There had been some chatter that the Padres would stay quiet at the trade deadline. Their biggest trade chits (Quentin, Street, Gregerson, Thatcher) were all under contract or team control for 2014, so there was no hurry to trade any of them. However, we knew the Padres were laser focused on getting a proven starting pitcher who would be under contract or team control for the next couple of years. So when a deal emerged that would get them that they pulled they trigger. Padres.com reporter Corey Brock reported the following deadline for the Friars.
The #Padres deal with the #Dbacks: Get RHP Ian Kennedy for LHP Joe Thatcher, RHP Matt Stites (Double-A) and a draft pick (comp B).
— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) July 31, 2013
Ian Kennedy is a starter that has had success in the major leagues. He is under team control through the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He came at a cost the Padres could live with. He makes all the sense in the world in that regard. The one catch is that his ERA is quite high this year. 5.23 to be exact. Some more in depth analysis of statistics like FIP and BABIP will tell you that he's due to bounce back (at some point) to where he was before 2013. That's what the Padres will have to bank on. And considering that he was pretty darn good in 2011 and 2012, it seems worth giving up a situational reliever with one year left before free agency, a promising AA relief pitcher and a draft pick in 2014.
The other thing people may bring up about Kennedy is that, like Carlos Quentin, he caused some kerfuffle with the rival Dodgers this season. He hit a Dodger player in the head and caused Zack Greinke to retaliate against a DBacks player, which Kennedy escalated further by hitting Greinke. He was given a 10 game suspension by Major League Baseball for his wrongdoings. I can't condone Kennedy's actions. Those pitches were dangerous and inexcusable and I will never find what he did acceptable. Having both Kennedy and Quentin on the same team is going to ruffle more than few Dodger feathers. Let's just say that the rivalry ante has been upped.
I would expect Kennedy to make his debut on either Sunday or Tuesday since he just pitched yesterday. Sunday would be against the Yankees, the team that drafted him out of USC. It also makes sense since he would replace Sean O'Sullivan in the rotation.
