Although there was talk last week of some potential interest in former-Padres pitcher Oliver Perez returning to the club, San Diego is not pursuing the 32-year-old lefty.

Just about a week ago, as the Winter Meetings were kicking off, rumors began to surface regarding Oliver Perez. It seemed the San Diego Padres could have some interest in the lefty starter/reliever. They had a history, and the team could use some left-handed help still, so the notion made some sense. But Perez has long been an up and down player. That may be one of the many reasons the Padres are no longer interested.

Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune spoke with general manager Josh Byrnes after he returned from the Winter Meetings in Florida, and Byrnes confirmed the team is no longer pursuing Perez. Along with the uncertainty that comes with signing a pitcher like Perez, the Padres are simply running out of roster spots. They traded Anthony Bass for the Houston Astros' Rule 5 pick Patrick Schuster, and they must carry him on the 25-man roster throughout the season or they'll have to send him back to Houston.

Byrnes had originally been interested in Perez as a left-handed reliever. Obviously with the bullpen such a focus this offseason, the club had to consider all options, and Perez could have been a viable one. After the Seattle Mariners converted him to a full-time reliever, Perez seemed to settle into his role. In 2012, Perez posted a 2.12 ERA. This past season, he finished with a 3.74 ERA. Perez certainly could have been a serviceable reliever for San Diego, but the team appears to have its sights set a little higher per their interest inJoaquin Benoit.

Perez was originally signed by the Padres as an amateur free agent back in 1999. The team had high hopes for this left-handed starter. He made his Major League debut in 2002 at just 20 years old. That season, he went 4-5 with a 3.50 ERA. Unfortunately, that was the peak of his success with San Diego. Perez and Jason Bay were sent to the Pittsburgh Pirates in August of 2003 in a trade that brought the Padres Brian Giles. Overall, it wasn't a terrible deal. Giles had some success - if not, frustrating success - with the team. Perez never turned into the dominant pitcher many thought he'd be. Bay put up some impressive numbers early in his career, but injuries derailed him substantially.

With Perez no longer on the Padres' radar, the team will likely continue to focus on Benoit as well as some other minor moves. Byrnes continues to say the club is not done and they have interest elsewhere.

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The Twitter account @MLBCathedrals has been tweeting out some really cool pictures of old ballparks and obviously the ones in San Diego have caught my eye.

These pics of San Diego Stadium the year it opened are great.  It was built as a multi-purpose stadium but the Major League Padres team wouldn't play in it until two years later in 1969.  The Chargers had it all to themselves until 1968 when the minor league Padres team took up residence.  You can see them here practicing on the mound-less all turf field.  Since the AAA team didn't move in until 1968, I wonder if the date on the photo is correct.  Though I suppose they could have tested it out prior to 1968, which would explain the field's condition.

1967 San Diego Stadium via @MLBcathedrals#Padrespic.twitter.com/9brgmU2OUe

— Ever Rodriguez (@PadresSTH) November 18, 2013

Here's a shot from above of the Stadium in the same year for a Monday Night Football game.  Look at that sea of cars. Parking was probably just a few pennies at the time.

San Diego Stadium 1967 #mnf#boltuppic.twitter.com/CZGrvE5d

— Dan Berman (@DHBerman) October 16, 2012

This next picture of the dugout grabbed a lot of attention on the day it was tweeted.  I for one wasn't that surprised that the Padres dugout still existed.  It's pretty obvious that no one wants to put any money into Qualcomm stadium, so why would they do any demolition or clean up the trash when they could just leave it to decompose?

The view and the lighting remind me of when I "earned" a tour of the Murph by compiling Compadres points all season.  My roommate and I lived near the stadium at the time and we'd attend a lot of games.  Even when we didn't buy a ticket we'd drive thru and be allowed to enter for free after the 7th inning.  We'd catch the last 2 innings of the game and swipe our Compadres cards.

We also discovered a trick to multiply our points.  The Compadres kiosks were grouped in threes and if you swiped your card quickly through them all, then the points would be tabulated and added to your account before the 1997 computers could process that they were duplicates.  By the end of the season we had enough points to get a tour.  We thought it would be a private tour on a game day and we'd get to meet some players.  Instead it was after the season was over and the clubhouse was cleared out.  There were a few hundred people there and they still didn't even want to turn on the lights, so everything had this eerie look to it.  This picture captures the condition and the look of the stadium during the tour perfectly.  It sucked.

The Padres dugout at Qualcomm Stadium still exists, however, it is buried under seats added for the Chargers. pic.twitter.com/KqHgQYBS0R

— Ballpark History (@MLBcathedrals) November 18, 2013

This next picture is from Opening Day in 1995.  It was a game against the Astros on April 26th.  Notice the 9,000 bleacher seats under the scoreboard that were added since the 1967 picture.  You may also notice that the American Flag is at half staff.  There was a discussion about it on Twitter and it was agreed that it was because of the Oklahoma City Bombing the week prior.  You can see it wasn't a sellout,  the max capacity at the time was 47,750.  The recorded attendance was just shy of 42,000.

Before the seats were added and the stadium was enclosed I used to love to sit in the upper deck and get a view of Mission Valley and University Heights.  It's too bad the NFL pressured the Chargers into doing it.

Nice pre-game shot of @Padres former home, Jack Murphy Stadium (now Qualcomm) before the stands were enclosed. pic.twitter.com/3aoL4kTR0V

— MLBcathedrals (@MLBcathedrals) December 11, 2013

This last picture is of Petco Park as they were laying the foundation.  Oh, how things have changed.  It was taken in the year 2000, no doubt using an early Instagram filter.

Laying the foundation of Petco Park in San Diego. 2000. #Padrespic.twitter.com/jOZR5lKanu

— MLBcathedrals (@MLBcathedrals) December 15, 2013

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As shocking as it may be (and by shocking, I mean predictable), Chase Headley is predicted to be the best player on the San Diego Padres roster.

Every year, Dan Szymborski of Baseball Think Factory projects Major League teams' success (or failure) for the following season.  The projections are based on computer simulations and past statistics coupled with overall league stats.  He has now been releasing his ZiPS projections on Fangraphs for two years, and you can find the San Diego Padres' projections in their entirety here. Of particular note is the projected WAR leader - Chase Headley.

While the 2013 season was supposed to be his follow-up on his way to super stardom, Headley struggled through injuries and a disappointing season that saw San Diego unexpectedly retaining the 29-year old third baseman into his final arbitration-eligible season.  There is a good possibility that Headley is still traded in the upcoming season, and if the ZiPS projection is any indication, the Padres may be able to get a decent haul.  However, there is still hope for a long-term deal.  Based on Headley's track record and the lack of productive third basemen in the league, San Diego may be willing to open their checkbooks.

According to the ZiPS projection, Headley will get 595 plate appearances, hit 16 home runs, and drive in 69 runs.  These are all conservative estimates likely a result of his poor 2013 season.  However, based on his career numbers, these aren't terribly unlikely.  The question everyone has to ask themselves is whether Headley is the 2012 version of himself or the light-hitting, but productive third baseman he had been the rest of his career.  ZiPS sees it as the latter. Headley is projected to lead the team with 3.9 WAR which is exactly what Chris Denorfia led the team with last season.

Of other interesting notes from the ZiPS projections, the Padres' pitching staff looks like it could be pretty good.  Of the projected starters, Cory Luebke is projected to have the lowest ERA at 3.15.  Of course, he is not likely to get many innings as he returns from injury.  ZiPS projects just 71 1/3 innings in 2014.  Ian Kennedy, on the other hand, should be the team's workhorse.  He is projected to finish with over 190 innings and a 3.49 ERA.  Overall, there is not a single Padres starter (of the main five) projected to have an ERA over 3.66.

Now on to the disclaimers.  Projections are just that.  Don't go selling offf all your things so that you can afford those Padres World Series tickets that are likely to come.  However, I tend to buy into the ZiPS projections more than others.  Given San Diego's track record, I do not see any projection on the list that stick out as completely absurd.

What do you think, oh faithful friar backer?

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I don't know the answers to these questions, but I definitely wanted to take a shot at Jack Morris.

John Shea posted an article this past weekend about Bruce Bochy's Hall of Fame chances. It's a nice piece discussing his managerial career with some choice quotes from industry vets such as Jack McKeon, who believes Bochy can manage well into his eighties. Shea also shows his skill as a professional writer by using "Which invites the question" over the lazily inserted *and* incorrect "begs the question" that most writers -- myself hella included -- do a lot.

Oh, but back to the article. It's also a helluva "What If?" thought-provoker, too. WHAT IF BRUCE BOCHY HAS BEEN A HALL OF FAMER MANAGER THE WHOLE TIME?

uproxx.com

I mean... yeah, Keanu. I know, bro. I'm right there with you. My mind is blown. My synapses have been sy-napped in two. Did you ever think... *could* you ever think that Bruce Bochy, the dude who used to manage the grody old boring San Diego Padres, might wind up in the Hall of Fame someday? *Major League Baseball*'s Hall of Fame? How did we get here? Where's our Bruce Bochy Commission?

The Double Switcher in Chief has won exactly as many games as a manager as he's lost (1530-1530, excluding postseason record), but he's also been at the helm of two world championships. He's skulled his way into our hearts with some savvy strategy --

And even some memorable images --

These barely scratch the surface, though. And yet, for every positive memory there's playing time for walking dead Aubrey Huff, Aaron Rowand leading off, Brandon Belt benchings, a pitching change a batter too late, and the Vinny Castilla quote. So, it's a bit of a mix and depending on how you weight good vs. bad it's entirely possible that for most of you or even most of us (depending on my mood), Bruce Bochy might not be better than a mediocre manager and the notion that he might be an all-timer a hilarious farce on par with Joel Sherman not using all 10 slots in his Hall of Fame voting (starts at 3:22).

But I wouldn't dismiss the notion so easily, and not solely because of the record and championships. Our proximity to the team definitely lets us take in the view of his many warts, but we also get a clear view of his many strengths. If someone held a gun to your head and forced you to accept that Bruce Bochy is a Hall of Fame manager, you'd have to rationalize it with the thought that no manager is perfect.

Barry Zito sucked long and hard for the 2010 team (lol well not just that season tho amirite bros?) and yet Bruce Bochy didn't run his standard veteran.exe program that could've hobbled the team in the postseason. He made a decision for the good of the team. How much of that was motivated by the sense of trust that existed in the clubhouse? I cannot recall a player ever badmouthing ol' Bochy (maybe Phil Nevin?) and I cannot recall any public image change of him that went either wholly in his favor or wholly against him. He has been solidly boring and "unremarkable" his entire managerial career. But he keeps working, keeps motivating players... whole teams oftentimes comprised of hilariously awful talent... and generally not rocking the boat wherever he is. The industry respects him. He's entertaining in a lot of interviews, despite his robotic voice. The scene where he tells Brandon Belt he made the major leagues was perfectly Bochy and perfectly *not* Hollywood. He could be a savant in terms of working the press, but that's such a cynical view I have to laugh at myself for even suggesting it, even jokingly. No, it's pretty clear that Bruce Bochy's public persona is genuine.

I'm not sure what a Hall of Fame manager *should* look like. I know that results should probably count more than process. For example, I don't really care how Willie Mays came to be so amazing, I simply enjoy that he was so very amazing. Process is a problem for the present and the future, but a hall of fame -- and, quite literally, fame itself -- is all about the past. And, of course, it's not like Shea's pitching Bochy as a HoFer *right now*, but soon. I think the Giants and Bochy have the potential for some success over the next three seasons (the term of Bochy's extension) that will effectively pad his candidacy. That doesn't feel outlandish or wishcastingesque to me.

So if we remove the anxiety of future lineup consternation and pitching change Machinations from our minds and simply focus on the past, then I think we can feel pretty good about the idea that Bruce Bochy is a Hall of Fame manager. He's put in the time, he's produced the results, he's a good guy, he's not controversial. He's Bruce Bochy, Hall of Fame Baseball Manager.

Of the several-hundred cards I have of Joey Cora, this is the only one that refers to him as Jose instead of Joey. Although that is his given name, he had been going by Joey since at least back in his college days at Vanderbilt. My guess is that whoever was in charge of making this set for Bohemian Hearth Bread just saw his full name on a roster and ran with it.

...which brings me to the second elephant in the room. Bohemian Hearth Bread? Why, I never! Before I got this card I had never heard of Bohemian Hearth Bread or any baseball cards bearing their name. It turns out the makers of Bohemian Hearth Bread, the now-defunct Fornaca Family Bakery, issued only this set. The cards in the set of 22 are not numbered, but each player's number is noted on the front. Therefor, Eric Show's card is referred to as card number 30 despite there only being 22 cards.  While my interest in this set is mostly limited to accruing more copies of this Joey Jose Cora card, I have to say I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a copy of card number 19.

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The San Diego Padres are among multiple teams who have begun talks with free agent Trayvon Robinson.

As the San Diego Padres continue to add the smaller pieces to help compliment some of the bigger deals they've made and will likely make, the team has entered into discussions with free-agent outfielder Trayvon Robinson. Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish says a source has confirmed the Padres are among many teams interested and talking to Robinson. Cotillo did not mention the other teams showing interest.

Robinson is an interesting player. He was drafted in the 10th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was never a highly-touted prospect, but he made it through Los Angeles' minor league system relatively quickly before being traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2011. Robinson made his Major League debut with the Mariners in 2011. He hit .210/.250/.336 that season. Robinson found himself splitting time between the minors and the Majors in 2012. With the Mariners, he hit .221/.294/.324 in 46 games. In November of 2012, Seattle shipped Robinson off to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Robert Andino.

With the Orioles, Robinson never cracked the Major League club. He spent the 2013 season with both the Double-A affiliate and the Triple-A affiliate for the Orioles. In 107 minor league games last year, Robinson hit .247/.329/.394. The Orioles were clearly unimpressed. They granted Robinson free agency this offseason.

As far as San Diego is concerned, Robinson is interesting for one reason: Potential. San Diego has been building a club on the foundation of potential. They just need a few of the potential-filled players to break out for the team to have an impressive season. Robinson fits the mold that we've seen with guys like Cameron Maybin, Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal and more. It should not take much to get Robinson, but he may be specifically looking for a Major League deal. If there are other teams showing interest, such a deal may be possible, but it's still unlikely.

Robinson seems destined for a minor league contract with an invite to the Major League camp at spring training. He's just 26 years old, so there's time for him to figure things out at the plate. What Robinson has that may be of specific interest to the Padres is speed. His defense still needs work, but Robinson has shown an ability to steal bases in the past. That could be attractive to a team that certainly doesn't have a problem swiping a bag.

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Ten players have won at least one Rawlings Gold Glove Award as a member of the San Diego Padres. How many can you name in two minutes?

Every position on the diamond except for second base is represented at least once; unfortunately, Roberto Alomar didn't start winning Gold Gloves until he was in Toronto. There are a pair of third basemen and a quartet of outfielders; I considered listing the year(s) that each player won the award, but thought that would make it too easy.

As always, be sure to log your results in the poll and use the spoiler bar feature where applicable in your comments.

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The Yankees are going to have a hard time replacing Robinson Cano, whether they look internally or externally. They have passed on Omar Infante and Mark Ellis, and now signed Brian Roberts, but that doesn't mean they're done looking. They could look into a trade if they want to find someone to play over Kelly Johnson and Roberts. Brandon Phillips, Dan Uggla, Rickie Weeks, Darwin Barney, and Howie Kendrick are all trade options Brian Cashman could pursue. Everyone but Kendrick is likely to be thrown at the Yankees if they really want them.

The Yankees no longer see Eduardo Nunez as an option to fill in at second base, or any position, for more than just an emergency. After talking to a source, Sherman says "they wonder about his toughness/fragility after his slow healing in 2013, and likely are not anxious to have him learn a position in which his back will be to the runner on double-play pivots." That sounds like the kiss of death for Nunez's Yankee career. They needed him in 2013, but he disappointed again and now it looks like they're moving on to avoid having to rely on him.

Joel Sherman believes that fans will be seeing a lot of the recently acquired Dean Anna. The 27-year-old utility infielder has never seen time in the majors, but has played second base, third base, shortstop, and the corner outfields. The left-handed hitter has a .286/.386/.428 batting line over six seasons in the Padres' system and hit .331/.410/.482 with nine home runs in his first go at Triple-A.

They reportedly don't like Emilio Bonifacio, who the Royals might see as expendable now that they have Infante. He's a switch-hitter who could give the Yankees another speedster on the base paths. He also "plays" almost every position in the field, though none of them well. They have no interest in Jeff Keppinger, who they tried to sign last offseason. He is still owed $8.5 million over the next two seasons and just had shoulder surgery, so it makes sense to stay away from him.

Whoever ends up being the starting second baseman, Eduardo Nunez might still sneak onto the Opening Day roster. Even if he doesn't, the signing of Roberts isn't going to do anything to help keep Nunez out.

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I'm not sure how I missed this tweet from a few days before Halloween:

@bomani_jones can a kid dressed up as his favorite athlete go black face? Tony Gwynn 1989 pic.twitter.com/gAZOfMbzjV

— david podgurski (@thatpfunk) October 27, 2013

NOTE: David, the San Diegan who tweeted the picture, is not, nor is he related to the kid in the picture.

Bomani Jones is an ESPN2 radio host from Florida.  I'm not familiar with his work.  Without digging through his timeline history it's probably safe to assume he was rightfully offended that some people are ignorant of the evils of blackface.  The topic probably arose because around Halloween of this year Dancing With the Stars pro, Julianne Hough, made news when she dressed as a character from Orange is the New Black by darkening her skin.  It wasn't quite full on blackface, but still it was cringe inducing.  It was very controversial as you can imagine, and although admitting that she did it out of ignorance she said it was done out of love for the character and the series.

The picture of the kid dressed as Tony Gwynn?  Well yeah, that's blackface.  Without knowing the kid pictured but being roughly the same age, I can almost promise you that he dressed as Gwynn purely out of unadulterated admiration.  If he was anything like the kids I went to school with then he idolized Tony Gwynn.  My standard saying is that "If you grew up in San Diego in the 1980's and your favorite player wasn't Tony Gwynn then you were just trying to be different."

I remember going to a Halloween party as a kid in the mid-80s where an adult was dressed in blackface as Aunt Jemima.  I didn't know it was wrong, probably anymore than the kid pictured did.  I'm also pretty sure that costumed adult didn't do it with malicious intent, but would surely be mortified if presented with the picture today.

@bomani_jones whoa, not my kid! Blame the parents, but the kid is doing it purely out of love.

— david podgurski (@thatpfunk) October 27, 2013

So can a kid in dress as his favorite athlete go blackface?  Apparently, yes.  Should they?   No, please no. Well not by today's standards certainly. There was a time however where this was quite common in the entertainment in the last couple centuries.  It's hard to believe that society didn't always frown on this type of thing. Remember a major studio released the movie Soul Man in 1986, it was a different time.

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I sent this heartwarming story to Jonny the other day because he loves cats and the Padres.  Unfortunately the story starts with an act of human cruelty. A Padres fan found a cat duct taped to a box outside of Petco Park with a broken leg, towards the end of the season.

Gwynn | Saving Pets One at a TIme | Animal Rescue | Oceanside, CA

This is Gwynn, named after ex-Padre Tony Gwynn. She is a beautiful 4 month old kitten that was found by a Good Samaritan at Petco Park after a Padre’s game last week. When he found her, poor little Gwynn was taped inside of a box! Thankfully, our Good Samaritan rescued her, brought her to the shelter and began advertising for help on Craigslist. Love Your Ferals saw the Craigslist ad and reached out to SPOT.

I love that they named the cat after Tony Gwynn.  I wish I had been following the story as it happened, maybe we could have sponsored a portion of the cat's recovery.

Fortunately the good folks of SPOT were there to help Gwynn recuperate with the help of a foster mother named Karen.  They gave updates every few days.  In September she had a rough go of it.  The people of SPOT had her leg set and put in a cast and did their best to manage the pain.

About midway through the updates we find that after the cast was removed that Gwynn's leg didn't heal properly and the doctors were forced to amputate.

We have very sad news about Gwynn. A few days ago, Gwynn’s doctor said the bones did not heal correctly. The foster has been reporting to her doctor the pain was not getting better and Gwynn was not using her leg and when she moved the wrong way she would scream meow in pain.

The decision was made to amputate.. this was not a decision made lightly. Her bones did not grow together as the doctor wanted. SPOT has had the best medical care for Gwynn and provided a safe, loving caring foster home. if she kept her leg she was looking at a life of pain ahead of her.

The surgery was a success and not soon after Gwynn found a new permanent home with an adopted father.

Tom has been following Gwynn’s updates from the very beginning and said he fell in love with her and knew he wanted to give her the loving, caring home she deserves after such a rough start. Gwynn now has two female cats, seven years old to play with.

I'm not even a big cat person, but I feel all gooey inside.  Click the link at the top of the page for all the updates and pictures of Gwynn the cat.

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...for a series. The Padres will appease the masses in late May. Better than nothing, right?

As long as I have been a Padres fan, the team has been wearing some form of blue.  Blue and orange.  Blue and white.  Blue and sand.*  I became a Padres fan in the mid-90's, so I was not privy to the beauty of the brown.  In fact, I always hated the brown as a kid.  But, I love it now.  I want the team to stand out, to be unique.  I want them to Bring Back the Brown.  And they are!  But only for a series.

*By the way, sand is not a color.  Sand is what we find on San Diego beaches.  You don't go to the beach and say "what colors is that sand?" only to have someone respond, "uh, sand."

#Padres' .@PadresMikeDee confirms Brown is coming back ... for a series. 1984 brown and white tops for Cubs series May 22-25.

— Jeff Sanders (@JeffSanders_UT) December 18, 2013

So, break out your old 80's brown and get to the park May 22-25.  This is yet another audition oh supporters of the brown.  Wear it proud, wear it in force!

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Matt Thorton signed with the New York Yankees yesterday, but the San Diego Padres were one of the many teams interested. Imagine the world if Thorton was a Padre.

Honestly, it wouldn't have been a bad pick-up. Of course, the San Diego Padres are starting to get a little heavy on pitching (assuming they landJoaquin Benoit), so signing Matt Thorton may have come as a surprise. Instead, he signed with the New York Yankees. San Diego was very much in on Thorton says Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish, and considering Josh Byrnes' fascination with the bullpen this offseason, it's surprising they didn't land him. Then again, when there are so many balls up in the air, it's hard to tell which one will be caught.

Thorton signed a two-year, $7 million deal with the Yankees. A multi-year deal might be surprising for a 37-year-old reliever, but Thorton has been successful for most of his career. In fact, he has only had three seasons in which his ERA was higher than 4.00. Last season, Thorton split time between the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. He finished the year with a 3.74 ERA. In 10 Major League seasons, the lefty has a 3.53 ERA.

So, what if San Diego landed him? What would that mean for a player like Patrick Schuster? What would that mean for the team's pursuit of Benoit? Without the context behind WHEN the Padres were interested in Thorton it's difficult to understand the plan. It's very possible that the Padres had begun their pursuit of Thorton before they landed Schuster. That would make a bit more sense. At the time, they were still in need of a left-handed specialist. Thorton certainly fits that LOOGY role. However, after picking up Schuster in a trade with the Houston Astros for Anthony Bass, the need for someone like Thorton drastically declined.

The pursuit of Thorton likely had and would not have had (if they got him) any effect on the club's interest in Benoit. Benoit will be used as a set-up man to Huston Street if the Padres sign him. He's not a specialist outside of that set-up or closer role. Signing Thorton would only have strengthened the bullpen behind guys like Benoit and Street.*

*It's funny, I've talked about Benoit so much recently that it feels like he's already on the team. At this point, I'm going to be pretty disappointed if the Pads don't sign him!

Had San Diego picked up Thorton before they traded Bass for Schuster, would the team be in a better position? Financially, it would have cost them more than I can imagine they'd be willing to give up. A LOOGY at $3.5 million is an expensive investment. Schuster comes at league minimum, but he also cost the Padres a potential starter. Quite honestly, San Diego is probably better served spending $3.5 million in house or on a position player or pitcher who is not a specialist.

One of the more interesting things to come out of this news, to me, is how active San Diego actually has been this offseason. A lot of the deals did not come through, but that's the way it works. It's impressive that the Padres' brass has been able to keep much of their negotiations under wraps for so long with the sheer number of leaks these days (and believe me, I love leaks. I need leaks!). There will surely be more to come from San Diego this winter. Could be the Benoit deal, could be something else. But just don't think San Diego isn't doing anything.

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and Mark Mulder wants to be the next Scott Kazmir

• The Indians signed veteran catcher Matt Treanor to a minor league deal. He's the one married to that Misty May (pictured with him).
• The Marinersare going to re-sign Franklin Gutierrez. If he can stay healthy, I'd have preferred him to Stubbs.
• The Cubs signed Jose Veras away from the Tigers. It appears he may close for them.
• If somebody's gonna give him a shot, why not us...
  

  Former #indians and #phillies prospect Jason Knapp trying to make a comeback at 23. Key to Cliff Lee trade in 2009.

  — Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 17, 2013

• Everybody laugh with me...
  

  Giants checked in on Mark Mulder but he was looking for more than they could offer, was hoping for a Major League contract.

  — Alex Pavlovic (@AlexPavlovic) December 17, 2013

• This seems like a pretty reasonable contract:
  

  As @MASNRoch first reported, Grant Balfour is headed to the #Orioles on a 2-year, $15MM deal: http://t.co/04yz3WdlYN

  — Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 18, 2013

• The Mariners and Charlie Furbush avoided arbitration.

• And this one's for you, Brick:

what if the Padres were just like "nah" and folded tonight and all the players retired and they sold the stadium to the grocery store

— Jeff Sullivan (@based_ball) December 18, 2013

The right-hander could help bolster an already-strong relief staff in San Diego.

Contract negotiations between the San Diego Padres and free agent reliever Joaquin Benoit are "heating up", reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.

The Padres emerged as favorites for the former Tigers' closer last week. At first, they were competing with the Indians over Benoit, but after Cleveland signed John Axford they appear likely to be out of the running for another pricy bullpen option. San Diego reportedly had a deal on the table worth $14 million over two years, with an option for a third year.

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The Friars have been looking to bolster their bullpen this offseason as they hope to acquire one left-handed and one right-handed late-innings arm. Strengthening their relief corps could give the Padres one of the most feared bullpens in baseball. They were already in the top-10 in reliever ERA in 2013 as players like Luke Gregerson, Dale Thayer and Joe Thatcher all had big years in set-up roles.

Closer Huston Street was also as good as ever, posting a 2.70 ERA and collecting 33 saves, his most since 2009. Given Street's presence on the roster -- for $7 million next season -- Benoit would slot into an eighth inning role for the Padres. That could be the reason a deal is taking so long; Benoit might be looking for a closing opportunity first.

Benoit, 36, received his first real chance to close in 2013 as he was a rare bright spot in the Tigers' bullpen. He would up saving 24 games with a 2.01 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Since returning from rotator cuff surgery that cost him all of the 2009 season, he has not once failed to toss at least 60 innings. In the four years since the procedure, he has a 2.53 ERA and has struck out over ten batters per nine innings.

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As the San Diego Padres look to add more pieces for the 2014 season, they may use some of their depth to acquire the guys they want. That includes players like Kyle Blanks and Jesus Guzman.

Many of us in the San Diego Padres community feel Kyle Blanks never got a fair shake. Whether it was because of injury or lack of playing time, Blanks was moved around the field, split time between the Majors and minors, and never could cash in on his potential. Now, he may be on his way out. Along with Jesus Guzman, the Padres appear willing to move some of their depth in order to build a better roster now.

Corey Brock of MLB.com says San Diego is still "in" on Joaquin Benoit, but the team also has other options on the trade market. In fact, general manager Josh Byrnes said the moves outside of Benoit would likely be trades as opposed to free agent signings. To make some of those trades happen, the Padres are willing to trade players who are on the fringes of the 25-man roster. Here's what Brock had to say:

Byrnes also talked about "shuffling out depth," which could mean the team could part with players who are projected to be on the 25-man roster or on the bubble of making the Opening Day roster.

That could mean that players like outfielder/first baseman Kyle Blanks and Jesus Guzman could be trade chips -- either on a singular basis or part of a larger deal.

That being said, it does not look like San Diego has any impending deals that would include either Blanks or Guzman. But the willingness to deal these players should not come as a shock. At this point, trade rumors accompany Blanks every winter, and sometimes they follow him in-season. As for Guzman, his one big half-year led many to think he could be a potential trade chip. He still is, but his value probably isn't terribly high.

Blanks is 27 years old and has played in parts of five Major League seasons. Despite the tenure, year wise, Blanks has only accumulated 796 plate appearances. The lack of consistent playing time has made him a difficult player to evaluate. He played the most games of his career in 2013 (88) and hit just .245/.305/.379, but the 10 home run, .868 OPS season of 2009 still lingers, giving us all hope for something great. Perhaps that hope can be parsed into a decent trade package.

Guzman is 29 years old, but until he was traded to San Diego, he had been a career minor leaguer. Guzman has played in parts of 4 Major League seasons, but he has played in parts of 8 minor league seasons. Last year, Guzman also set a career-high in games-played. He saw action in 126 games and hit .226/.297/.378 with nine home runs. Much of the excitement surrounding Guzman has worn off after he put up impressive second-half numbers with San Diego in 2011. That year, he hit .312/.369/.378 in just 76 games.

The fact is, neither of these players will be the future of the franchise. They provide important levels of depth, but at some point San Diego will need to rely more on primary player contribution than the hope of having enough depth. Last year proved the importance of depth, but can the team be successful simply relying on that depth? Probably not. If a trade comes across Byrnes' desk and it involves Blanks or Guzman or both, the GM has already indicated it would have to be for a difference-making player. Should that difference-maker come around, Blanks and Guzman would be a small loss...

Right?

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Benoit will slot into a set-up role for Padres closer Huston Street, strengthening an already good San Diego bullpen.

After at least a week of negotiations, the Padres have officially inked former Tigers closer Joaquin Benoit to a deal, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. The deal will be worth around $15 million over two years, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

Earlier in the week, it had been reported that the Padres had an offer on the table worth around $14 million for two years, with an option for a third season. The Indians had also been interested in Benoit, but signed John Axford to a deal earlier in the week.

The Padres have been looking to bolster their bullpen this offseason as they hoped to acquire one left-handed and one right-handed late-innings arm. Benoit certainly fills the right-handed criteria.

Now 36, Benoit received his first real chance to close in 2013 as he was a rare bright spot in the Tigers' bullpen. He would up saving 24 games with a 2.01 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Since returning from rotator cuff surgery that cost him all of the 2009 season, he has not once failed to toss at least 60 innings. In the four years since the procedure, he has a 2.53 ERA and has struck out over ten batters per nine innings.

Strengthening their relief corps with Benoit could give the Padres one of the most feared bullpens in baseball next season. They were already in the top-10 in reliever ERA in 2013 as players like Luke Gregerson, Dale Thayer and Joe Thatcher all had big years in set-up roles. Gregerson is no longer with the team, having been traded to the Athletics, but the others remain.

Benoit won't have the opportunity to close out games with San Diego. That role will remain with Huston Street, who posted a 2.70 ERA and saved 33 games in 2013 and has looked very good since joining the Padres in 2012.

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The recent acquisition of the former Tigers closer has given the 'pen a lift.

When I say that the Padres upgraded their bullpen with Joaquin Benoit, I don't mean that they did so with just that signing. I mean that even if you take into account that they traded away Luke Gregerson, the bullpen is in better shape for 2014 than it was in 2013. Benoit is also signed for 2015 as well, whereas Gregerson was not. So the bullpen is in better shape for 2015.

You can get into the nitty gritty of each and every statistic where Gregerson and Benoit differ, and there certainly are pros and cons to each pitcher, but in overall value Benoit has the edge. Gregerson has been throwing from a major league 'pen since 2009 and has had 1 such season: that 2009 one. Last year his performance was worth 1.0 fWAR. Since converting full time to relief work in 2006, Benoit has had 5 seasons of 1.3 fWAR or more. Last year his performance was worth 1.6. He has had a couple blips where his performance has dipped. One was in 2008, which preceded needing Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss all of the 2009 season. The other was in 2012 where he gave up way more home runs than usual, but that got corrected (either by regression to the mean or by tweaks that he made) in 2013. Gregerson's near replacement level 2011 and 2012 seasons can only be explain by possibly a loss of feel for his wipe-out slider. Something that he corrected in 2013, but he still wasn't as good as Benoit has been in most years.

Obviously, acquiring Benoit could have been done without the trading of Gregerson, so I don't want to claim that his signing justifies the trade to many of its detractors. The bullpen no doubt would be better with both players. However, there is also no doubt that the OF and bench is now equipped to be more productive in 2014 than it was in 2013 and Seth Smith is a big part of that. Some may see the number of OF as an excess, but an excess is hard to imagine when in 2013 there was a dearth of productive players to man the spots.

Getting away from the Gregerson vs. Benoit discussion for a moment, a benefit of this signing is that there is now more certainty in the bullpen for the 2015 season. Currently Huston Street has an option year that can be picked up, but there are clearly scenarios (injury related) where that would not get picked up. If that were to be the case, the Padres have a proven closer in Benoit that can step up in 2015. Even if the Padres had kept Gregerson, they would not have had that since Luke will be a free agent after the 2014 season. This represents an additional upgrade to the bullpen that stretches beyond just projected WAR values for 2014.

One thing that does have to be mentioned is Benoit's age. With this acquisition he becomes the oldest player on the roster at 36 years of age. His shiny new contract will take him through his age 37 season. He certainly has proven to be a productive relief pitcher in years past, but can he hold up at 36 and 37? You can reference this Fangraphs article about pitcher aging curves and see pretty clearly that on average relievers can see some serious decline in their mid to late 30s. However, one of the indicators of decline is decreasing fastball velocity. That's not an issue for Benoit, as his fastball velocity has actually increased with age. With that development, I would expect him to age more gracefully than your average reliever.

Whatever your reservations were or are about the Luke Gregerson for Seth Smith trade, that should not keep you from liking this free agent signing. It upgrades the team and at the same time it shows ownership's current willingness to spend money to improve the product on the field. Never let the best be the enemy of the better. This may not be the best move you can think of, but it certainly makes things better than they were before the signing.

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The Cubs didn't shake things up much in the minors for 2014.

The Cubsannounced the minor league managers, coaches and staff for 2014, and there aren't a lot of changes from the successful 2013 campaign. All five of the managers of the top five affiliates return to the same team. That's Marty Pevey in Iowa, Buddy Bailey in Tennessee, Dave Keller in Daytona, Mark Johnson in Kane County and Gary Van Tol in Boise. For the Cubs rookie league team in Mesa, Jimmy Gonzalez takes over after having served as the hitting coach there the year before. Juan Cabreja takes over the Dominican Cubs and Pedro Gonzalez is the new Venezuelan skipper.

The bigger movement is among the pitching coaches. Most notably: Storm Davis, who received a lot of praise and credit as the pitching coach for the Florida State League champion Daytona Cubs, moves up to Tennessee, presumably to work with mostly the same prospects. Likewise, Ron Villone is the new Daytona pitching coach after having served in the same capacity for Kane County and David Rosario moves up from Boise to Kane County.

The new Iowa pitching coach comes from outside the organization. Bruce Walton served as the Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach from 2010 to 2012 and will share that major league experience with the I-Cubs this season.  Brian Lawrence takes over as the pitching coach for Boise after coming over from the Padres High-A affiliate in Lake Elsinore last season. It's good to see the Padres allow Jed Hoyer to interview their coaches.

Down in Venezuela, the new pitching coach is a familiar name to all of you: former Cub Angel Guzman.

There's no movement among the hitting coaches in the minors, so that means Bill Buckner will still be in Boise (where he wants to be, in truth) and Brian Harper will still work with the hitters in Iowa. Desi Wilson, Mariano Duncan and Tom Beyers continue in their same jobs with the Smokies, D-Cubs and Cougars respectively, although Wilson will get an assistant hitting coach in Leo Perez, who has been a catching instructor in the organization previously.

The Cubs minor league organization had a pretty successful year everywhere last year (except for the W-L record in Kane County, I guess) so it's not a surprise that there is little to no shakeup in the organization. The Cubs kept all the top managers where they are and kept the pitching coaches with the prospects that are moving up to a higher league.

Here is a complete list of the organization's managers, coaches and trainers; boldface indicates a member of the staff from last year who's in a new position, boldface italics indicates a staff member new to the Cubs organization for 2014.

AFFILIATE    MANAGER       PITCHING COACH    HITTING COACH/ASST.     TRAINER
===================================================================================
Iowa        Marty Pevey     Bruce Walton       Brian Harper       Scott Barringer
Tennessee   Buddy Bailey    Storm Davis        Desi Wilson        Shane NelsonLeo Perez
Daytona     Dave Keller     Ron Villone        Mariano Duncan     Peter Fagan
Kane County Mark Johnson    David Rosario      Tom Beyers         Jonathan Fiero
Boise       Gary Van Tol    Brian Lawrence     Bill Buckner       Toby Williams
Mesa        Jimmy Gonzalez  Anderson Tavares   Ricardo Medina     Mike McNulty
Dominican   Juan Cabreja    Leo Hernandez      Oscar BernardJose AlvarezYudith Ozorio
Venezuela   Pedro GonzalezAngel Guzman       Franklin Blanco    Arnoldo Goite

Here are all the coordinators for various positions within the minor-league ranks:

Tim Cossins returns for his second season as the organization’s minor league field/catching coordinator following 10 years in the Miami Marlins farm system, including the last six as the minor league catching coordinator.

Derek Johnson returns for his second year as the Cubs minor league pitching coordinator following 11 seasons (2002-12) at Vanderbilt University as the team’s pitching coach, including the last three as the school’s associate head coach/pitching coach.

Anthony Iapoce begins his second season as the organization’s Special Assistant to the GM and Player Development, overseeing the minor league hitting program while contributing to additional projects within the organization.

Jose Flores returns for his second season as minor league infield coordinator, his 14th year as a coach or manager.

Carmelo Martinez enters his 17th season in the Cubs organization, beginning his second stint as the organization’s Latin American Field Coordinator after serving as hitting coordinator for the Cubs Single-A, Rookie League and Dominican League teams last season. Previously, he was Chicago’s Latin American field coordinator for five years (2008-12).

Mike Mason begins his first season as assistant pitching coordinator after spending the previous six years as Triple-A Iowa’s pitching coach.

Doug Jarrow begins his seventh season as Chicago’s minor league strength and conditioning coordinator.

Nick Frangella begins his 11th season with the organization and his first as head minor league athletic training and performance coordinator. He spent the previous two seasons as Triple-A Iowa’s athletic trainer.

Chuck Baughman enters his 15th year with the Cubs organization, his first season as assistant athletic training coordinator.

Rick Tronerud returns for his 19th year with the Cubs and his first as minor league rehab pitching coordinator. He spent the previous 13 seasons with Rookie-League Mesa, serving as the club’s rehab pitching coach. Rey Fuentes begins his second season as Coordinator of Cultural Education, overseeing all educational classes for the Cubs Latin American players.

Jesus is gone.

It's official. The Padres have traded Jesus Guzman. Justin Hunter was warning us. I just didn't think it would happen so soon. Kyle Blanks, beware!

#Padres acquire INF Ryan Jackson from @astros in exchange for INF/OF Jesus Guzman

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) December 18, 2013

The Houston Astros have agreed to send Ryan Jackson to San Diego in exchange for Guzman. As we know, the Astros have been making moves this offseason and it's pretty evident that they've finally got their big bat in Jesus Guzman. You guys can stop now. You've cornered the market in greatness. Leave some for the rest of us.

In all seriousness, I'm going to miss Jesus Guzman a bit more than I'm sure others will. I have always had a soft spot for the players that aren't the major guys. (The day Chris Denorfia retires as a Padre, I'll cry. Yes. He will retire a Padre. Never traded or released. Because that would make me cry too).

Jesus Guzman spent 3 seasons with the Padres after being granted free agency from the Giants in 2010. He debuted in 2011 for the Padres and had his first home run on June 24th of that year. I'll always remember him fondly as our weapon against the Giants in San Francisco. 5 of his 7 career home runs against the Giants came in their park. And those 7 home runs are nearly one-third of his career total of 23. His bat will be greatly missed in those 18 games per season. I'll also remember him for his Twitter photo of an expensive car and having the sweater game on lock down.

via si0.twimg.com

But, Guzman is gone now and Ryan Jackson could soon take his place.

Ryan Jackson began his career with the St. Louis Cardinals after being drafted by them in 2009. In 20 career games in the majors over the last 2 years, his batting stats have been very low. A batting average of .083 might have played a part in being placed on waivers and picked up by the Astros on November 20th of this year. His stats in the minors are far better to look at. Jackson has spent time playing 2B, SS, and 3B, so he may just be a great depth player for right now. According to Corey Brock, the Padres were also trying to acquire Jackson last month but lost out to the Astros.

Skinny on #Padres INF Ryan Jackson. Had options, could open in Triple-A. Offers plus defense at SS. Padres put in a claim, #Astros got him.

— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) December 18, 2013

Now, the Padres have their man nearly 30 days later.

It's too early to tell whether we will see him in the majors early next year, but having a player with versatility is always a plus. It's like they say, probably, you can never have enough players. Best of luck to Jackson this season. Especially when he's got former teammates on the Padres already.

Ryan Jackson played with Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal in 2008 for U of Miami. #Padres

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) December 18, 2013

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The Padres have dealt Jesus Guzman to the Astros in exchange for Ryan Jackson.

The San Diego Padres have dealt first baseman/outfielder Jesus Guzman to the Houston Astros in exchange for defensive whiz Ryan Jackson, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com

The 29-year-old Guzman has played four seasons in the big leagues since 2009 and is entering his first year of arbitration eligibility. A career .259/.324/.418 (110 OPS+) hitter, Guzman has played in at least 120 games each of the past two seasons. After posting a 107 OPS+ in 2012, he fell to a 94 mark in 2013.

Jackson, a long-time Cardinals shortstop prospect, has played sparingly in the majors for St. Louis over the past couple of years, netting just two hits in 25 plate appearances over 20 games. Just 25, Jackson is especially known for his otherworldly defensive prowess, a skill which led to many Cardinals fans clamoring for him to start over Pete Kozma last year. The Padres have apparently been interested in Jackson for a while, placing a claim on him when he was waived by St. Louis last month. The Astros ultimately won the claim.

The move doesn't appear to be more than bench fodder for the two teams, as Jackson is blocked in San Diego by Everth Cabrera, and Guzman by a cast of characters including Chris Carter and Robbie Grossman.

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