Adams, Ludwick...traded

The Padres sent Mike Adams to Texas for a couple of minor-league starting pitchers, 20-year-old left-hander Robbie Erlin and 21-year-old right-hander Joe Wieland, both of whom were at Double-A Frisco.
Erlin was considered a B prospect and Wieland a C-plus prospect before the season. Some people in baseball says of the deal that “the Padres just added two major league quality pitchers to the mix.”

Both prospects have seen their stock rise in the eyes of some evaluators. This may or may not mean anything, but it’s worth noting that people who are paid to pay attention to such things like what they see.

As for Adams, it’s really tough to see him go. The Padres got him for almost nothing and helped turn him into one of baseball’s elite relievers. But I can see why the Padres traded him, as dominant as Mike Adams has been over the past few years, I can't really see how critical it is to protect an eighth-inning lead when the team is over 14 games back. It is clear that the Padres have given up on the season and thing of the future.

In the day’s other trade, San Diego sent outfielder Ryan Ludwick to the Pirates for a player to be named later or cash considerations. This, I think, was a good move. Trading Ludwick clears a spot for some of the young players to get at-bats.

It also clears salary. Between the two players, the Padres save a little more than $3 million, which could prove useful over the next couple of weeks as they try to sign all of their draft picks by the August 15 deadline.

The Padres didn’t give up much to get Ludwick from St. Louis at this time last year, he didn’t do much while he was here (659 PA, .228/.301/.358, 87 OPS+) and he didn’t fetch much on his way out of town.

Ludwick’s departure, whatever or whomever else it might bring, paves the way for any number of young outfielders to get a shot at left field. Kyle Blanks, Aaron Cunningham, James Darnell, and Blake Tekotte all appear to be worthy candidates. Cunningham is expected to replace Ludwick on the roster, with 24-year-old right-hander Robert Hamren being recalled from Double-A San Antonio to take Adams’ spot.

Former Padres' Manager Dick Williams dead at age 82....

Former San Diego Padres manager from 1982-85, Dick Williams died in Henderson, Nevada on Thursday afternoon, due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm. He was 82.

San Diego was one of six managerial stops for Williams, who led the Padres to the first of their two National League pennants in 1984. The Padres lost to Detroit in five games in the World Series.

Williams won two World Series titles with Oakland (1972, 1973), as well as pennants with the Padres and Boston (1967) and also led Montreal to its only playoff experience in the strike-shortened 1981 season.

Williams had an overall record of 1,571-1,451 in 21 seasons as a major league manager, also spending time with the Angels and Seattle Mariners. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008 after being elected by the Veterans Committee.

His record with the Padres was 337-311 over four seasons. He is the only manager in the history of the Padres not to experience a losing season.

Williams was a tough manager. “They don’t make him like Dick anymore,” said former teammate and former Padres manager Don Zimmer.

Current Giants third base coach and former Padre Tim Flannery remembers being called into Williams’ office in 1982.

“He said, ‘You’re the worst player I ever had,’ ” Flannery said. “ ‘You can’t hit. You can’t run. You can’t throw. Oh, you hustle, but you can’t do nothin’ else. You’re in there tonight, but I’m looking for another second basemen, so don’t screw up.’ ”

But two seasons later, Williams told Flannery he’d be a Padre as long as Williams was managing the club.

Which wasn’t that long. Williams chafed at what he considered outside interference from then-Padres President Ballard Smith and GM Jack McKeon. The breaking point came during the 1985-86 offseason when Williams fought off suggestions he should make changes to his hand-picked coaching staff.

The club that went 175-149 for Williams in 1984-85 went 74-88 for Steve Boros in 1986 after Williams’ left the team.

Williams joined Hall of Famer Bill McKechnie as the only managers ever to take three franchises to the World Series.

The 1972-73 A’s were the first team since the 1961-62 Yankees to repeat as world champions. Williams resigned after the 1973 season because he was upset with the meddling of A’s owner Charlie Finley.

Before coming to Oakland, Williams was part of Boston’s memorable “Impossible Dream” team in 1967 that won the pennant for the first time since 1946 before losing the World Series in seven games to St. Louis.

A former infielder, Williams played 13 years in the majors for the Dodgers, Orioles, Indians, A’s and Red Sox. He had a .260 career average with 70 homers and 331 RBI as mostly a part-time player. He retired after the 1964 season and soon began his career as a manager.

Rest in peace Dick and thank you for the great memories of the '84 season....

Heath Bell ties Trevor with 41 straight saves

Heath Bell's save tied him with all-time leader Trevor Hoffman for the franchise record. It also tied Bell with Hoffman and Rod Beck for fourth place on the all-time consecutive saves list.

"It's a huge honor that my name is in the same sentence with Trevor Hoffman," Bell said. "I know my answer is really boring, but for right now, it's just another save."

Congratulations, Heath....

Padres win their home opener...

Patience at the plate combine with good pitching of native Aaron Harang, turned out to be the difference Tuesday afternoon as the Padres scored a 3-1 win over the reigning world champion San Francisco Giants before 43,146 atPetco Park.

"Walks done right can be just as important as run-scoring hits," Padres hitting coach Randy Ready said this spring while preaching the gospel of "selectivity" in Arizona.

With the score tied 1-1 and runners on first and second with two out in the third, Ludwick came back out of an 0-and-2 hole Madison Bumgarner to draw a 10-pitch, bases-loading walk.

Headley then worked through eight pitches to draw the walk that forced home the decisive run.

Even Bumgarner was impressed by the Padres' "selectivity."

"I made some good pitches," said the left-hander who pitched the Giants' World Series-clinching win last November. "They put together some good at-bats.

"Their hitters did a fantastic job. They spoiled all the good pitches."

"Friar Ball," is how Ludwick described the three-run third off Bumgarner, who retired the Padres in his first two innings on a total of 29 pitches.

The Padres' three-run third consumed 41 Bumgarner pitches.

The frustration by Bumgarner might have resulted in the Padres' final run.

After Headley's walk forced in the second run, Chris Denorfia topped a ball in front of the plate. Bumgarner fielded the ball with plenty of time to make a play at first. But the ball flew out of his hand as he turned toward first -- the play was ruled a hit.

Nick Hundley opened the inning with the first of his three hits and was sacrificed to second by Harang. Jason Bartlett then drew an eight-pitch walk from Bumgarner before Orlando Hudson singled to load the bases.

Jorge Cantu tied the score with a wicked liner of a sacrifice fly to left.

That brought up Ludwick, who was down to his last strike after two pitches. He fouled off four of the next eight pitches en route to his fourth walk in as many games -- including a bases-loaded walk against the Cardinals.

That walk brought Headley to the plate. PaBumgarner fell behind with a pair of balls before firing three straight strikes, two of which Headley fouled off. Bumgarner just missed with the next two pitches, Bartlett trotting home from third.

Meantime, Harang held the Giants to one run on six hits over six innings while the bullpen troika of Luke Gregerson, Mike Adams and Heath Bell closed out the Padres' third win in four games.

Trevor Hoffman threw the ceremonial first pitch...

The Padres brought back some former Padres onto the Petco Park infield during yesterday's home opener pregame festivities.

They started out with 93-year-old George McDonald, of the Padres’ Pacific Coast League days, rolled out in a wheelchair. Then came “Downtown” Ollie Brown, Randy Jones, Garry Templeton and Mark Loretta.

Then AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” started playing, the center field bullpen gate opened and out came Trevor Hoffman. The place went nuts, including Padres relief pitchers, who stopped on their way to the bullpen and applauded Trevor.

Trevor’s brother and Padres third-base coach Glenn Hoffman caught Trevor’s ceremonial first pitch. “I considered burying it in the dirt,” joked Trevor Hoffman, “but I threw a low strike.”

Padres win behind a great performance by Clayton Richard

The Padres win again and have a chance for their first season-opening sweep since 1984.

Pitcher Clayton Richard had two RBIs to match his career high without getting the ball out of the infield and pitched six solid innings in an 11-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. The Padres broke it open with a six-run fifth that included four hits, four walks and a sacrifice fly.

Padres wins season opener in 11th...

Playing small ball paid off for the San Diego Padres.

Cameron Maybin tied it with a two-out homer in the ninth inning, then grounded a single that led to the go-ahead run in the 11th  in a 5-3 opening win over the Cardinals.

The Padres managed just two hits the first seven innings but scored two runs, and then capitalized on the Cards fielding error.

Cardinals star Albert Pujols an awful start to the season. He grounded into a career-worst three double plays while going 0 for 5 while five men on base.

"Definitely we had our chances," Pujols said. "A couple times we had men in scoring position and I didn't do my job."

Matt Holliday homered in the eighth and had three hits for St. Louis. The Cardinals played extra innings on Opening Day for the first time since a 4-2, 10-inning home loss to the Mets in 1992. The last Padres' opener that went extras was in 1996 during a 5-4 loss at Chicago.

It was tied up at 3 when Chase Headley singled off Bryan Augenstein with two outs in the 11th. Maybin followed with a single through the right side and Theriot bobbled right fielder Jon Jay's bounced relay back to the infield.

Headley kept running and made a headfirst slide to beat the throw home. Nick Hundley added an RBI single for the Padres.

Pat Neshek (1-0) worked around two walks in the 10th and Heath Bell needed only 10 pitches for the save.

Maybin's solo home run came off a curveball from Ryan Franklin, who went 27 for 29 in save situations last season.

The Cardinals outhit San Diego 10-2 the first six innings but hit into three double plays, two by Pujols, and were 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position. Three times they put the first two men on, but totaled one run.

The Padres erased their second one-run deficit on Hundley's two-out, RBI double in the fifth. The Cardinals almost made it out of the inning the previous at-bat when Maybin struck out with Ryan Ludwick running on a full count.

Ludwick looked like an easy out at second, but he rattled the ball out of second baseman Skip Schumaker's glove, what Schumaker called a "perfect knockdown," for a stolen base.

Padres unveil their new camouflage uniform

The Padres unveiled their new camouflage jerseys on Tuesday and there's already some speculation that the team's attention to detail might prove to be a little too effective in 2011.

While the Padres have worn two other camouflage jerseys since adopting the tradition in 2000, the previous versions used bolder prints worn by the Army and Navy. These new threads are meant to honor the Marines, these Marine Patterns

Padres sign Jorge Cantu

The San Diego Padres announced yesterday that they have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with infielder Jorge Cantu and have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with right-handed pitcher Greg Burke with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Cantu, 28, spent the 2010 season between the Florida Marlins and Texas Rangers, hitting a combined .256 (121-for-472) with 11 home runs, 29 doubles, 56 RBI and 50 runs scored in 127 games played. In each of the previous two seasons with the Marlins he produced at least 95 RBI while setting a career-high with 29 home runs in 2008. The right-handed hitting infielder started 123 games last season, 86 at third base.

Burke, 28, spent the entire 2010 season with Triple-A Portland, going 2-2 with a 5.68 ERA (37 ER/58.2 IP) and 46 strikeouts against 21 walks over 53 appearances.

Padres sign reliever Chad Qualls

The Padres signed reliever Chad Qualls to a $2.55 million, one-year contract.

Qualls split last season between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays, going 3-4 with a 7.32 ERA in 70 appearances. He converted 12 saves in 16 opportunities for the Diamondbacks before being traded to the Rays on July 31.

The right-hander joins an outstanding bullpen that helped keep the Padres in playoff contention until the final day of the regular season. He gets a $1.5 million salary this year and the deal includes a $6 million club option for 2012 with a $1.05 million buyout.

Trevor Hoffman retires at 43 and returns home

PADRES — Baseball's all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman has thrown his final changeup, deciding at age 43 to retire and return home to the San Diego Padres in a front office job.

Known for his high leg kick, menacing glare and deceptive changeup, Trevor recorded 601 saves in 18 seasons, 15 1/2 of them with the Padres.

"It was a little bit of self-reflection, trying to be honest with where I was at in my career skill-wise, and realizing that it was a time for a change, a change in venue, in a sense," Trevor told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "It's turning the page, a new chapter in my life."

Hoffman had a difficult 2010 season with the Brewers. "It was a tough year, and I didn't want to make it off how things turned out," he said. "I wanted to see how it played out in the offseason. The new year is the time to crank it up and get ready for the new season."

Brad Hawpe to play first base for the Padres

It was reported Friday that the Padres have agreed to a one-year contract with Brad Hawpe to play first base.

Hawpe will replace three-time All-Star Adrian Gonzalez, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox earlier this month. Hawpe has mostly been an outfielder in seven big league seasons, with a handful of starts at first base. He was released by the Rockies in August and signed by the Rays.

The Padres had to go outside the organization to replace Gonzalez because Anthony Rizzo, one of the prospects obtained from Boston, isn't expected to be ready for perhaps a season.

Kyle Blanks, once considered the heir apparent to Gonzalez, had reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in late July and is expected to be sidelined until perhaps midseason. Before he got hurt, Blanks had been moved to left field to give him playing time.

Hawpe hit a combined .245 with nine homers and 44 RBIs last year. He was an All-Star in 2009 with Colorado, hitting .285 with 23 homers and 86 RBIs.

John Abbamondi was hired as the new VP of the Padres

The San Diego Padres hire former St. Louis Cardinals assistant general manager John Abbamondi as the VP of strategy and business analysis.

Abbamondi was the Cardinals' assistant GM for three seasons after spending four years with Major League Baseball's labor relations department, where he rose to senior director of labor economics.

A former U.S. Navy pilot, John Abbamondi is a graduate of MIT and Stanford's business school. He will start work with the Padres next month.

Padres sign 2B Orlando Hudson

It's final, the Padres announced today that they have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with infielder Orlando Hudson for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

Hudson, 33, spent the 2010 season with the Minnesota Twins and hit .268 (133-for-497) with six home runs, 24 doubles, five triples, 37 RBI, 80 runs scored and 10stolen bases in 126 games played. He started 123 games at second base last season, where he has a career .986 fielding percentage in 1,121 games. The switch-hitter is a two-time All-Star, most recently with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009, and four-time Rawlings Gold Glove award winner.

Padres traded for SS Bartlett and close to a deal with 2B Hudson

Source: Padres

The Padres may have addressed two of their biggest needs of the offseason -- finding a starting shortstop and second baseman.

Hours after it was reported the Padres were closing in on a two-year deal with free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson, the team completed a trade with the Rays that landed SS Jason Bartlett and a player to be named later.

The Padres will send relief pitchers Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos and Brandon Gomes and infielder Cole Figueroa to the Rays for Bartlett, 31.

Bartlett, who is arbitration-eligible and due a raise from the $4 million he made last season, hit .254 with the Rays with four home runs and 47 RBIs. He missed two weeks with a strained right hamstring.

"I'm excited. I never got to the big leagues over there. I've heard the NL is a lot different," Bartlett said. "My wife and I love the beach. We're all excited. Hopefully I can be there for a while. I'm ready to go."

To acquire Bartlett, the Padres had to give up two relievers in Russell and Ramos who appeared at the Major League level in 2010. Gomes and Figueroa spent all of last season in the Minors.

Russell, who was obtained in the 2009 trade that sent Jake Peavy to the White Sox, had a 4.02 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings last season for the Padres. The right-hander spent most of last season in Triple-A Portland.

Ramos, a left-hander, had an 11.88 ERA in 8 1/3 innings for the Padres. He was 6-7 with a 3.28 ERA in 30 games, 15 of them starts, for Portland.

Gomes, a 26-year-old right-hander, was 7-2 with a 1.87 ERA in 51 games for Double-A San Antonio. Figueroa, 23, hit .303 with four home runs and 66 RBIs for Class A Lake Elsinore.

With Bartlett, the Padres acquired an everyday shortstop who has developed into a steady player the last three seasons with the Rays. He returns to the Padres who drafted him -- in the 13th round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft -- before trading him to the Twins 13 months later.

Bartlett spent four seasons with the Twins before being traded as part of a six-player deal before the 2008 season to the Rays. The Rays lost to the Phillies in the World Series that season. In 2009, Bartlett hit .320 with 14 home runs and 66 RBIs in 2009.

"His value is in that he does everything well. He brings a ton to a team. He's a winning player," Hoyer said. "I don't think it was a fluke that the year they went to the World Series he was the team MVP, despite not having gaudy numbers."

Last season, the Padres used four players at shortstop: Everth Cabrera, Jerry Hairston, Lance Zawadzki and Miguel Tejada. Tejada has signed with the Giants and Zawadzki was released. The Padres still have hope of resigning Hairston in a utility role.

As for Hudson, that deal has yet to be officially announced, though Hudson said on MLB Network Radio that he had agreed to a pact. The Associated Press later reported Hudson will sign a contract for two years and $11.5 million.

On Friday, Hoyer wouldn't comment on the report about Hudson's impending signing.

The Padres aren't finished yet. The team is still considering several free agents to fill first base, a position left vacant when the Padres traded Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox for four players. Hoyer will also look to find a backup catcher to spell Nick Hundley.

Padres signed RH Dustin Moseley

Source: AP

Right-hander Dustin Moseley and the San Diego Padres have finalized a $900,000, one-year contract.

Moseley went 4-4 with a 4.96 ERA this year in nine starts and seven relief appearances with theNew York Yankees. He earned the win in the opening game of the AL Championship Series against Texas Rangers.

Moseley spent the previous four seasons in the Los Angeles Angels organization.

Bartlett trade in limbo

A trade to send shortstop Jason Bartlett from the Rays to the Padres is off, for now, because the teams couldn't finalize the deal.

The Rays' trade for a pair of young pitchers in Cesar Ramos and Adam Russell, a pair of right-handed pitchers, to go to the Rays are in limbo for now.

Bartlett, 31, hit .254 with a .675 OPS in 135 games for the Rays last season.

Padres signed RH Pitcher Aaron Harang

After all the news about all the Padres' free-agent's signing with other teams, this is certainly a relief.

Former Reds right-hand pither Aaron Harang and the Padres have finalized a $4 million, one-year contract. The deal also includes a mutual option for 2012 with a buyout.

The 6-foot-7 Harang spent the past 7½ seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, winning 16 games in 2006 and 2007. But he has struggled last season, going 6-7 with a 5.32 ERA and bothered by back spasms. Harang said he's healthy and eager to pitch for the Padres.

Aaron Harang is 32 years-old, he is from San Diego and went to college at San Diego State. He joins the Padres on the same day they finalized a deal to send Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox for three prospects and a player to be named.

"I think the big thing is, we just need to find out who's going to step up now and try to take over that role," Harang said. "I know Adrian was the guy, but the cycle has got to change at some time or another, and hopefully we'll find some guys. Obviously it was a good, solid team last year. They had some scrappy players, and that's what you hope steps up, some scrappy players."

Welcome back home, Aaron...

Kevin Correia signs with the Pirates

Former Padres free agent right-hander Kevin Correia has reached an agreement with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a two-year, $8 million contract.

 

Correia, has been a reliable pitcher for the Padres, posting a 12-11 record with a 3.91 ERA in 2009, but not as well last year going 10-10 with a 5.40 ERA. Kevin missed nearly two weeks during last season when his brother suffered an accidental death in a fall from a cliff during a hiking trip, but still managed to make 28 appearances and log 145 innings. He earned $3.6 million last season.

Good luck, Kevin...

Adrian Gonzalez, a Red Sox

Source: ESPN.com

The Boston Red Sox introduced today that the former San Diego Padres All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, as its latest member.

The source said that the two sides have left open the possibility of continued discussions toward a long-term deal for Gonzalez after the trade is in place.

The Red Sox will ship minor leaguers -- outfielder Reymond Fuentes, right-handed pitcher Casey Kelly and first baseman Anthony Rizzo -- and a player to be named later to San Diego in exchange for Gonzo.

Gonzo is a three-time All-Star who hit .298 with 31 homers and 101 RBIs last season. In five seasons with San Diego, Gonzalez has 161 homers and 501 RBIs. Including parts of two seasons with Texas, he has 168 homers and 525 RBIs.

Padres general manager Jed Hoyer -- who used to work in Boston's front office -- has said for some time that the Padres wouldn't be able to afford the kind of big-money contract Gonzalez would command if he hit the free-agent market.

Gonzo's name was in the mix for the Red Sox for more than a year. The Padres' front office is very familiar with Boston's prospects, as Hoyer, assistant general manager Jason McLeod and new top executive Josh Byrnes all once worked for Boston. One baseball source suggested that eventually a compromise in the seven-year, $22 million per season range might get the deal done. 

The Padres have said they anticipate a payroll of about $40 million.

Congratulations Gonzo, us Padres' fans will miss you. Thank you for all the great hits, the big homers and the great defensive plays that you've given us. Good luck with the Red Sox and the rest of your career.