The Padre Post

The Padres signed hometown boy Mark Prior to a one year deal in another pickup of an injury plagued pitcher.  Earlier in the month, they picked up Randy Wolf to a one year deal and you wonder if the logic is, if they pay Prior and Wolf to the equivalent of a decent starter, one of them will pan out making the production of the other gravy.  Still, if Prior can come back and with the pitcher friendly ballpark, I think his signing is a risk worth taking.

I haven’t had much time to post but the Padres have been pretty busy this December.  They traded for Jim Edmonds to fill the spot vacated by Mike Cameron and they also signed Michael Barrett and Tad Iguchi.  Tad will most likely get the nod as the starting second baseman while Barrett will get the backup catchers job and he’ll make $3.5 million after he accepted the Padres’ offer of arbitration.

I like a lot of these moves.  Having a veteran backup catcher in Barrett is a solid move and gives us depth at that position.  And while Iguchi probably doesn’t have the pedigree of Marcus Giles, he’s a solid workhorse you can bank on playing the position day in and day out.

Chase Headley heads the list of Padres top ten prospects put out by Baseball America.  He struggled when he got a cup of coffee in September but he rocked Double A pitching with an impressive OPS of 1.017.  Right now, Headley looks like he’s ready for the Padres but they have to make room for him.

Last year’s first round pick, Matt Antonelli comes in at number two.  The second baseman made a nice transition to Double A last year and while he hasn’t played at Triple A, he looks to be the favorite to win the starting second base job this spring.

Matt Latos is number three and he’s the top pitching prospect.  He has yet to play a full season in the minors so he’s still at best a couple of years away.  Left handed hurler Wade LeBlanc and right hander pitcher Drew Miller round out the top five.  Nick Schmidt, the team’s first round pick in 2007, came in at number nine.

The Padres signed left handed starter Randy Wolf to a one year, $4 million deal.  Wolf was one of those guys with loads of potential but a ton of injuries and after a solid first half for the Dodgers in 2007, he was shut down and eventually went under the knife for shoulder surgery.  On the one hand, his breakout 2003 season is now five years away but on the other hand, the Padres are getting a guy with some potential at a rock bottom price.  I like the move.

The Padres offered arbitration to Michael Barrett and Mike Cameron so if either signs elsewhere, the Padres will get some compensation.  The players now have until Friday to decide whether they want to stick with the Padres for one more year or not.

The big news is the extension that appears close for Jake Peavy.  The best pitcher in baseball last year, Peavy could be looking at a deal that would keep in San Diego through 2012 for a price tag up of between $17 and $17.5 million.  You need pitching to win championships and there’s no better way to build a franchise then to have one of the top arms in the game in your rotation.