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BARGAIN-BASEMENT SHOPPER posted 6/15/08 by Jason Martinez When the Padres were struggling terribly throughout the first 50 games of the season, Padre fans were calling for some major changes on the roster. And while GM Kevin Towers finally reached the point where he agreed, saying that major changes would come if the team didn't improve, it was the minor transactions he made that have this team headed in the right direction. Here's an analysis of the transactions, beginning April 23rd: 4/23/08 - Claimed pitcher Josh Banks off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays - The Padres brought over Banks, a top prospect for the Blue Jays a few years back, with the idea of converting him to a reliever. After struggling in his first few relief appearances with Portland, he was moved to the rotation, where he pitched well in two of his three starts. Called up to the big leagues to help out a bullpen that had been a disaster, Banks found himself in the rotation soon after because of injuries to Chris Young, Jake Peavy, and Shawn Estes. With a 1.29 ERA in his first 28 innings, Banks has been one of the major reasons this team has been able to turn things around. 5/09/08 - Purchased the contract of pitcher Shawn Estes from Portland - Most people were surprised that Estes made it out of spring training without being released. He was awful. But all we kept hearing from Estes and the coaching staff was that Estes was throwing the ball well. I guess they were right. After winning 4 of 6 starts in Portland, the team called up Estes to assume the #5 starter role. In his first three starts, the 35 year-old lefty had an ERA of 2.55 and allowed just 12 hits in 17.2 innings. Unfortunately, he is out for an extended period of time with a broken thumb but could help the team sometime after the all-star break. 5/09/08 - Released outfielder Jim Edmonds; recalled outfielder Jody Gerut from Portland - Edmonds was a disaster. He couldn't hit and he lacked range in the outfield. And while he's finally starting to hit the ball better (.297 BA, 2 HR, 13 RBI) for the Cubs, the Padres did not have the luxury of waiting around to find out if Edmonds still had something left in the tank. While Padre fans were hoping Towers would trade for a young center fielder who could run, they went with 30 year-old Jody Gerut, who had been signed in the off-season after missing two full seasons with injuries. So far, Gerut looks like the player everyone thought he would be after a strong rookie campaign with Cleveland. As far as I'm concerned, they can pencil in Gerut in center field for the next few years. He has made me a believer. 5/11/08 - Acquired pitcher Bryan Corey from the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named or cash - On a radio interview earlier in the day, Towers had mentioned that an acquisition was close for another reliever. He sounded pretty excited about it, too. As bad as the bullpen had been, I expected something big to go down. So when I heard it was Bryan Corey, a 34 year-old journeyman that been DFA'd by Boston, I wasn't exactly filled with joy. Maybe I should have been, because Corey has helped to solidify the bullpen with a 3.12 ERA in 16 appearances and has established himself as the 7th inning bridge to Heath Bell and Trevor Hoffman. 5/12/08 - Purchased the contract of IF Edgar Gonzalez from Portland - Adrian's older brother was signed in the off-season but didn't make the team out of spring training, even though he was hitting the ball well. After batting .293 with 4 home runs and a .392 OBP in AAA Portland, Gonzalez got his first call to the big leagues after spending parts of nine seasons in the minors. Now, it looks like he's here to stay. He's batting .333 in his first 69 at bats and is 14-for-34 (.412 BA) since taking over as the starting 2B for the injured Tadahito Iguchi, including five multi-hit games in a row. 5/29/08 - Acquired pitcher Cha Seung Baek from the Seattle Mariners for pitcher Jared Wells - Great! Towers acquires a pitcher that was DFA'd by the Mariners, a team that had been among the worst in baseball. But after Baek struck out the side in his Padre debut, I thought, "Towers has done it again". His bullpen stay didn't last very long. Injuries forced him into the starting rotation just a few days later. He struggled against the Cubs, one of the stronger offenses in the league, in his first start but has bounced back with two terrific starts (13 IP, 4 ER, 9 H) against the Mets and Indians. decisions to make soon. |