Josh Byrnes interview with Lee Hamilton and Jay Paris (MP3)
- Josh Byrnes keeps a call log of all of his trade discussions. This trade with the Rays was worked out over the course of 3 months and 30 phone calls.
- The Padres have developed a standard for each position. They try to stay in talks when a player is above their standard, otherwise they'll try to solve the problem internally with current Padres players. Alex Torres was a player the Padres had targeted all along.
- Alex Torres is "more of a 'stuff' guy". They've added more of those types in recent years. The knock on him in the minors is that he was a little wild. He's usually between 92-95. He has an above average change-up and effective slider so he can get both righties and lefties out.
- Byrnes isn't sure if Torres' pitch command (executing pitches) is that great, but he has good control (throwing strikes) and so he'll get outs.
- The Padres' scouts have liked Jesse Hahn for a number of years. He had Tommy John surgery which hurt his draft stock. The scouts think he's back to where he was before his injury.
- Byrnes has traded 12 pitchers since August 1st. The Padres were dealing from a position of depth. "A lot went out but a lot came in."
- Byrnes says it's safe to assume that the team will go into the season without a multi-year deal with Chase Headley.