You're the GM, what is your one move? ...
We started this discussion this morning on my Twitter, http://twitter.com/FollowThePadres, and we'll continue it here.
First off, thanks for the suggestions and input. I value it greatly and want to keep that discussion going. So, as always, free free to leave comments here or on the Twitter page.
I asked you today if you could make one more to improve the team, what would it be. Some of the answers were good, some were funny and some were unrealistic. But a good sample size, nonetheless.
Here's what we have so far: I've provided some commentary for each.
** Sign Tony Gwynn circa 1994 -- OK, I think we'd all take that and feel good about it, right?
** Fire Sandy! -- OK, he's already gone. No need to pile on.
** Call up Wade LeBlanc & Kyle Blanks -- Eh, I'm not sure that's the answer. Not yet on Blanks.
** Fire Bud Black -- He's he the problem?
** Get rid of Duaner Sanchez and bring up a AAA relief pitcher -- Good call. Could happen today.
** What if you trade Bushmann and/or Leblanc to the Nationals for their first pick which would then give us Strassburg -- Huh?
** Give Marty Caswell the ball -- Could be exciting.
** I recall Luis Durango and release Brian Giles -- Durango, 19 steals, .448 OBP. Hmmmm.
** Kouz down, Venable up, Chase to third, venable in center batting leadoff and hairston/gerut/giles in the corners -- Interesting. I'm not sure I'm giving up on Kouz yet. But I like some of these ideas. Corey's thought? Why doesn't anyone talk about Macias?
** Firing Black is a poor idea. A new manager doesn't get a bullpen to stop sucking or a lineup to start hitting. -- Thank you.
** Fire Balsley and the rest of the middle relievers, and get some REAL staff. I bet a LL lineup would do better. -- Ugh
** I still like benching Giles and making the outfield Headley/Hairston/Gerut. -- Could see more of that.
** Cut Giles. Trade Kouz for any type of pitching possible, Bring up Blanks, Venable, Burker, De Hoyos, Thatcher, Leblanc. -- That's a white-flag waving moment. Not sure they'll go for that.
** Recall SS Lance Zawadzki from Lake Elsinore. -- Nine bombs, hitting .330. I kind of like it BUT he needs more seasoning.
** Trade kouz for some ml ready pitching.-- You might be able to do this, but I feel like you would be selling low on Kouz. Plus, everyone is looking for pitching.
That's what we have so far. Leave a comment. What move do you like best?
My thoughts?: I'm going with the get a new reliever in here and move one out (you can likely guess who I'm talking about). Offensively, this team needs a spark, no doubt about that. But the player who can give you that TODAY is Macias, not any other Minor Leaguer, like Blanks who still has holes in his swing (makes sense, he's 22) and still needs seasoning in the OF. As for the long-term outlook for guys like Kouzmanoff and Giles, we'll see. I generally don't think teams like waving a white flag, it's an admission that "we screwed up."
Cheers, Corey
First off, thanks for the suggestions and input. I value it greatly and want to keep that discussion going. So, as always, free free to leave comments here or on the Twitter page.
I asked you today if you could make one more to improve the team, what would it be. Some of the answers were good, some were funny and some were unrealistic. But a good sample size, nonetheless.
Here's what we have so far: I've provided some commentary for each.
** Sign Tony Gwynn circa 1994 -- OK, I think we'd all take that and feel good about it, right?
** Fire Sandy! -- OK, he's already gone. No need to pile on.
** Call up Wade LeBlanc & Kyle Blanks -- Eh, I'm not sure that's the answer. Not yet on Blanks.
** Fire Bud Black -- He's he the problem?
** Get rid of Duaner Sanchez and bring up a AAA relief pitcher -- Good call. Could happen today.
** What if you trade Bushmann and/or Leblanc to the Nationals for their first pick which would then give us Strassburg -- Huh?
** Give Marty Caswell the ball -- Could be exciting.
** I recall Luis Durango and release Brian Giles -- Durango, 19 steals, .448 OBP. Hmmmm.
** Kouz down, Venable up, Chase to third, venable in center batting leadoff and hairston/gerut/giles in the corners -- Interesting. I'm not sure I'm giving up on Kouz yet. But I like some of these ideas. Corey's thought? Why doesn't anyone talk about Macias?
** Firing Black is a poor idea. A new manager doesn't get a bullpen to stop sucking or a lineup to start hitting. -- Thank you.
** Fire Balsley and the rest of the middle relievers, and get some REAL staff. I bet a LL lineup would do better. -- Ugh
** I still like benching Giles and making the outfield Headley/Hairston/Gerut. -- Could see more of that.
** Cut Giles. Trade Kouz for any type of pitching possible, Bring up Blanks, Venable, Burker, De Hoyos, Thatcher, Leblanc. -- That's a white-flag waving moment. Not sure they'll go for that.
** Recall SS Lance Zawadzki from Lake Elsinore. -- Nine bombs, hitting .330. I kind of like it BUT he needs more seasoning.
** Trade kouz for some ml ready pitching.-- You might be able to do this, but I feel like you would be selling low on Kouz. Plus, everyone is looking for pitching.
That's what we have so far. Leave a comment. What move do you like best?
My thoughts?: I'm going with the get a new reliever in here and move one out (you can likely guess who I'm talking about). Offensively, this team needs a spark, no doubt about that. But the player who can give you that TODAY is Macias, not any other Minor Leaguer, like Blanks who still has holes in his swing (makes sense, he's 22) and still needs seasoning in the OF. As for the long-term outlook for guys like Kouzmanoff and Giles, we'll see. I generally don't think teams like waving a white flag, it's an admission that "we screwed up."
Cheers, Corey
We can keep Buddy (for now) but as a frustrated fan its annoying to read his "gee golly willkers" type responses to the losses in the Trib. Some butts need to be kicked and I am talking about you Giles making the third out at 3rd down by 2 runs
Send Kouz to AAA. Move Headley to 3rd and call up Venable instead off Blanks. Hopefully Blanks can get a mini tryout in June as a DH during interleague.
Cut Sanchez and Perdomo. Call up Burke and another arm from the minors.
Hopefully KT can find a real shortstop. Burke is not the answer with the glove or the bat.
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Corey-
I actually agree with your prescription. But I take issue with your thinking that wholesale change would be an admission of failure. Fact is, the Padres' goal with their current roster was to trim payroll to around $40 million -- and they succeeded in doing that. Wholesale change, therefore, would simply be an admission that you can't win by trimming more than $30 million from your payroll if you do not have any top-notch triple-A'ers ready to step up.
But at this point, the Padres still don't have any great young talent with which to make wholesale changes. And, since they refused to make piecemeal changes here and there -- waiving Giles, sending Kooz to Portland -- while insisting on "track records," they've allowed these two guys to poison the entire clubhouse (although John Moores got a head start on that during he offseason). So if they bring up Banks or Durango, or even a pitcher or two, these guys are gonna be immediately enveloped by all the frustration and negative energy of the Padres' lockerroom. The end result will be they lose a year in their development; you don't want to turn your best prospects into losers.
So you're right. The Padres simply have to stick with what they've got at this point and go for that top pick in next summer's draft -- and the top pick in December's Rule 5 draft.
By the way, Bud Black should have been fired at the end of last year; his team seriously underperformed. But he wasn't. And firing him now would be to blame him for the sorry-*** roster that Kevin Towers put together. I just don't think Kevin Towers is the type to blame someone else for something he did. The real problem was John Moores' cheap-bastardness.
Can't we run the guy out of town for failing to live up to his contractual obligations? He did promise a competitive team if we build him a stadium, and we built him a stadium.
Sue the fat pig!
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Venable is struggling at AAA with more strike outs than hits and both Gerut AND Hairston are better hitters and fielders than Venable.
Venable MIGHT be a better hitting #5 outfielder than Macias, but the difference between them defensively more than makes up for any advantage Venable has with the bat. That is probably why Macias has been called up to be the #5 OF.
I can't see any conditions where Venable will be called up and get the starting job. Maybe Blanks will get a starting job in the OF later in the year if he plays well and Kouzmanoff has improved enough with the bat to be trade bait.
Play Giles nearly every day and put him near the top of the lineup. Giles has hit well for 15 seasons. He deserves the benefit of the doubt and there is this little thing called "Regression towards the mean". Meaning Giles will have a streak where he hits enough OVER his career average to make up for the slump he has been in before the season is out and will end up near his career average.
Fire Black. His JOB is to get the hitters to relax and hit and to know when to bring pitchers into the game. Its his JOB to know that Meredith absolutely SUCKS with men on base and not to bring him in during those situations. Its his JOB to inspire and motivate this crew. He has FAILED at his job.
Give Headley a few games at 3B and get him taking ground balls in practice. We al know that eventually Kouzmanoff or Headley is going to be traded with Kouzmanoff the front runner.
So give Kouz a few days off and let Headley start against RHP that Kouzmanoff does not match up well against so WHEN the trade happens, Headley is ready to step in. Instead of having him coming in cold without having played the position regularly since 2007 and not practicing at all at the position this season.
As for those idiots that are saying this was Moores fault that the payroll was slashed, I have one question to ask and a statement to make.
You have never had to split assets in a divorce have you?
Realize that the divorce proceedings are at fault, not Moores. It wasn't by choice that the cuts in payroll were made.
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