In 2007, Khalil Greene had what appeared to be a breakout season when he hit 27 home runs, the most in a single season for any player not named Adrian Gonzalez in the PETCO Park era. In 2008, Greene crashed like a fist into an equipment locker, hitting only 10 home runs with a wRC+ of 66. The following year, he was shipped off to St. Louis and the Padres began holding open auditions at short. Over the past three seasons, the team has tried 10 different players at the position with only marginal success. This afternoon, in an effort to end that carousel, the Padres acquired Jason Bartlett from the Tampa Bay Rays.

This trade was a long time coming, as news of it first broke nine days ago. There was various speculation as to what was holding things up but in the end, the Padres got their shortstop in exchange for relievers Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos and two prospects: middle infielder Cole Figueroa and right-handed reliever Brandon Gomes.

Despite a freak season in 2009, in which he hit 16 home runs with a wRC+ of 142, Bartlett has steadily been a slightly below-average hitter. In three of the past four years, surrounding that amazing 2009 of his, Bartlett's wRC+ has sat in the mid-to-low 90s: 94 in 2007, 91 in 2008, and 90 in 2010. But below-average is actually a misleading description as, compared to other shortstops, Bartlett's numbers put him in the middle of the pack.

Though he's not a player who is going to hit for much power Bartlett makes up for his shortcoming with a solid OBP and speed. Despite various leg injuries, Bartlett has three 20-steal seasons under his belt, including 30 in that 2009. These two skills will come in handy as Bartlett is likely to be Bud Black's leadoff hitter during the 2011 season.

Defensively, Bartlett's been a bit harder to read. From 2005 through 2007, Bartlett had a +32.8 UZR and +15.9 UZR/150, both of which put him near of the top of the league. Then, from 2008 through 2010, Bartlett had a -13.9 UZR and -6.0 UZR/150, both which put him near the bottom of the league. Having said that, Dewan's +/- system has been kinder to Bartlett. While it agrees that he was better in Minnesota, it's put him back in the middle of the pack with a +4 DRS since 2008 and it's around there that Bartlett likely belongs.

As I mentioned earlier, Bartlett not only solidifies the middle of the Padres infield but the top of the order as well. With 574 plate appearances leading off, Bartlett's no stranger to the role and with the skills he possesses, he should have no trouble in improving on the .617 OPS the team received from the leadoff spot in 2010.

In his short time leading the Padres, Hoyer has proved to be very adept at adding to the big league roster without taking away from the top of the farm system, and the Bartlett trade is no different. While there are some good players headed to Tampa Bay, none of them are irreplaceable and even though there are still a couple of questions regarding this deal, including Bartlett's contract and the identity of the PTBNL, they shouldn't stop the Padres from enjoying this more reliable ride on the merry-go-round.

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