Results tagged ‘ Adrian Gonzalez ’
Do either Bell and/or Gonzalez have to go?
When I spoke with Padres general manager Kevin Towers last week, he essentially indicated that the team would be reluctant to move Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
If you’re a Padres fan, do you agree with this? Do you think holding onto Bell and Gonzalez is the best way for the team to make that hard climb back toward being a .500 team or better in 2010?
Or would you rather see the Padres deal away one of these two players for a haul of players who could impact the roster in 2010, position players and/or pitchers? Players who are young and under team control and will be in San Diego for a while. Players who can help now and in the future.
Is that something you, as a Padres fan, are willing to consider?
Understand that in Bell, you have a 31-year-old reliever who is having a monster season. He’s arbitration-eligible, meaning he’s in for a fairly big payday (unless the team signs him to a multi-year deal).
The haul of talent you would receive for Bell wouldn’t be nearly that if, say, you traded away Gonzalez, but it could fetch you possibly two players who could help you in the future. Is that worth trading away your All-Star closer?
How about Gonzalez? Yes, I know he’s a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner. He’s from San Diego, fans love him, even for his summer slump, he’s a very good hitter and a very good players. There’s no disputing that.
But imagine if you sold high on Gonzalez right now what that could net you in return. Three or four players, some Major League ready, some close, maybe some top-level prospect to help fill a system that is currently devoid of such players.
Here’s the deal: The Padres will never be a team that makes a big splash in free agency due to the contracts these players command AND get. Promoting from within is a great way to go but as evidenced by this season, those players ARE already here. If there’s hope coming from the farm system, it’s not going to be here this year or possibly even next.
Then isn’t the best way to immediately improve your team through a trade? Do you trade one of these guys, both or circle the wagons, say that these are your building blocks and go into 2010 with essentially the same group (albeit it healthier)?
This is all food for thought. There is no advocating a deal here, just presenting all sides. What do you think?
Cheers, Corey
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Floyd destroys BP and a potential new pitcher …
Happy Thursday from Peoria, where it’s finally getting warm here and the camp is abuzz with pitchers, catchers and position players, who went through their first official workouts thus far.
I’ve got some footage of a few hitters below, including newcomer Cliff Floyd as well as Chase Headley, who I will profile in a story on Padres.com later today. Floyd destroyed a few balls today and showed a quick bat. What does that mean on Feb. 19? Who knows?
Also, I’m hearing today that the Padres are closing in on a Minor League deal with a starting pitcher, 32-year-old Walter Silva, who got a full endorsement from Adrian Gonzalez after they played together in the Caribbean World Series early this month.
Silva’s contract is currently owned by a team in Monterrey but it appears he could be a Padre, possibly as soon as tomorrow. As always, we’ll have the details here first.
Silva was 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in the Caribbean World Series and will be added to the mix of pitchers who are trying to land the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in the starting rotation.
Edgar Gonzalez, who played with Silva in the Caribbean World Series, said Silva sits around 89-91 and can throw 93 with a mean cut-fastball.
Cheers, Corey
Edgar Gonzalez to possibly skip the WBC …
I just talked to infielder Edgar Gonzalez and he said he’s trying to figure out if he’s going to be playing for Mexico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Here’s a few graphs from a story that will be posted later on Padres.com.
PEORIA, Ariz. – Edgar Gonzalez is torn between playing for his native Mexico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic and staying put in Peoria to train with the Padres in March.
Gonzalez, the older brother of Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, said Wednesday that he is considering skipping playing for Mexico is he’s not assured of a starting job playing second base.
“I want to be assured of reasonable at-bats because I need them to get ready for when I come back [to Spring Training],” Gonzalez said. “If I’m over there sitting on the bench, that doesn’t help me.”
Gonzalez said he has already had one conversation with Team Mexico manager Vinny Castilla about the situation and was told that “he [Castilla] was going to figure out who exactly is playing and that he would get back to me.”
The deadline for official rosters is Feb. 24, though Gonzalez hopes to hear from Castilla by Feb. 21. Gonzalez is hopeful Castilla calls with good news.
“I want to represent my country and this only happens every four years. It’s a big thing for everyone in Mexico. I would love to play. But if not … I’ll gladly stay here and have fun,” said Gonzalez, who represented Mexico earlier this month in the Caribbean World Series in Mexicali.
Adrian Gonzalez is still planning on playing in the World Baseball Classic.
Cheers, Corey
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