Our Padres have two All Star representatives this year - both pitchers. It's been an awful season offensively for San Diego, and even in the better offensive years home runs aren't exactly very plentiful in our pitcher-friendly Petco Park.

The last time the Friars sent someone to the Home Run Derby was in 2009 when Adrian Gonzalez was our All Star. He hit two home runs and failed to make it out of the first round.

Other than Adrian, San Diego has only had three other representatives participate in the Home Run Derby. First was Steve Garvey in 1985, the inaugural Home Run Derby. He hit two homers for the National League. Gary Sheffield and Fred McGriff  participated in 1992, when San Diego hosted its one and only All Star Game at Jack Murphy Stadium. McGriff collected three homers while Sheffield tied for 3rd place with four long balls.

Tonight the National League is represented by Todd Frazier, Giancarlo Stanton, and NL Westers Troy Tulowitzki, Justin Morneau, and Yasiel Puig.

Tyson Ross has been the most difficult pitcher to hit in baseball.

The All-Star break isn't a lot of fun for obsessively dedicated baseball fans. Four straight days without real baseball leaves us with a big void in our lives. After nearly four straight months of having games every day, it's very difficult to adjust. However, the break provides for an opportunity to take note of what has happened over the first 90-something games of the season.

One pretty incredible thing from the first half is the performance of San Diego Padres pitcher Tyson Ross, who was named to the All-Star game. It wasn't long ago that Ross was an afterthought. Billy Beane sent him to the Padres for two low-level prospects after a poor 2012 season with the Oakland Athletics. The towering right-hander posted a 6.50 ERA with an FIP and xFIP that approached 5. His strikeout rate was a rather pitiful 13.5 percent.

Ross began the 2013 season in the Padres bullpen, but eventually transitioned to the rotation. Overall he threw 125 innings, as he started 16 of the 35 games he appeared in. His ERA dropped by more than three runs and his strikeout rate increased by ten percentage points. The big right-hander's 11.1 percent swinging strike rate and 75.3 percent contact rate were among the best in the major leagues. On pitches outside of the strike zone, batters made contact on just over half of their swings.

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This season Ross has been even better. He's replicating his strikeout rate from 2013, and while his 8.1 percent walk rate is a bit high, he's managing a 58 percent ground ball rate, which is an increase of three percentage points from last season and the third highest mark in baseball behind Dallas Keuchel and Justin Masterson.

Meanwhile, Ross has the lowest contact rate in baseball, at 71.4 percent. Masahiro Tanaka is next at 72.1 percent. Only Tanaka has a higher swing and miss rate than Ross' 12.5 percent. The bulk of this work is being done by Ross' slider, which he is throwing on 40 percent of his pitches, up from 32 percent last year and 25 percent with the A's. In two-strike counts, he's thrown the pitch 53 percent of the time, and of those pitches, 25 percent have resulted in strikeouts.

Over the last two seasons, the contact rate on Ross' slider is only 55 percent, and the contact rate on swings at sliders outside the strike zone is a hair below 33 percent. According to Fangraphs Pitch Value leaderboard, only Yu Darvish has a more valuable slider. Because pitches exist in the context of repertories, that leaderboard may be selling Ross and his slider short. Darvish has more pitches than his catcher has fingers, while Ross is basically a two-pitch guy with his fastball and slider.

Most pitchers that rely heavily on a slider have pronounced platoon splits. The slider moves horizontally, breaking in to opposite-handed hitters. However, Ross has had plenty of success with his slider against left-handed bats. His walk rate against left-handed hitters is double what it is against right-handed hitters, but his strikeout rate is almost the same. Against lefties, Ross has garnered 76 swings and misses with his slider. Garrett Richards is the next closest pitcher with 54. His slider also owns the most whiffs against righties, with 114. Clayton Kershaw is next with 98. Only Kershaw, with 47, has more punchouts with his slider than Ross, who has 40.

Tyson Ross has emerged as a very difficult pitcher to hit. In terms of putting the ball in play, nobody has been tougher than Ross. It's anyone's guess as to how long he can stay healthy while he's chucking the slider on four out of every ten pitches, but while he's out there, hitters aren't having fun.

. . .

Stats courtesy of Fangraphsand Baseball Savant

Chris Moran is a former college baseball player and current law student at Washington University in St. Louis. He's also an assistant baseball coach at Wash U. In addition to Beyond The Box Score, he contributes at Prospect Insider and Gammons Daily. He went to his first baseball game at age two. Follow him on Twitter @hangingslurves

Quotes from a recent interview show that a potential trade is on Street's mind.

Yesterday during the All Star festivities, Padres All Star closer Huston Street was interviewed on Sirius XM by Casey Stern, Jim Bowden and Dan Duquette. While I am sure a few Padres fans listened to the actual interviewed, most of the locals seemed to hear about Street's interview because of this tweet:

Huston Street told us he expects to be traded at deadline&he said the Padres have communicated w/ him on this subject Angels?src=hash">#Angels#O's # Tigers

— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 14, 2014

That tweet is by Jim Bowden, a man in the room and helping interview Huston Street. You can find the entire interview here. I also received a transcript from the interview and the relevant question posed by Casey Stern.

Stern:"Just like you are deserving to be here for a reason you’re probably going to have a lot of GMs calling about you for the same reason over the next couple of weeks.We know how much you wanted to be in San Diego and enjoy it but have you thought about the opportunity of maybe getting a chance to move to a contender?"

Street: "Yeah, absolutely.And I’ve been honest with the organization, I should say they’ve been honest with me about the reality of that trade, about the reality of ‘this could happen.’And you have to be realistic.This is a business.And, players, we’re selfish.We want right now, we will always want right now.Organizations have to think this year, next year, five years [from now].They are running a budget and a cash flow and we cost money.I appreciate the way the Padres, especially in this process, have handled me.Do I think I’m getting traded?I think they are going to make some moves.I think they will, I think that’s inevitable.When you are a losing team they don’t keep you together. If you are a winning team they keep you together.So if we want to stay together we need to win more games.Trade deadline is two weeks away so I’m keeping my mind open for it."

Reading that entire quote adds some context to the discussion. It is not nearly as concrete as one would believe if they had just read Bowden's tweet. I do not think Bowden was being intentionally misleading. He heard what he heard and he fit it into the character limit allowed by twitter. When I read the quote I see some vagary as to whether Street sees a trade of himself as inevitable or if he sees the team making moves as inevitable.

What I also see is that Street praises the organization for how they have handled him during this process. It seems likely that he means the trade rumors and perhaps eventual trade. When one just reads that a player thinks he will be traded it can be easy to infer things about that. That the player might be let down by the organization doing so. That he may be confused as to why they would trade an All Star. That does not appear to be the case here. The player in question has a good understanding about why things are the way they are.

Finally, when it comes to an All Star player getting traded I cannot help but be reminded of the 2003 season. Much was made about the Padres' lone All Star Rondell White getting traded. At the time the thought of trading the team's lone All Star was considered a bad PR move for a team and a source of ridicule even though he was due to be a free agent and had only been with the team for one season. It was a strange season. For those that do not recall, it was a year where there was some thought that the Padres would compete. However, Phil Nevin and Trevor Hoffman missed much of the season with injury. And the pitching staff, which was supposed to be buoyed by young studs Jake Peavy, Oliver Perez and Adam Eaton as well as the relatively expensive (due to a poor decision on a contract extension) Kevin Jarvis and the steady Brian Lawrence, flopped big time. It was the last year at Qualcomm Stadium and anything the team did was put into the context of what would the fans get out of the team as they moved into their new digs. The Padres made a couple of small moves before the deadline, but then waited until after the deadline (where players involved had to clear waivers) to make the big ones. They dealt the aforementioned White for two prospects that did not pan out. And counterbalanced it with a move for Brian Giles that cost them future All Star Jason Bay and struggling 21 year old southpaw Oliver Perez. That deal, acquiring an All Star while trading another in a separate deal, helped cancel out the noise.

In what is already being dubbed a "lost season" for Padres fans, many are using optimism for the future as solace for pain of the present. Glimpses of exciting new players are a universal second-half anesthetic for suffering fans. It allows for players to work through their rookie jitters outside of a penant-race situation and it builds anticipation for teams mired in down-years. Given the catastrophe of the 2014 season, fans are looking to the future well-ahead of the traditional September call-up period. At least two additions have given them reason to be optimistic.

Odrisamer Despaigne

So maybe he doesn't have a solid nickname yet, but Odisrighthere Dismine has given up just 4 earned runs through his first 4 big league starts.  That will turn heads just as quickly as any play on words.  Before the season Odie was described as a "bubble guy" with average stuff across the board - not unlike the dozens of rotation swingmen and sometime major leaguers that continuously ride the shuttle to AAA.  Josh Byrnes (peace be upon him) saw a bit more potential in him - describing the right-hander as an "old generation Cuban pitcher" akin to Livan Hernandez or El Duque.

There is some precedent for success for deceptive pitchers lacking premium stuff.  You almost have to invoke the "crafty lefthander" trope despite Despaigne's handedness.   In order for a prototypical "junkballer" to succeed, he's got to keep hitters guessing rather than sitting on specific pitches or hitting zones.  In the absence of a true "out" pitch, Despaigne throws several different pitches with relatively similar frequency, showing little preference for any specific pitch in specific circumstances.  Depending on what type of pitch-tracking system you use Despaigne throws a roughly equal number of fastballs, sinkers, sliders, cutters, changeups, curveballs and pitches you'd have to classify as ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.  Additionally, the Cuban national employs one of several distinctive armslots to effectively hide the ball from hitters and alter the trajectory and movement of the pitch.  Notice specifically that he will drop the arm slot against righties to give his pitches more horizontal movement so that the pitch tails away from hitters:

This unpredictability and movement makes it difficult for hitters to key-in on payoff pitches and connect with the meaty part of the bat.  Catching hitters off balance doesn't necessarily lead to a lot of strikeouts in the absence of premium movement or velocity - even when a pitcher like Eric Stults is firing on all cylinders you aren't going to see a ton of whiffs.  Despite Despaigne's impressive minor league strikeout numbers (in ~30 IP)  it is important to note that he hasn't shown the ability to consistently rack up Ks in the Cuban league or in the MLB.  For Despaigne "fooling" hitters is going to have to lead to weak contact in the form of popups and grounders.

Beyond the numbers, one of the most impressive aspects of Despaigne's short MLB tenure has been his ability to walk the proverbial tightrope and casually escape from jams when the opponent has men on base.  At first glance his 89% strand rate seems prime for regression back to the ~70-75% you expect to see from Padre pitchers.  However, like BABiP or HR/FB ratio, it is important to look for indicators that might impede simple regression to the mean.  Just as speedy ground-ball hitters routinely outperform the average BABiP, it is possible that Despaigne possesses a skillset that predisposes him to a better-than-average strand rate.  Without trailing too far into sports-punditry tropes - some guys just have another gear that they can shift into during big situations.  Guys like Justin Verlander are great at dialing in a little extra heat on their fastballs when opponents threaten.  While Despaigne isn't going to blow any hitters away with gas, his deep bag of tricks and above-average ground ball rate work in his favor with runners on base.  Double plays are just about the most efficient rally killer this side of Will Venable.

There are two big rules to being a junkballer: 1. Limit free passes.  2. Keep the ball in the yard.  When looking to Byrnes' Cuban comparable pitchers it is clear that Livan and Orlando Hernandez each had their least effective seasons whenever their walk or home run rates crept upwards.  As a Padre, Despaigne will surely benefit from the team's superb coaching staff and cavernous home ballpark.  Petco park itself is a doubly valuable asset for pitchers in that it limits home runs by nature, but this factor also allows for pitchers to approach batters more aggressively, thus limiting walks.  Its like how you can try to pull off intense facial hair when you have a really good haircut.

Jesse Hahn

"First round talent, with question marks" is basically prospect speak for "Hot, but won't stop talking about how meaningful her tattoos are." These types of pieces are hot targets in trades and at last call because people have different evaluations and assessments of payoff versus tolerable downside.  Despite his imposing 6'5" frame, Hahn has always been a durability concern and has already survived one Tommy John surgery.  Despite the physical trauma, Hahn still relies heavily on his hammer-curveball which serves as the perfect compliment to his low-90s sinking fastball.  In a perfect foil to Despaigne, Hahn relies heavily on his two bread-and-butter pitches and will only occasionally mix in his changeup.

"Doesn't have a third pitch" is a common knock on promising pitching prospects.  Recently, you could argue that this was the cause of death for Padres prospects like Anthony Bass, Simon Castro and others.  These guys could look very good for short stretches only to have hitters "figure them out" with repeated attempts.  Every so often though there is a Tyson Ross-type who's primary pitches are so good that they make up for the lack of variety.  AJ Burnett provides an interesting template of sinker/curveball-dominant pitchers in recent years - he streamlined his repertoire to great success once his fastball started to lose some zip.

Hahn's stuff is the real deal.  The curveball that he leans on so heavily is rated at +2.65 runs above average per 100 pitches which ranks among the very best pitches in the game, and clearly one of the most devastating breaking balls.  The nature of pitch values are such that they are only generate data points on pitches that end at-bats, indicating that Hahn's curve is functioning like a true "out-pitch."  More than this we can also look to Hahn's elite swinging strike rate (11.4%) and healthy ground ball ratio (50%).  Through seven starts, sample size bias is of course a concern, but these secondary stats are the type that stabilize more quickly than FIP or BAA - it's very difficult to make major league hitters swing and miss in the absence of swing-and-miss stuff.

Effective pitches are of course only part of what makes an effective pitcher.  The big obstacles between Hahn and true stud-prospect status have always been durability and control.  The 79 innings Hahn has thrown this season are already the most he's ever thrown in a calendar year, even dating back to college.  For a guy with a surgically repaired elbow and heavy reliance on an elbow-shredding out-pitch, the club must be eternally vigilant with Hahn's workload.  When looking at Hahn's frame and devastating sinker/curveball tandem it is impossible not to consider Casey Kelly, who threw dozens of curveballs in his final start before blowing out his elbow in 2012.  Those who remember Kelly are already closing their eyes and inhaling deeply.  Kelly's elbow is still recovering from the trauma and it is unclear if he will ever recapture what made him such an exciting prospect leading up to his debut.  Thus far the team has been quite strict with respect to Hahn's pitch counts and will probably build his arm strength slowly with hopes of acclimating him to a true starter's workload by 2016 in the best case scenario.

The ugliest aspect of Hahn's game thus far is his 3.54 bb/9 walk rate, which would rank among the league's worst qualified starters.  There are good pitchers who walk more hitters than Jesse Hahn, but not many.  His propensity to rack up strikeouts and generate ground balls helps to limit the home run ball and keep him from hemorrhaging runs from free passes.  Still, Hahn will have to improve his walk rate before his insane .185 opponent average returns to earth.  Looking back to the Anthony Bass example - despite a streak of excellence to start his Padre career, Bass never developed a third pitch to compliment his fastball and breaking ball, and he never was able to reign in his wildness.  The baseball gods eventually caught up with Bass and his ERA is currently sitting near 6.00 for the Houston Astros.  Bass wasn't quite on Hahn's level in terms of talent, but there have been plenty of young starters with potential that have paralleled his career trajectory.

Further proving that Hahn is Despaigne's perfect foil - Hahn could stand to show a little more calm under pressure.  Hahn looks considerably less comfortable pitching from the stretch, and appears to get rattled after he gives up hits.  With starters that rely heavily on movement and breaking pitches, there has to be an understanding that the ball isn't always going to move the way you want every time out.  There are going to be days when he doesn't have his best stuff and Hahn is going to have to learn to pitch around that.  At this point it shouldn't be a huge cause for concern since the former Hokie is a rookie with fewer than 50 professional starts under his belt.  It is however one of the "intangibles" that good pitchers develop and bad pitchers often don't.

The lack of a tribute to the fallen Hall of Famer It's not about what's right, it's about understanding the power of memory in baseball.

Major League Baseball and its television partners are allies the way the United States and the Soviet Union were allies in World War II: They had a mutual interest in the same outcome but simultaneously had highly divergent goals. MLB and Fox or ESPN have identical interest in wanting to see game broadcasts do well, because directly or indirectly they will both profit by that. They do not necessarily have the same goals. Among Baseball's goals, we hope, is to burnish the game and honor its memory. The networks don't need to have that goal, or any goal save that which will bring more eyeballs to its broadcasts.

Baseball has an obligation to itself and to its own memory. Television has no commitments to Baseball as a product except insofar as how it affects the program of the moment.

That explains why Fox did not bother to make any reference to the recently deceased Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn or the similarly departed grand old man of the game Don Zimmer during the All-Star Game broadcast. At the risk of repetition, this is not about Fox, about Gwynn's or Zimmer's family's being snubbed, or any obligation that MLB had to mention them out of some sense of decorum. For us on the outside, MLB is a sport or an entertainment product. For those inside the walls, it's a business, and we should probably offer prayers to Babe Ruth in Heaven or whoever is looking out for us that the players aren't branded up like NASCAR drivers by now.

For its part, Fox protests that it did air a Gwynn tribute, just off to the side somewhere:

For everyone who missed the Tony Gwynn feature #ASG@FOXSports1http://t.co/P0W8wqkRYz

— Sara Ramsey (@TheSaraRamsey) July 16, 2014

Again, swell. This isn't about Fox's obligations to care about Gwynn. Back-dooring a tribute to him by putting it on an ancillary network isn't particularly generous given the sheer length of the actual broadcast, but that's their call. They put on a 4.5-hour broadcast and 20 seconds to acknowledge a Hall of Famer doesn't seem like too much to ask, not when even ESPN remembered Gwynn during the Home Run Derby, far from the singles and doubles hitter's signature event, but Fox knows its product. This is about what memory means to the game and how Major League Baseball can sometimes be self-defeating in what is, if you want to be really cynical about things, what is basically marketing.

The lack of comment on Zimmer was noted on Tuesday night but undoubtedly was met with less consternation than the absence of a Gwynn tribute. Zimmer, despite his longevity, was a minor figure and his being overlooked is understandable; in 10 or 20 years, few will remember him. That statement will offend some, but one need only look at how much of the baseball memory is devoted to (say) Art Fletcher, who played on four World Series teams and then coached on every pennant-winning Yankees team from 1927 to 1945, or Frank Crosetti, who played or coached for every Yankees pennant winner from 1932 until 1964, was a coach for the 1969 Seattle Pilots, immortalized by Jim Bouton in Ball Four, and the AL West-winning 1970 Minnesota Twins. No one cares about failed managers and coaches. Still, Zimmer was an All-Star, loved baseball, baseball fans came to love Zimmer during his Yankees years if not before, and Major League Baseball should have cared enough about both to give him a moment if only because that is the currency on which the game survives

There is far less question that the same applies to Tony Gwynn, except exponentially more. At this point there's little more to say about Gwynn that wasn't said when he passed away on June 16. You know the stats. You know how people felt about him. He was a 15-time All-Star. Derek Jeter was a great player in his day, and will always be a great player when viewed in retrospect, but somewhere amidst all of the well-deserved fawning there should have been a moment to pay tribute to a fallen Hall of Famer.

After the game, Fox Sports 1, did a countdown of their top-10 All-Star Game moments. Their No. 1 moment came in 1999 at Fenway Park. That event was more notable for being Ted Williams' effective farewell to baseball than to anything that happened after. Who was next to Teddy Ballgame the entire time? Who helped direct the nearly blind Williams to throw his ceremonial first pitch to home plate? Tony Gwynn. Somehow it was missed that he was nearly as central to the video, in terms of his literal presence, as was the aged Splinter.

Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn: Two San Diego legends at the 1999 All-Star Game (Getty Images)

Again, that was postgame coverage, after midnight in the East, on a supplemental network. As for the game itself, as for Joe Buck, Harold Reynolds, Ken Rosenthal, and the rest of the nattering commentators on hand? Nothing, at least not during the game when a national audience might have heard it. If the words "Tony Gwynn" were said in a meaningful way between 7:30 pm and 12 am on the East Coast, they slipped by without a ripple.

Baseball's legacy of achievement is part of its appeal. Context is everything. Derek Jeter is a comment on every shortstop before him, and every shortstop that came before him is a comment on Derek Jeter. That's how we know he's great and exactly how great he is. The same goes for Tony Gwynn and his place in history. If you look at the similarity scores offered on Baseball-Reference.com, a way of identifying like players, they both have very low numbers (Gwynn's; Jeter's) the system's way of saying that there has never been anyone like them. Whether you know it through the numbers, seeing them play, or just hearing people talk about them, these are facts that MLB, that people who claim to care about the game like Bud Selig, should desperately want you to remember. Without them there is no context, and without context, baseball has no life.

It sounds morbid, but the dead are always with us in baseball. Babe Ruth still casts a long shadow, and Lou Gehrig, and Satchel Paige, and Jackie Robinson, and, for decades to come, Tony Gwynn. Again, it's not the network's job to remind you of that. Derek Jeter is now, and now is what sells for them. It was on Major League Baseball to remind Fox of Baseball's needs, and that Baseball forgot to do.

After the game had ended, the San Diego Padres tweeted this picture:

pic.twitter.com/eccExo19do

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 16, 2014

They remembered Gwynn, were waiting for Gwynn, because it mattered to them. A baseball team, part of Major League Baseball, protested that omission because they cared enough to look for it, and while Joe Average fan might not have been anticipating it in the same way, he might have appreciated it had it been presented to him. Over time, much lip-service has been paid to the idea that love of the game is passed from father to son, and today one assumes it also travels from fathers and mothers to daughters as well, or fathers and fathers to sons, or any other possible permutation of family. That's swell, but it also travels by means of lineage: Tony Gwynn to Derek Jeter to Mike Trout.

Two-thirds of that was acknowledged last night, the other third was missing. Again, there was no obligation to do so, and whether or not it was the right thing to do is almost beside the point. It would have been the smart thing, the knowing thing. As a company, Fox deserves all the grief it gets, but this one is on Baseball.

(H/T to Hardball Talk for the FS1 tweet.)

While Kennedy may be out of reach, the Angels still have their sights set on Huston Street.

Earlier this week it was reported that the Los Angeles Angels were targeting a pair of San Diego Padres in starter Ian Kennedy and closer Huston Street. However, now it appears that the Angels are no longer in the running to land Kennedy, as FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal has learned that the clubs aren't a match to consummate a trade for the coveted right-hander, though the two reams are still in talks regarding Street. Rosenthal also notes that the Padres are still discussing Kennedy with other teams.

The fact that the two clubs aren't match on a Kennedy trade isn't all that surprising, as the Angels have a notoriously poor farm system and are lacking in high-end trade chips. The likely only way for them to acquire Kennedy would have been to deal a piece off their major league roster, along with a prospect or two. However, with youngsters such as Hank Conger, Kole Calhoun, and CJ Cron emerging as fixtures in the team's lineup this year, it was unlikely that the Angels would risk punching a hole in one of baseball's best offenses.

The Angels still may very well go after a starter, but not being able to attain Kennedy probably means they'll be shopping in a lower tier. It is also possible they purse one of the two (supposedly) available Phillies hurlers in Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, who are both locked up to monster contracts that limit their market.

The Angels have long been tied to Street, a 2014 NL All-Star in the midst of a career-year with the Padres. In 33 innings, the right-hander has a remarkable 1.09 ERA and 1.6 WAR. An acquiring team would also have the luxury of controlling him through next season as he comes with a $7 million club option for 2015.

Even Street himself has demonstrated an interest in playing in Anaheim, stating just before the All-Star game that he would "love" playing for the Angels, and especially manager Mike Scioscia, who he called "one of the best managers, maybe, of all time."

The Halos' bullpen has easily been the club's biggest weakness, and despite recent movesto shore up the staff by acquiring Jason Grilli and Joe Thatcher, they are still in the market for another arm, preferably a closer. As the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin notes, the Angels could also look to acquire Joakim Soria from the Rangers or Jonathan Papelbon from the Phillies if talks for Street fall through.

Today the Padres announced that the Brewers claimed infielder Irving Falu off waivers. You might recall that San Diego acquired Falu exactly three weeks ago off of waivers by, yes, the Brewers. Full circle, just like the album between About Time and Straight Ahead.

In Falu's brief time with the Padres he collected three singles in 20 at-bats for a batting average of .150, which is exactly 150 points better than he did in 10 at-bats with Milwaukee earlier in the year. Falu, who wore number 1 in his 11 games for San Diego, also stole a base and took three of his eight career walks.

The Padres stated in their short release that they'll wait until tomorrow to make a formal roster move to fill the spot left by Falu's departure. Jesse Hahn is not the guy who will get a call, as his spot in the rotation doesn't come up until next Wednesday at Wrigley Field, and the only reason he's in the minors in the first place was to free up a roster spot in the All-Star-break-aided long stretch between his starts.

Trevor Bauer leads the Tribe into the second half, but how will the rest of the rotation stack up in the home stretch?

The All-Star break is over, and the AL has once again asserted its dominance in the most meaningful game of the season. After a four-day break for 24 of the 25 men on the Indians roster, it's time to get back into the swing of things. Here's what's going on as baseball activity resumes:

Indians news & notes

Masty's road back to the majors

Finally ready to face competition on his level, Justin Masterson will make a rehab start for the AAA Columbus Clippers on Sunday. Nursing a sore right knee, Masterson will not be on a limited pitch count as he works his way back to the majors. On the DL since July 8 - his first career DL stint - the big Jamaican is pleased with his progress and is ready to get back to "pounding the zone."

Rotation, rotation, rotation

The Tribe's rotation has been a bit of a revolving door this season, and the only thing that's certain is what's happening this weekend. Emerging star Trevor Bauer will take the hill against Detroit tonight, Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister will start a twin bill on Saturday, and Josh Tomlin will go on Sunday. But where does Danny Salazar fit in the mix? He had a promising outing on Thursday night, and Zach Mesisel thinks the young fireballer could be a key component as the Indians settle on a set of five "regulars" in the second half.

All-Star fallout

Terry Francona was alike a proud papa bird watching Michael Brantley out in the field, getting "emotional" when the Tribe's lone All-Star came to bat in Tuesday's game. Speaking of emotions, Jesus Aguilar has come a long way as a prospect and was honored to represent the Indians in the AAA All-Star game.

Tidbits from around MLB

• Fangraphs lists numbers 20-11 on their trade value list which, sadly, features no Indians players
• They also break down TV ratings for all non-Canadian teams and show that, surprisingly, Indians TV viewership has increased in 2014
• Joe Posnanksi recounts the history of the Boudreau shift
• Sports On Earth profiles Giancarlo Stanton, who may not keep his talents in South Beach for too long
• Tracy McGrady has retired from a sport he was not very good at
• The Padres AAA affiliate El Paso Chihuahuas unveiled the worst uniforms ever created
• The Mariners and Rays are discussing a trade involving David Price and Ben Zobrist

The Mets just had four days off, and now they get to go on a business trip to San Diego? Must be nice.

What's going on with the Padres?

It's been a pretty miserable season so far for the Padres and their fans. The offense is terrible, general manager Josh Byrnes has been fired and replaced in part (temporarily) by Omar Minaya. Tony Gwynn tragically passed away due to mouth cancer, and then no one talked about Gwynn at the All-Star Game.

What's a San Diego fan to do? At least the brilliant season that closer Huston Street is having should return a decent prospect or two. Plus, the offense has been so rotten this year that the Padres are one of the few MLB teams that knows it is selling. Front offices like the Mets and Phillies that reportedly haven't made up their minds yet might be missing out on a seller's market.

Not every future Padres star is outside of the organization, though. A couple of young pitchers -- Cuban mystery man Odrisamer Despaigne and Matt Harvey's high school teammate Jesse Hahn -- have been surprisingly effective this season. They could be a sign that San Diego's future is closer than it appears, if only the team can acquire a couple of impact bats at the trade deadline.

Who are these guys?

Jake Goebbert is a 26-year-old first baseman who is on his third organization since being drafted by the Astros in 2009. Throughout his pro career, Goebbert has posted strong strikeout and walk rates, but he's never hit for enough power to be taken seriously as a big league first baseman. Nevertheless, here he is with the Padres. After being acquired from Oakland in the Kyle Blanks trade earlier this season, a Yonder Alonso wrist injury in June opened up a spot for Goebbert's major league debut. In 37 plate appearances so far, he hasn't been half bad with a .265/.324/.412 line to go with his first career home run. On the flip side, the lefty hasn't been allowed to face same-handed pitching. Tommy Medica and catcher Yasmani Grandal are getting the starts at first base when a southpaw is on the mound.

You might remember Brooks Conrad best for his days as a reserve infielder for the Braves. Specifically, he played a very big role in the D.J. Carrasco balk game from three years ago. After Conrad posted a 33-percent strikeout rate in 2011 (it appears that Francisco Rodriguez was the only person who couldn't strike him out that year), the Braves grew tired of him, and he bounced around in 2012, went to Japan for 2013, and landed back in the States with San Diego in 2014. Now back in the majors with Jedd Gyorko on the disabled list, Conrad is sticking with his aggressive approach. In 24 at-bats, he has 11 strikeouts and only two hits. One of those, however, has gone for a home run.

Who's on the mound?

Friday: Bartolo Colon vs. Ian Kennedy

Anytime you can get a productive starter for a big league reliever and a minor league reliever, you do that deal. That's probably what Byrnes was thinking when he swapped Joe Thatcher and Matt Stites for Kennedy one year ago. Even if the red-bearded menace's only purpose is to serve as a trade chip to acquire baby Padres, Byrnes has done his old club a good deed. Kennedy's strikeout rate this season is a career-high 26 percent, and his home run and walk rates are under control after they spiked in 2013, causing a 4.91 ERA. All is well with Kennedy now, as his 3.17 xFIP should convince potential buyers that his improvement is not just a park-based illusion.

Like Kennedy, Colon has reportedly found himself on the trading block with some solid pitching in 2014. A pair of rough outings against Texas and Pittsburgh appeared to damage the big right-hander's value, but he bounced back before the All-Star break with a strong start against Atlanta. After a whole week off, Colon will be expected to shut down the Padres tonight, especially in a park like Petco that should benefit his fly-ball tendencies.

Saturday: Dillon Gee vs. Tyson Ross

One member of the Padres who it would be a surprise to see traded is Ross. The 27-year-old right-hander still has three years of team control left after this one, and his devastating slider is turning into one of the best pitches in baseball. Like Kennedy, Ross has the numbers to prove that his success is not a Petco Park side effect. He's striking out nearly one batter per inning, has cut his walk rate that was previously a major problem, and he's developed a 58-percent ground ball rate that will help him avoid the long ball almost anywhere he throws. In short, this guy looks like a keeper.

Gee also tends to look like a keeper when he's on the field. After missing almost two months with a lat muscle injury, he returned to hold the Braves to one run over seven innings last Wednesday. What's troubling about Gee is that his strikeout rate has declined in each of the past two seasons to the point where his success in 2014 seems like it's based more on his low BABIP and high strand rate than his stuff. The good news is that pitching to contact can work just fine in Petco Park, but Gee's strikeout rate is something to watch as the second half develops.

Sunday: Zack Wheeler vs. Odrisamer Despaigne

Despaigne has been a nice shot in the arm to the Padres' pitching rotation lately. He's allowed four earned runs in his first four major league starts, but before we proclaim the Cuban right-hander as the next El Duque, it's necessary to mention that he has 12 strikeouts and eight walks in those outings. On the other hand, Despaigne's latest start was his toughest (at the Dodgers) as well as his most impressive (two runs, zero walks, seven strikeouts). If his minor league numbers are any indication, Despaigne will continue to strike out a decent amount of opponents despite a fastball that averages around 91 mph. More of a deception guy, Despaigne relies heavily on his cutter and curveball, and he could be a success in the big leagues if he keeps his walk rate in check.

As a Mets fan, I'd love to go all-in on Wheeler one of these days, but he doesn't make it easy. Three total runs allowed in his last three starts is nice, but the 14 strikeouts and nine walks over that span leave me nonplussed. There have been a few starts where Wheeler's stuff and command have meshed to reveal what can be a brilliant pitcher (see his June 19 masterpiece in Miami), but such wonderful outings have been too few and far between to for me to consider Wheeler a future ace right now. Still, his numbers aren't bad for a 24-year-old right-hander in his second major league season, so he remains a major factor in the Mets' future... at least until the right trade opportunity arises.

Prediction: The Mets keep the good times rolling with a sweep!

What about some highlights?

Earlier this season at Petco Park, a dinosaur threw out the ceremonial first pitch!

Is that a bear in the stands? Nope! Just another one of Chuck Testa's realistic mounts.

Will Venable has struggled mightily at the plate this season, but his defense is still righteous, as evidenced by this amazing catch to rob Nolan Arenado of extra bases.

Baseball is back! After what seemed like seven years, the Padres are finally headed back to the field to embark on the "second half" (actually just the last 41%) of the season. They'll be playing a trio of games at home against the Mets to get back in the swing of things. I took a look at the team's official site to see the three projected starting pitchers for each team, and from there it was off to Baseball-Reference to dig around and check out how each starter has fared against the guys in the other dugout.

Friday, July 18, 2014: Bartolo Colon vs. Ian Kennedy

Bartolo Colon has been in the majors so long that he was a teammate of Bip Roberts and Kevin Mitchell, so he's faced a lot of batters. However, very few of the 11,434 plate appearances against him have been logged by current members of the San Diego Padres. Here are the small sample sizes from the Friars who have faced him:

Alexi Amarista: 1-3, 2B
Chris Denorfia: 0-1
Chase Headley: 0-4, 3 K
Cameron Maybin: 0-1
Tommy Medica: 0-1, K
Carlos Quentin: 3-7, 2B
Rene Rivera: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI
Seth Smith: 0-3
Will Venable: 0-3, BB

That's a collective 5-for-26, or .192. Out of curiosity I looked up batters with a career batting average of .192 and, as you might suspect, it's a handful of Padres amongst a bunch of pitchers, with Cesar Crespo, Chris Krug, Andy Parrino, Mario Ramirez, and the original Bernie Williams representing the uncoordinated fingers.

Ian Kennedy has a 4-2 record against the Mets in seven starts dating back to 2010. He took the loss in his start against New York earlier this year, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and four walks in 5.1 innings. Here's how current Mets have done against him individually:

Bobby Abreu: 2-5, 2B, RBI, BB
Lucas Duda: 1-6, 2B, HBP, K
Curtis Granderson: 3-6, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB
Juan Lagares: 0-3, 2 K
Daniel Murphy: 3-12, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K
Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 0-3, 2 K
Anthony Recker: 2-7, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
Ruben Tejada: 2-5, BB, 2 K
David Wright: 5-15, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K
Eric Young: 2-14, RBI, BB, 4 K

Those 20 hits in 76 at-bats work out to a .263 batting average. 28 players with at least 3000 plate appearances hit exactly .263 for their career, including current El Paso outfielder Jeff Francoeur, and former Padres catchers Benito Santiago and Michael Barrett.

Saturday, July 19, 2014: Dillon Gee vs. Tyson Ross

Dillon Gee has faced the Padres three times, once each season since 2011. He's stayed in for at least six innings each outing, allowing just one run in each. He took the hard-luck loss last year, running his record to 2-1.

Alexi Amarista: 0-3, K
Chris Denorfia: 0-1, K
Chase Headley: 0-2, BB
Cameron Maybin: 1-7, 2B, BB
Will Venable: 1-7, 2B, BB, 4 K

That's 2-for-20, so they can honestly say they keeps it one-hunnit. 78 different players have gone 2-for-20 in a season, including Scott Hairston in 2005, and the awesomely named Lil Stoner in 1922. In case you were wondering, that Twitter handle is taken, but has been out of use since 2010. Research!

All-Star Tyson Ross has faced the Mets once, allowing one run on five hits and no walks over seven innings in a no-decision last season. In addition to the holdovers from that game, Ross also faced the Mets' new old guys back when the three of them were in the American League.

Bobby Abreu: 1-5, BB
Curtis Granderson: 3-7, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
Juan Lagares: 0-3, 3 K
Daniel Murphy: 1-3
Eric Young: 0-4

They add up to a meager 5-for-22, or .227. 71 players have gone 5-for-22 in a season, including Jay Buhner as a rookie with the Yankees and Gil Hodges in his final season with the Mets. Of those 71, nineteen also had two walks, including a rookie for the Astros in 1996... one Bobby Abreu.

Sunday, July 20, 2014: Zack Wheeler vs. Odrisamer Despaigne

Zack Wheeler has faced the Padres twice, receiving no decision last year and taking the loss earlier this season. The list of current Padres he has faced is a short list like those of his fellow starters, because of everyone and his brother being on the disabled list.

Alexi Amarista: 0-1, BB
Chris Denorfia: 2-3, 2B, K
Yasmani Grandal: 1-2
Chase Headley: 2-5, 2B, BB, 2 K
Cameron Maybin: 0-2, K
Seth Smith: 1-2, BB, K
Will Venable, 1-6, 3 K

While 24 plate appearances split between seven guys is about as small as sample sizes get, at least this one leans in the Padres' favor for once. Those seven guys have combined for seven hits in 21 at-bats against Wheeler, a clean .333, or basically an average roadtrip for Tony Gwynn.

Odrisamer Despaigne is still new enough on the scene to have never faced the Mets or anyone on their roster yet, which saves me a bunch of perusing and typing. Hopefully they still have no hits against him when Monday rolls around.

After a first round of interviews the Padres have narrowed the group down to a foursome of potential GMs.

Since the firing of GM Josh Byrnes, the Padres have a number of GM interviews. They put out press releases about 7 candidates who interviewed for the position: Dodgers Vice President of Amateur Scouting Logan White, New York Yankees Assistant General Manager/Pro Personnel Billy Eppler, Texas Rangers Assistant General Manager A.J. Preller, Boston Red Sox Vice President/Assistant General Manager Mike Hazen, San Diego Padres Assistant General Manager Josh Stein and Major League Baseball's Senior Vice President for Baseball Operations Kim Ng. Others have been reported as being interviewed including Former Marlins General Manager Larry Beinfest and Diamondbacks Director of Scouting Ray Montgomery. Now, according to recent reports, the candidates have been narrowed down to a final four that will get a second round of interviews. Here is Fox Sports San Diego and Bleacher Report's Scott Miller reporting just that:

Sources: Finalists for #Padres GM job are #Rangers Preller, #RedSox Hazen, #Yankees Eppler & Kim Ng. 2nd interviews expected next week

— Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) July 17, 2014

Beinfest, Logan White, Ray Montgomery & Josh Stein are out of Padres' GM running

— Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) July 17, 2014

There is also speculation running around about who might be the favorite of the four. ESPN's Jim Bowden weighed in:

According to a source Mike Hazen remains favorite as next GM of #Padres because of relationship with Dee. Then perhaps Towers as Sr. Advisor

— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 17, 2014

The Miller tweets seemed to be based on fact and reality. Others have reported the same. The Bowden tweet is much more open for interpretation. What source would know that kind of information besides the Padres brass and why would they leak a favorite? Similarly with the Towers rumor, Mike Dee has denied that the ownership would force such a hire, so is Bowden implying that Hazen wants Towers. That seems a bit far fetched as well. So take the speculation with huge amounts of salt.

Actually if you go back to Miller's reporting you might be inclined to think that A.J. Preller could be the favorite:

A.J. Preller, assistant GM with #Rangers, said to have had a fabulous first interview with #Padres  for GM job and will interview 2nd time

— Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) July 16, 2014

The former Rockie, Yankee and Angel will take Irving Falu's spot on the roster.

Yesterday, the Padreslost Irving Falu to the Brewers when the Milwaukee club claimed him on waivers. The Padres had already deemed him somewhat expendable by even exposing him to waivers. Now we know why. The club was more interested in having INF Chris Nelson at the major league level. Nelson was signed on a minor league contract a little less than a month ago and has been playing for the El Paso Chihuahuas. He hit .293 with a .422 on base percentage for the West Texas AAA club in 82 at bats.

Nelson was a 1st round draft pick (9th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2004. For reference, that's the year that Matt Bush was selected #1 overall by the Padres. Nelson was drafted out of high school, so he is still just 28 years old. He was once ranked as one of the top 100 prospects in baseball, as high as 26th by Baseball America. With only a couple of exceptions, he has always hit well in the minors and as recently as 2012 it translated into major league success. However, his seasons since have been disappointing. The Rockies shipped him off to the Yankees in 2013 and then later was claimed by the Angels off of waivers. This year he started the season in the Reds minor league system without much success before signing up to play in the Friars' farm system. The Padres have likely had eyes on Nelson for a long time being that he was a big prospect on a rival team and perhaps want to see if they can get him back on track and fill their need for some better hitting from the 2B position at the same time. Nelson also played some 1B for El Paso, so he could slot in there. Another option is put Nelson at his more natural 3B position and give 3B Chase Headley a breather (or perhaps replace him on a regular basis this season if a trade happens).

The Padres now have a full 25 man roster, but a short a pitcher compared to their normal roster compilation. I had speculated that the corresponding move after the Falu loss would be to activate Nick Vincent who had made 2 rehab starts and could come off the DL, but such a move will have to wait.

Padres baseball is back tonight after what felt like the longest All Star Break ever. The boys begin a home series against the Mets tonight to kick off the second "half " of the 2014 season, and Ian Kennedy gets the start in game one.

Kennedy has gone three straight starts without allowing more than two runs. He's also collected 22 strikeouts through those three games while pitching a combined 21 innings. He hasn't had the same luck against the Mets, however, losing each of his last two appearances against them while giving up eight runs through ten innings of work

Opposing Kennedy will be Bartolo Colon, who is 2-2 in four career starts against the Friars. The key for San Diego will be getting to Colon early. The right-hander has the second most first-inning runs allowed (18) in the majors. Eleven of those came over his last four starts. But he'll be facing a Padres team that has the lowest batting average in the league while being shut out 14 times this season.

Hopefully our offense can get the second half started on a high note with a win tonight. Game time is set for 7:10 PT.

The Angels signed their #1 draft pick for near-slot value, and rumors abound that have completed the traded for Huston Street. Going to padres are Taylor Lindsey, RJ Alvarez and two other minor leaguers

The Angels signed their first-round pick in the 2014 MLB amateur player draft, Sean Newcomb, mere hours before the 2pm Friday deadline today.

The down-to-the-wire signing was somewhat mysterious, as Newcomb ended up inking a contract very near the slot value of $2,475,600. He signed for a modest $42k overage on that mark, at $2,518,400. This was a slightly smaller sum than #14 and #16 picks Tyler Beede and Touki Toussaint received, so the month-and-a-half delay earned him and the Angels only lost development time, and less time to socialize with his peers, coaches and catchers. Whether that is due to agency mismanagement (he was repped by the Legacy Agency and Diamond Bar's own Greg Genske) or family and player avarice, we'll never know, but Newcomb got no more than he deserved in the end.

With the Newcomb signing, the Angels managed to sign the top 15 of their 40 picks – a far better result than that of the Houston Astros, who so bungled their negotiations with the first overall pick in the draft, Brady Aiken, that they succeeded in losing him, their fifth-round pick Jacob Nix, and their 21st round pick Mac Marshall in the process.

The 2pm deadline today marks the end of the eligible signing period for the 2014 draft. In addition to their first 15 picks, the Angels managed to sign 35 of their 40 picks. One of those 35, John Mark Connell, was mysteriously released from Orem earlier this month, so the professional baseball life was perhaps not for him. The six players the Angels failed to sign/retain are four more than each of the 2012 and 2013 seasons, but the real get is Newcomb, so it's a passable haul. [Note: I'll offer an analysis soon of the Angels draft overall, and give some profiles on the many (12!) undrafted free agents they've recently pulled in to fill in the gaps and compensate for signing failures.]

All said, our first first-rounder since C.J. Cron has arrived. Sean Newcomb, who only turned 21 last month, immediately becomes the Angels' best prospect. A 6'5" lefty from the University of Hartford, he has a four pitch mix and is often compared physically and stuffwise to Jon Lester, and has the upside of #2 pitcher in a first-division rotation. As a junior, he went 8–2 with a 1.25 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 93.1 innings, and his college bio includes a no-hitter against Yale.

In addition to Sean Newcomb, the Angels have added Chris Volstad on a minor league contract, likely as AAA cannon fodder, and rumors are gusting high and low that the organization may or may not be finalizing a trade with the San Diego Padres for Huston Street. Volstad was briefly signed to a minor league deal last November, but he was released to pitch in Korea, which did not go too well.

Treat this as a live thread, and we will too. Discuss the news here as it breaks ashore.

*** UPDATE ***

In advance of official announcement, it's a 6 player deal.

Coming to LAA: Huston Street and AA RHP Trevor Gott

Going to San Diego: Taylor Lindsey, RJ Alvarez, Jose Rondon and Elliott Morris

*** UPDATE ***

Watch Angels beat reporters, national scribes & blowhards, and amateur aspirants galore as they break out with finger thrusts and finger wags and all sorts of contradictory twiddle:

According to sources the Padres and Angels are close to finalizing a deal that will send Huston Street to the Halos #ESPN

— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 18, 2014

SOURCES: #Angels and #Padres have talked Taylor Lindsey and JB Shuck. Not official yet, but Street likely to be on LAA by end of the night.

— Steve Granado (@SteveGranado) July 18, 2014

From what I've heard, #Angels are one of several teams that "are in" on Huston Street, but no deal has been finalized.

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) July 18, 2014

Sounds like talk of Huston Street to #Angels is premature. It may in fact happen but nothing is imminent.

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) July 18, 2014

Vance Albitz, not @t_lindsey8, playing 2nd and batting 9th for SLC Bees tonight. Do winds blow south for the Angels top infielder?

— Turk's Teeth (@TurksTeeth) July 19, 2014

No Jose Rondon, #TradeDeadline "Lineup @66ersBaseball vs Modesto. pic.twitter.com/itH2QA4qL5"

— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) July 19, 2014

Weird to see Sherman Johnson at SS tonight, & Brian Hernandez playing 3B for Travs. Cowart/Lindsey/Rondon all ghosts. Can't be coincidence.

— Turk's Teeth (@TurksTeeth) July 19, 2014

Sources: #Angels close to acquiring Street, as first reported by @JimBowdenESPNxm. Class AAA 2B Taylor Lindsey expected to head to #Padres.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 19, 2014

In Street talks, Padres said to like 2B Taylor Lindsey and RHP RJ Alvarez.

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) July 19, 2014

Huston Street to angels is being fiinalized

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 19, 2014

Street should be big addition for angels, once finalized. jim bowden. 1st

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 19, 2014

Package going from #Angels to #Padres for Street is expected to be Lindsey plus at least one other player.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 19, 2014

#Angels nearing trade for #Padres closer Huston Street. http://t.co/Y401Bfj6YI

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) July 19, 2014

Source: Deal between #Padres, #Angels is 4-for-2. Street and minor leaguer to Angels. Lindsey, Alvarez and two other minor leaguers to Pads.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 19, 2014

Can confirm, via source, that #Angels sending 2B Taylor Lindsey, RHP R.J. Alvarez and SS Jose Rondon to #Padres for Street. Nice haul.

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) July 19, 2014

Source: Class AA RHP Trevor Gott going with Street from #Padres to #Angels. Sixth round pick in 2013.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 19, 2014

Final deal - Street and Gott to Angels for Lindsey, Alvarez, Rondon and Elliott Morris #ESPN

— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 19, 2014

The sides have agreed on a six-player deal that will send three top prospects to San Diego.

The Los Angeles Angels have acquired Huston Street from the San Diego Padres, both teams announced on Friday night. The Padres will receive prospects Taylor Lindsey, Jose Rondon, R.J. Alvarez and an Elliot Morris in exchange for Street and minor league pitcher Trevor Gott. The deal is likely to be announced after the Padres' game this evening.

The Angels have reportedly been pursuing Street and Padres starter Ian Kennedy in recent days, but the sides were said not to be matching up on a deal for Kennedy. Instead of a bigger deal involving Kennedy, the Angels will part with a good chunk of their farm system to solidify their bullpen with the addition of an All-Star closer in Street.

Street, who recently said that he expected either himself or teammate Joaquin Benoit to be dealt before the trade deadline, has posted a 1.09 ERA and 24 saves in 33 innings with the Padres this season. He has reportedly drawn interest from teams looking for bullpen help such as the Pirates, Orioles and Giants, but now will join an Angels bullpen that has received a boost from new additions Jason Grilli and Joe Thatcher in the last couple of weeks. He will immediately become the team's closer, replacing Joe Smith, who has been strong in the role since taking over for Ernesto Frieri. Street is under team control for next season due to the $7M team option on his contract for 2015.

Gott, 21, is a right-handed reliever who has a combined 2-4 record, 3.56 ERA and 16 saves in 43 innings with High-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio on the season. The 2013 sixth-round pick was not ranked by Baseball America as one of San Diego's top 30 prospects before the season, and projects as a late-inning reliever or closer at the major league level.

Lindsey, who was ranked by Baseball America before the season as the Angels' top prospect, is a second baseman who has hit .247/.323/.400 in 75 games with Triple-A Salt Lake so far this season. The 22-year old was a first-round pick (37th overall) in the 2010 draft and was ranked by Baseball America as the 93rd best prospect in baseball before the season, with his main strength being hitting for contact.

Rondon, 20, entered the season as the Angels' 12th best prospect, according to Baseball America. The shortstop has spent his season with High-A Inland Empire, hitting .327/.362/.418 in 72 games. He has a reputation as a four-tool player who is strong in every category minus power, and is an above-average fielder and runner.

Morris, 22, was 3-3 with a 4.17 ERA in nine starts with Class-A Inland Empire with 40 strikeouts and 28 walks in 45 innings. The Halos selected Morris in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.

Alvarez, who was ranked as the Angels' fourth best prospect after last season, has pitched to a 0.33 ERA in 27 innings out of the bullpen for Double-A Arkansas so far this season. The 23-year old was the Angels' third-round pick in 2012, and has been a consistently good reliever in the minor leagues for his entire career.

The Angels added to the AL West arms race Friday night, acquiring All-Star closer Huston Street from the Padres.

The Los Angeles Angels have acquired All-Star closer Huston Street from the San Diego Padres in a deal that was first reported by ESPN.com's Jim Bowden. In exchange, the Padres will receive four prospects in second baseman Taylor Lindsey, shortstop Jose Rondon, and right-handers RJ Alvarez and Elliot Morris. Also going to the Angels is minor league right-hander Trevor Gott.

The 30-year-old Street has been linked to the Angels quite a bit in recent weeks, as Los Angeles has been open about their search for a back-end reliever. Street is in the midst of a career-year, owning a 1.09 ERA, 319 ERA+, 2.90 FIP, 4.86 K/BB, and 1.6 WAR in 33 innings pitched. Part of Street's considerable trade value is that he carries a $7 million club option for 2015, so the Angels will be acquiring 1.5 years of control rather than just a half-season rental.

Street isn't the first bullpen addition the Angels have made this summer. Late last month, the Angels and Pirates swapped struggling closers, as Los Angeles sent Ernesto Frieri to Pittsburgh in exchange for Jason Grilli. The Angels also acquired Joe Thatcher from the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this month.

Street will likely slot in as the Angels' closer, pushing Joe Smith back into a set-up role, and giving the Angels the relief depth they've lacked all season.

Despite a 57-37 record and being just two games back in the AL West, the Angels' bullpen has been rather dismal this season. The staff's 3.89 ERA is just the 24th best mark in baseball, and their 3.95 FIP is 25th. The Angels have been connected to numerous closers - such as Jonathan Papelbon and Joakim Soria - in recent days, though they were generally all seen as secondary targets to Street.

The Padres seem to have gotten quite a haul, nabbing three prospects (Lindsey, Rondon, and Alvarez) off Baseball Prospectus' Angels top 10 list from earlier this year, as well as a fourth (Morris) who has shown considerable potential this season.

Lindsey, a 2010 first round pick, entered the year regarded by many to be the Angels' top prospect. He even clocked in at number 93 overall on Baseball America' preseason top 100 list. The 22-year-old Lindsey is known for his plus hit tool, which has enabled him to hit .289/.340/.445 in the minor leagues, though he has struggled this season, batting just .248/.323/.399 in 343 plate appearances that have come mostly at the Triple-A level. Adding Lindsey also makes sense for San Diego if they plan on dealing third baseman Chase Headley or letting him walk as a free agent following the season. With Headley gone, San Diego could choose to move current second baseman Jedd Gyorko over to third (the position he came up at as a minor leaguer), allowing Lindsey to take over the major league second base job full-time.

While Lindsey has gotten more national attention, Rondon may in fact be the most talented name headed to the Padres in this deal. The 20-year-old Venezuelan shortstop has had a breakout season at High-A, hitting .327/.362/.418 in 324 plate appearances. His inclusion alone may make this an overpay for the Angels, with ESPN's prospect expert Keith Law tweeting that he wouldn't have done Rondon straight up for Street.

Alvarez, who owns a blistering fastball that works in the mid-90's, profiles as a reliever, but possesses closer potential, and is essentially big league ready. The 23-year-old right-hander has a 0.33 ERA, 12.7 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9 in 27 innings for Double-A Arkansas this season.

Morris may be the least-heralded of the prospects heading San Diego's way, but he isn't nothing. The 22-year-old right-hander was drafted in the 4th round of the 2013 draft by the Angels, and has already reached High-A. In 85.1 innings split between Low and High-A this season, Morris has a 3.27 ERA, 8.9 K/9, and 4.3 BB/9. When all is said and done, he may find himself at the back of somebody's big league rotation.

As for the other player the Angels will receive from San Diego, Gott was a 6th round pick in last year's draft and reached the Double-A level after just 67 pro innings. Gott has a 3.56 ERA, 8.8 K/9, and 3.8 BB/9 in 43 innings pitching out of Lake Elsinore and San Antonio's bullpens this season. Entering the season, Baseball America did not rank Gott among the Padres' 30 best prospects.

Is there anything worse than losing a game after coming from behind to tie it? At least tonight wasn't a total loss. Ian Kennedy and Bartolo Colon were both equally mediocre tonight, with each allowing 4 earned runs in 5 innings. Kennedy fell behind early, giving up three runs in the first, and one run in the third, presumably to generate some sort of numerical symmetry.

The Padres offense entered the bottom of the fifth with just a single to their names, but the left the inning four more singles and four runs. Will Venable led off with a single and advanced to second when Jake Goebbert drew a walk. The pair of Pads executed a double steal (Goebbert's first big league bag). That set up new guy Chris Nelson for an RBI single. Goebbert held up at third, but caution paid off when Alexi Amarista hit another single. That put the tying run on first with nobody out. Colon finally lived up to his name and got his fecal matter together to strike out pinch-hitter Brooks Conrad, and then got Seth Smith to ground out. That still advanced the runners, giving Chase Headley a shot to tie things up, and he did exactly that. A line drive to left field knotted the game at four.

Unfortunately, Joaquin Benoit was burned by the leadoff walk he gave Curtis Granderson in the top of the ninth. He managed to retire the next two Mets, but both were grounders that advanced Granderson. A single by Travis d'Arnaud brought him home, and Jenry Mejia shut down the Padres in the bottom of the inning to wrap things up.

Tyson Ross will take the mound tomorrow against Dillon Gee. First pitch at 5:40 PM.

TheThinGwynn destroyed the competition with 58 comments and 10 recs. You are all inferior!

The Padres traded All-Star closer Huston Street and Trevor Gott for Angels Taylor Lindsey, A.J. Alvarez, Jose Rondon and Elliot Morris.

The reviews of the trade are still coming in from media and bloggers.  In my initial sweep, juust about everyone has liked the deal from the Padres perspective. I do too.  The Padres need to keep trying to get promising prospects from proven talent, until they're stacked and have an actual playoff caliber team.  For that to happen some of these prospects need to start panning out, which hasn't been the case in past trades.

So far this is the The Grand Budapest Hotel of trades for the Padres.

Apologies to RottenTomatoes.com

@KeithLaw
I wouldn't have dealt Jose Rondon for two months (plus an option) of Huston Street straight-up.

@FollowThePadres
#Padres AGM Hinch swung big (and by all accounts, fared very well) in first trade, post-Byrnes.

@WoeDoctor
Padres should just continue to go with the GM by committee. Seems to be working. -- This was a good trade. I'm more surprised than anything.

@MickeyKoke
Tremendous value for Street. All some upside. #Padres

@ChrisCotillo
#Padres got a huge amount of value for Street...and we don't even know the 4th name yet.

@VocalMinorityNV
Trevor Gott is pretty good, but Lindsey, Alvarez, Rondon, and 1 more for Street and Gott is a great deal for the Padres.

Angels acquire All-Star closer Huston Street from Padres - Call to the Pen
The Angels sacrificed a lot of their farm system in order to fortify their bullpen to catch the A.L. West and MLB leading Oakland A’s.

@Hacksaw1090
Consensus scouts...Padres got really good young players..but no major leaguers...Angels paid steep price

@DennisLin

In the midst of his finest season, Huston Street is going to a contender. In return, the Padres received a nice haul.

@BeauTown
On the surface...we win on this deal.

Huston Street Trade is Angels in Win Now Mode - Halos Heaven
None of these four players were on any Top 100 Prospects List. Huston Street was a deserving All Star.

Padres Trade Street for Prospects - Madfriars.com - Scout
In the end, with what San Diego was receiving and with Joaquin Benoit in the bullpen at the big league level, pulling the trigger on this deal was a no-brainer.

In Street deal, Padres three GMs receive four very good prospects - CBSSports.com
"Return for SD very strong," was the way one rival GM summed up the quartet of pitchers R.J. Alvarez and Elliot Morris and infielders Taylor Lindsey and Jose Rondon who went to San Diego for Street and pitching prospect Trevor Gott.

MLB trade deadline: Huston Street to Angels - Beyond the Box Score
What we do know, is that the value coming into the Angels' major league roster doesn't exactly line up with the value exiting their minor league system.

No prospects in the Top #100 were traded.

The Angels acquired relief pitcher Huston Street for four minor leaguers on Friday.

The 2017 Angels might have been hurt by the trade but the 2014 Angels had to make sure that things were as airtight as possible late in the games. If the Angels had acquired Street before the season and let go of Ernesto Frieri they would be in first place by at least four games with the best record in baseball. Street makes a difference now and can be renewed for next season.

This trade makes sense for 2014 and 2015 as Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton have what will likely be their final chances at seasons with an OPS+ over 120. Team that with Mike Trout in his absolute prime and a solid supporting cast and the window is open now but slamming shut in 470 days. Street gives the team the chance to, when healthy, compete as one of the best teams in baseball for the remainder of this season and all of next.

Taylor Lindsey might have been a backup with the Angels in 2015. As it stands now Alex Yarbrough could develop into the everyday 2B by 2017.

Jose Rondon will be the everyday shortstop that the Padres thought they were getting from the Angels when they acquired Alexi Amarista a few years ago. Hey, wait a minute...

RJ Alvarez had a sore elbow earlier this season. There was no structural damage, his stats are off the charts and now he will be saving games for the Padres minor league teams assuming that sore elbow doesn't get sorer or less structural.

Elliot Morris is a work in progress who might just win 20 games for the Padres in the next half-decade. Considering that the Angels signed Sean Newcomb on Friday, last year's fourth-round pitching pick was expendable.

None of these four players were on any Top 100 Prospects List. Huston Street was a deserving All Star. The Angels are in Win Now mode. The Russians are shooting down planes and Iran almost has nukes. Will we even be around in 2017 to see how this trade really fares for our favorite franchise or should we just try to win now before they blow the whole hellacious host of humanity to kingdom come?

To paraphrase Jim Morrison, All I know is that I want to get another ring before the whole shithouse burns down.

Friday night, the San Diego Padres traded veteran closer Huston Street and right-handed pitcher Trevor Gott to the Los Angeles Angels for four prospects: infielders Taylor Lindsey and Jose Rondon and pitchers R.J. Alvarez and Elliot Morris. Here's the scoop on this haul of young talent.


R.J. Alvarez, RHP: Alvarez was a third round pick in 2012 by the Angels, from Florida Atlantic University. He posted a 2.96 ERA with a 79/27 K/BB in 49 innings for High-A Inland Empire in 2013, and has been even better this year with a 0.33 ERA with a 38/10 K/BB in 27 innings for Double-A Arkansas. He has missed several weeks of action this year with a sore elbow, although he's been back in action since late June and pitching effectively.

Alvarez is a 6-1, 200 pound right-hander born June 8, 1991. He has overpowering stuff, featuring a 93-96 MPH fastball and a very good slider, reflected sabermetrically in outstanding K/IP ratios. Alvarez has two problems: erratic control, and high-effort mechanics that worry scouts. He has enough stuff to close if he can sharpen his command and should be at least an effective middle reliever if he avoids physical problems.


Taylor Lindsey, 2B: The Angels drafted Lindsey in the supplemental first round in 2010, from high school in Scottsdale, Arizona. He hit .274/.339/.441 with 17 homers for Arkansas in 2013 and is currently hitting .247/.323/.400 in 295 at-bats for Triple-A Salt Lake City.

Lindsey is a 6-0, 195 pound left-handed hitter born December 2, 1991.He was rated as a pure hitter with moderate power when drafted despite unusual swing mechanics, but his pro performance has been inconsistent, with erratic power production and a rather disappointing batting average/OBP over the last two years. He's shown better strike zone judgment this year although his PCL production overall hasn't been as good as anticipated. On the other hand, his defense at second base has been better than expected and at age 22 there is still time for the bat to blossom.

Elliot Morris, RHP: Morris was a fourth round pick in 2013 from Pierce Community College in Washington state. He opened '14 at Low-A Burlington in the Midwest League, posting a 2.25 ERA with a 44/13 K/BB in 40 innings with just 29 hits allowed. Promoted to Inland Empire in late May, he has a 4.17 ERA with a 40/28 K/BB in 45 innings with 37 hits allowed.

Morris is a 6-4, 210 pound right-hander born April 26, 1992. He had Tommy John surgery in college but has fully recovered, showing a 92-96 MPH fastball with good sinking action. He has a decent slider but his changeup needs work and his overall command needs sharpening. At higher levels he projects as a number four starter if his secondary pitches improve, or a middle relief option if they don't.

Jose Rondon, SS: The Angels signed Rondon out of Venezuela in 2011 for $70,000, part of their attempt to find bargain players on the Latin American market that other teams overlook. He hit .293/.359/.399 in 68 games for Orem in the Pioneer League in 2013. The Angels jumped him up to Inland Empire for 2014, skipping Low-A, and he's more than held his own with a .327/.362/.418 line in 72 games.

Rondon is a 6-0, 160 pound right-handed hitter, born March 3, 1994. He makes contact and does the little ball things like bunting very well for his age. He seldom strikes out and has performed well against older pitching this year, but he lacks strength and power and could also stand to add more patience at the plate. Although scouts rate his range and arm strength as only adequate for shortstop, he has great instincts and makes fewer errors than most infielders in his age group. He would be an excellent defender at second base and isn't bad at shortstop, making him an ideal utility infielder candidate, though it is plausible that he can develop enough offensively to start at some point, given his youth.

Trevor Gott, RHP: The Padres drafted Gott in the sixth round in 2013 from the University of Kentucky. He posted a 3.16 ERA with a 31/9 K/BB in 31 innings this year for High-A Lake Elsinore, collecting 16 saves, followed by a 4.63 ERA with an 11/9 K/BB in 12 innings after being promoted to Double-A San Antonio.

Gott is a 6-0, 190 pound right-hander born August 26, 1992. He has a 92-94 MPH fastball, hitting 95-96 at times, and mixes in an average slider, collecting plenty of ground balls with both pitches. He needs to improve his command and profiles as a middle reliever at higher levels, perhaps with a chance to close if the command sharpens.

ANALYSIS: This seems reasonable for both teams to me. The Angels acquire a "proven closer" to help them for the stretch run. This draws down talent from their weak farm system, but if you're in a "win now" mode that's defensible.While none of the prospects received by the Padres are outstanding, they all have the potential to be useful components of a big league team. Alvarez has a high ceiling as a bullpen option if he stays healthy, while Rondon and Lindsey provide good depth up the middle. Morris for Gott is a wash.