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| Adams and Bell Put Hoyer in the Closers Role |
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| 2011 Season - 2011 Season | |||
| Written by Steve Adler | |||
| Friday, 29 July 2011 10:47 | |||
 As Padres’ fans struggle through this rough season, the trading deadline brings reason for hope. Padres’ GM Jed Hoyer possesses two of the most attractive trade chips in the league in Heath Bell and Mike Adams. It looks like all-but-done that Bell will be moved, but what about Adams? For what it’s worth, I can’t imagine Adams’ value being any higher than what it is now—one of the best set-up men in the game, Adams, unlike Bell, is under team control for the 2012 season. He is not a "rental" and because of that, one could argue he has more value than Bell.
For the record, I am a huge fan of both players, but a closer on small to mid-market team is a luxury. In San Diego we have a rich tradition of closers, so the thought of not knowing who may close (what trademark song will be playing during that jog – or sprint – in from left field?) is foreign to fans, but stockpiling the farm system with talent is much more important than keeping Adams... in the big scheme of things. As @woedoctor reminded me a few days ago, the Twins traded top prospect Wilson Ramos to the Nationals for Matt Capps, yes, that Matt Capps at the deadline last season. Ramos has been fantastic and looks to be a fixture in DC for years to come. Fast-forward to a year from now, when the Padres are shopping Adams. If this team does not improve the offense significantly between now and then, they will be shopping Adams and for much less than they will be able to get in the next couple days. I will also remind everyone that Adams is no stranger to the DL. Mike has been healthy all year (I don’t want to jinx that) and Bud has been careful the way Adams has been used. Any time on the DL starts to impact trade value; no one wants damaged goods.
Let me state the bottom line before I start repeating myself: Trade Adams now! Get max value for him and continue to show the fan base you are committed to the future. Take this unique opportunity to move two bullpen arms each over the age of 30 and inject this farm system with great talent. Start playing these young guys, and show the fan base that the Padres are going have their talented young players grow together like the Rays’ teams have. No more stop-gaps! If a guy is not going to be on this team past 2011, I don’t want to see him on the field at this point.
The fan base will understand, they will support it, and they will grow with the team, especially if you start scoring runs at home. And if you don’t score runs at home… well then, a closer can’t do you much good anyways.
Semi-relevant late-night musings…
- I think Dustin Moseley would be a great trade chip for Jed. He’s under team control and I have to think that playing in the AL (where he has the bulk of his experience and wouldn’t have to swing a bat) would be a better place for him.
- Via MLBTR - Colby Rasmus was a central part of the Cardinals' discussions with the Padres for Bell, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It’s great to see Jed making the effort to bring in established bats. He inquired about Cliff Lee last season as well. One can only hope he can land a bat via trade because the 2012 free agent (FA) class doesn’t offer much.
 - Given Ludwick's performance, the amount of salary the Cubs ate in the Fukodome deal, and the quality (or lack thereof) of the prospects the Indians gave up, I don’t have high expectations in return for Ludwick. A salary dump + a bag of balls are what I’m expecting at this point.- At this moment Heath Bell has not been traded. With the number of bullpen arms out there, if Jed waits too long and loses a suitor, it could have an ugly domino effect—if Bell is not traded and he accepts arbitration in 2012, Jed will have egg on his face. The Padres will be paying between $8-10M on a one year deal for a 34 year-old closer and will have wasted the opportunity to bring in 2-3 prospects.
- If any team puts in a claim on Orlando Hudson during August, as teams push players through waivers, it would be a huge win for Jed.
- The Padres will have plenty of money to spend this offseason, but the FA class will not offer much punch. If this team is going to improve in the run-scoring department, it will need to be via trade. With that said, I have no problem trading value for value, even if it means a starting pitcher.
- Last week on Friarhood Radio I talked about going after Hunter Pence. I would think a combination of major league players such as Venable and Moseley, and a couple prospects could get the deal done. Keep in mind; the Padres have been adamant that the payroll will go up in 2012, which means they should be able to afford Pence. If not Pence, then a bat that can have a positive impact on the everday lineup.
- One thing big-market teams do is leak info well. Even if they don’t get a deal done, they let the fans know they are always looking to improve. It would be a confidence-boost for fans to see more of that from the Padres’ front office.
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