Dustin Aaron Moseley

Position: Pitcher 

Bats: Right, Throws: Right 

Height: 6' 4", Weight: 215 lb.

Born: December 26, 1981 in Texarkana, TX 

The Padres are close to signing Dustin Moseley to a major league contact. Moseley has the versatility to either start or be a reliever. He went  4-4 with a 4.96 ERA, 33K's, 27 walks with a 1.42. WHIP. Moving from one of the more hitter friendly parks in all of baseball, (New York) coming into Petco could do wonders for Moseley's numbers. Make no mistake about it, he is not a front of the rotation starter. According to MLB's Corey Brock (via Twitter), the signing will be made official on Wednesday ."The Padres view Moseley as a candidate for 5th starter. Could always be a long man if that doesn't work out." Corey Brock also noted that Bud Black worked with Moseley in Anaheim when he was the pitching coach for the Angels.

With Corey Luebke, Wade LeBlanc vying for jobs this spring, Simon Castro in the wings, Mosley might find himself taking over the role which Tim Stauffer had as a swing man, (for much of the year) or middle relief guy. He could also take over Edward Mujica's 2010 role, as the 6th inning middle man if Luebke or LeBlanc shine. I do not see Moseley as a serious number five starting candidate. Having said that, it does provide the Padres with some solid depth, given the fact that they have lost Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica. If the Padres are overwhelmed with an offer to deal Heath Bell, it could provide needed depth to a bullpen that is already stacked.

Scouting report: Moseley does not posses overpowering stuff, but he can be affective. His fastball is average at best usually sitting between 89-90 mph, at times he can reach back for a touch more. He has stellar location with his fastball. He uses a verity of grips to provide tilt and cut on his pitches. He will rely on his movement down in the strike zone to be successful. His curveball is strike out pitch, and he compliments he curve with a much improved change-up. Moseley's mechanics are sound, and is a very efficient pitcher with a great feel for the strike zone. He is a student of the game. Because of his tireless dedication he gets most out of his physical ability. Because he does not posses spectacular stuff, he has to be precision sharp in the strike zone in order to succeed. His lack of plus pitches give him minimal room for error.