tallied 1.5 fWAR in 101 games after seven straight seasons of at least 4.4 fWAR. Biggio made a full recovery heading into 2001 and played in 155 games for the NL Central champions, hitting 20 home runs and raising his wRC+ back to 116 and fWAR to 2.8. It was not quite peak Biggio but still good for the eighth best season for a second baseman in the MLB, and third best in the NL.

Biggio was moved to center field before the start of the 2003 season to make way for Jeff Kent, and again into left field during the 2004 season when the Astros traded for Carlos Beltran. Now well into his decline phase, Biggio was still a useful contributor on that 2004 Astros team that fell just shy of the World Series, losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. Biggio moved back to second base in 2005 once it was vacated by Kent's departure. With long-time fellow Astros stalwart Bagwell missing the bulk of the season with an arthritic shoulder, Biggio was part of a team that made it to the World Series on the back of pitching instead of it's Killer-B's. Still a key contributor though, Biggio hit a career-high 26 home runs in 2005 and posted an above average 106 wRC+ even if his defense at second base had declined.

As middle infielders who spent 20-year Hall of Fame caliber careers with a single team, the comparison between Craig Biggio and Derek Jeter is a natural one. Certainly the are strong statistical similarities between the two, Baseball Reference's similarity score calculator for Jeter shows Craig Biggio as the hitter whose career most matched Jeter. It's not hard to see why.

Biggio: 12503 PA, .281/.363/.433, 291 HR, 414 SB, .352 wOBA, 115 wRC+

Jeter: 12602 PA, .310/.377/.440, 260 HR, 358 SB, .360 wOBA, 119 wRC+

Biggio did not have Jeter's postseason success, of course. Very few players in the history of the game could claim to match Jeter's postseason legacy. Craig Biggio never did win a championship, though he was a pillar of an Astros team that brought postseason baseball back to Houston after over a decade, and he was a leader of the squad that went to the World Series for the first time in Astros history.

Jay Jaffe takes a look at Biggio's candidacy using his JAWS model and while Biggio ranks in below Bobby Grich and Lou Whitaker as second basemen who were not inducted, once his time at catcher and center field is accounted for he looks a deserving candidate. Among the members of the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot, Biggio is 13th both by bWAR and fWAR - the Fangraphs list sorted separately by batting and pitching wins. With each voter capped at ten candidates, there could be an argument for leaving Biggio off the ballot. Though only because of the archaic and arbitrary limit, which has already driven voters like Lynn Henning to boycott the process entirely when Henning would have otherwise turned in an excellent ballot.

Craig Biggio should be a Hall of Famer. He will be a Hall of Famer but his induction has already taken longer than needed, and votes cast for him are votes that cannot be used to carry another worthy candidate. The Hall of Fame voting process needs to be fixed.

Congratulations on a glittering career Craig Biggio.

Likely Cap if Elected: Houston Astros

Charlie Sheen is on a baseball card as a Padre now

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I was burning up time on Twitter, wasting oxygen decent people could have been making good use of, when I saw the worst Padres card I've seen in a while. I mean, this thing is even worse than that godawful "Why 3K?" card of Tony Gwynn, and just about as bad as Johnny Manziel's Bowman card.

Can we all agree that Charlie Sheen is a piece of sh_t? I am the last person who would criticize an addict for engaging in addict behavior, but his schtick goes beyond that. He seems to lack remorse or any actual human feelings, instead promoting a scumbag way of living as something glamorous or at least humorous, probably because he has never had to face any real consequences. That's what happens when you have a famous daddy, I guess.

But back to this crumb of human debris washing ashore on cardboard. I saw a tweet of the card with no description, so I had to Google around for a second. Turns out this card is part of 2014 Leaf Q, which comes out in four days. Yeah, a 2014 product debuting in 2015; I don't know, either.

It would have made much more sense for this card to come out in a 2013 set, since Sheen threw that first pitch on July 7, 2012, but I guess if you're putting Charlie Sheen on baseball cards, sense isn't your top priority.

Is Nationals' prospect Joe Ross the "hidden gem" in Nats, Rays and Padres deal?

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Washington Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo got involved in the Wil Myers talks with the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres and came away with what might be the Nats' shortstop of the future and a righty who projects as a possible no.2 or 3 starter.

While much of the focus on the Washington Nationals' return in the three-team trade with Tampa Bay and San Diego that brought prospect Joe Ross and a Player to Be Named Later to the Nats, has been on the PTBNL, who is "rumored" to be 2014 Padres' 1st Round pick Trea Turner, several analysts have written in the weeks since it went down that Ross might be the steal of the blockbuster, eleven-player deal.

"You've got a big, physical, 21-year-old pitcher who's pitched in Double-A successfully and that can really command three pitches..." -Mike Rizzo on Joe Ross to MASN's Pete Kerzel

Ranked 10th overall in the Padres' system heading into the 2014 season by Baseball America, Ross, 21, and a 2011 1st Round pick out of Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, CA, went (8-6) in 19 starts with San Diego's High-A affiliate this year, posting a 3.98 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 28 walks (2.48 BB/9) and 87 Ks (7.70 K/9) in 101 ⅔ IP and the 6'4'' right-hander was (2-0) in four games, three of them starts, at Double-A over which he put up a 3.60 ERA and a 2.67 FIP with one walk (0.45 BB/9) and 19 Ks (8.55 K/9) in 20 IP.

"You've got a big, physical, 21-year-old pitcher who's pitched in Double-A successfully and that can really command three pitches, and that we think is going to be a good performer for us in the near future,'" Nats' GM Mike Rizzo told reporters including MASN's Pete Kerzel after the deal.

The three pitches Rizzo refers to?

According to ESPN.com's Keith Law, who titled his article on the deal, "Nationals make out like bandits in trade," Ross, who benefited from a "slightly lower arm slot than he'd had before," in 2014, features a fastball he throws from "92-97 mph with good two-seam tail," an, " ... above-average to plus slider and average or better changeup."

Law says the brother of Padres' major leaguer Tyson Ross projects as a no.2 or no.3 starter down the road.

Getting both Turner and Ross from the Padres while sending Steven Souza and Travis Ott to the Rays in the deal, Baseball America's John Manuel wrote last week, "was a master stroke," by Rizzo, akin to getting, "Doug Fister for spare parts from Detroit, Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps from the Twins."

The latest deal, Manuel noted, "may be the best one."

Manuel ranked Ross fourth among the prospects traded between the Winter Meetings and holidays, behind only Turner, Souza and LHP Max Fried, who went from San Diego to Atlanta in the Justin Upton trade:

"Ross has athleticism, a big-time fastball and decent feel for how to mix four pitches. He’s 21, has reached Double-A and has big league bloodlines with his brother Tyson."

Former Nationals' GM Jim Bowden listed Ross second on a list of his "Five hidden gems in offseason trades," this afternoon, writing that the righty's 92-94 mph fastball has, "riding life and can touch 97," his slider is a "power breaking ball" and, "... once he improves his changeup and overall command, watch out."

As noted above, Ross made just four appearances at Double-A last season, so he's likely to start the season at Double-A Harrisburg in the Nationals' system.

A potential future no. 2/3 starter and a player in Trea Turner that could potentially be the Nats' shortstop of the future in return for Souza and 19-year-old left-hander Travis Ott? What will Rizzo do next?

Every Hall of Fame ballot should be public

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Words on the Internet that will surely effect social change

The Hall of Fame results will be released today at 11 AM, and we will wail and gnash our teeth and rend our garments and then (SPOILER!) Barry Bonds won't get close to Cooperstown. And I'm not saying this as a Giants fan who wants to mail a jar of black licorice to everyone who doesn't vote for him, but rather as a baseball fan who would like the Hall to remain an institution worth caring about: Every vote should be public.

You might think that there should be a secret ballot for the same reasons that we have a secret ballot in elections for political office. What if those poor sportswriters get persecuted for believing that Jack Morris was put on Earth by L Ron Hubbard himself to smite all those darned pitcher-win atheists? Well, then they'd deserve it. The people who have power should always be accountable to the people who don't, or else they will turn themselves into an insular, out-of-touch group whose peccadilloes and biases control processes in ways that no sane person would approve of. Sure hope that doesn't happen!

This is not to say that a writer who doesn't vote for Randy Johnson or throws a pity vote to Eddie Guardado should automatically lose his vote. But he or she should have to justify it. The Hall of Fame is the highest honor in baseball, and to vote for it is a privilege. Like any privilege, it can be abused. Not to get too radical here, but people who regularly abuse a privilege probably shouldn't have it anymore. I know, I know, I'm getting very Lennon here. You may say I'm a dreamer . . .

Here's my proposal for how it would work: when a writer submits a vote, the writer also submits a sentence (Or more, for example a column in some public medium) about every player worth considering on the ballot. So if you voted for Brian Giles but not Gary Sheffield you could say for Giles "Underrated and consistent all-around player" or "Compares well to Sam Rice and Ben Chapman" or "I'm Dave Winfield and Go Padres!" Then you could say for Sheffield "Not great enough for long enough" or "Bad clubhouse presence" or "Ballot's too overstuffed this year" and then you could look like an idiot because you voted for Brian Giles over Gary Sheffield and what the hell is wrong with you, Hypothetical Person? That was dumb.

These sentences and the voting record go on the BBWAA website to be preserved forever, and if anyone for whom you didn't write a sentence gets into the Hall at any point, you lose your vote. Simple! And well deserved.

Now, would this fix all the problems in HoF voting? Ahahahaha . . . no. But it's not designed to. The purpose here is to ensure that every voter puts at least the tiniest bit of thought and effort into filling out a ballot, and the public understands why people don't get in. If Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell fall short again, I want 200 writers to publicly admit it was because of vague steroid rumors. When 20 guys don't vote for Pedro Martinez, I want them to say it's because they're upholding the tradition of a group that took nine ballots to put Hank Greenberg in. When A..J. Pierzynski is on the ballot, I want the majority of writers to not even feel the need to write a sentence about him before he's off forever. I have a dream, you guys. I have a dream.

Would this make the voting better? Maybe a little. But would it make it more transparent, letting people know what kind of institution the Hall really is? Absolutely. And that's certainly worth doing.


Padres find no common cause for arm injuries

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A few days ago sdsuaztec4 tweeted asking if we knew that the Padres had commissioned a study to figure out why an inordinate number of the team's pitchers were being injured.  It was news to me.  I even started reading the FanGraphs article but must have breezed right by that paragraph or never made it that far.

Evaluating the Prospects: San Diego Padres | FanGraphs Baseball

Another big topic that came up on all my calls for this list was the recent history of Padres pitching prospects getting hurt. There have been somewhat recent Tommy John surgeries for Casey Kelly, Max Fried, Joe Wieland and Cory Luebke (twice) among the legitimate prospects, but the team has no explanation for why they’ve been hit harder than others. Padres execs detailed a study to me that was commissioned to answer this question and there were no common factors across the injuries and there didn’t appear to be problems with their throwing programs. It appears to just be rolling snake eyes a few more times than everyone else did, through random bad luck.

What's even more surprising is that we get to learn the results of the study even if no common cause was detected.  Usually these types of Padres studies, like the uniform dilemma, are closely guarded and the results never revealed.

Mike Piazza falls short of election to Hall of Fame again

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The former Mets catcher has once again been denied his place in Cooperstown.

Mike Piazza has once again fallen short of election to the Hall of Fame, according to voting results announced by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He received 69.9 percent of the vote, which means he failed to reach 75 percent necessary for election to the Hall of Fame this year. This was Piazza's third time on the ballot. He got 62.2 percent of the vote last year and 57.8 percent the year before.

A twelve-time All-Star and ten-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Piazza spent the bulk of his career with the Mets and Dodgers while also playing for the Marlins, Padres, and Athletics. In Los Angeles, he wont the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1993.

Shortly after the Marlins traded him to the Dodgers in 1998, Florida flipped him to the Mets. Once he got to New York, Piazza helped lead the Mets to consecutive postseason appearances in 1999 and 2000. In eight seasons as the Mets' primary catcher, he hit .296/.373/.542 with 220 home runs. He retired in 2007 after 16 seasons in the big leagues with a career .308/.377/.545 batting line and 427 home runs, the most ever for a catcher.

Press Conference Thread: Meet the new Padres!

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We're just half an hour away from finally being formally introduced to new Padres Wil Myers, Justin Upton, Will Middlebrooks, and Derek Norris. They're following a tough act, what with Matt Kemp making us all fall madly in love with him during his presser a few weeks back. So dig yourself out from under that mountain of email you got while you were on vacation, take your lunch break a little early, and check out the fresh meat with us. You can catch the press conference live on Padres.com. And here's a little Bingo card, just because I love you.

Josh Ishoo sightingCarlos QuentinBud Black has an AmericanoPreller makes a trade mid-press conferenceMiddlebrooks health questions
Preller's hair is crazyMyers for HamelsHitting in PetcoPaddleboardingNorris's beard reaches his mic
Upton extensionWho's on first

Hacksaw says something dumb

(FREE)

Breakfasttown"That's baseball"
Who's in the rotationSomeone buttons their jersey wrongPreller looks like he hasn't slept in a weekBud SeligBrown uniforms
"Rock Star GM"All-Star GameTechnical difficultiesMyers looks dreamySunny San Diego

Trevor Hoffman talks about his Hall of Fame chances

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Once the new class of Hall of Famers were introduced today, discussion naturally jumped ahead to next year's eligible players.  Padres legend, Trevor Hoffman, will be among those players voted on by baseball writers for the first time.  He's been spoken of as a "Future Hall of Famer" since his playing days.  Now with his eligibility so close it appears his chances of making it in have diminished.  People don't put as much value in the save statistic anymore, unless you're media darling Mariano Rivera.  Where once it was all but certain he'd take his place among the immortals now, not so much.  I'm nervous for him.

I asked Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn in 2011 about carrying the mantle of Future Hall of Famer for so long and what he thought about Trevor's chances at the time.  He said he thought it might be tough because he's a closer, but in his mind that there was no doubt that he belonged in the Hall.

It wasn't until today, when I went looking, that I realized I never posted Trevor Hoffman's response to Gwynn's words when I had a chance to interview him in 2013.  For the first time apparently, I bring you Hoffman's own thoughts on the subject.

Padres make Josh Johnson signing official, Jake Goebbert designated for assignment

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The Padres' re-signing of starting pitcher Josh Johnson is something we've all known about for a long time but as you know, it can sometimes take awhile to initial all the boxes and sign all the lines, especially when you throw a couple holidays in the middle. I'd say he dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's but he doesn't have any of those unless he signs his full name, Joshua Michael Johnson, and who includes their middle name in their signature? At any rate, Johnson is now officially back under contract with the Padres. It's a one-year deal which, as you probably heard last year, is chock-full of incentives.

To make room for Johnson on the 40-man roster, the club designated OF/1B Jake Goebbert for assignment. After being acquired from Oakland for Kyle Blanks last May 15, Goebbert put up strong numbers at AAA El Paso, but was less impressive in his 51 games with the big club. Used primarily as a pinch-hitter, Goebbert slashed .218/ .313/ .317 in 115 PA (101 AB). Oddly, three of his five extra-base hits were triples, bookended by a double and a homer. This was nothing more than an anomaly, as a glance at his minor league numbers bears out.

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