While I've mentioned that the Padres should and probably will keep their roster moves to a minimum, there is one trade that I think needs to be made. They need to acquire Tony Gwynn Jr. from Milwaukee.
Gwynn has been unable to bust into an outfield of Mike Cameron, Corey Hart and converted 3B Ben Braun in Milwaukee and has just come off the disabled list. He's hitting .304 in limited action this season after two straight .260 campaigns. He can run and play defense, which is desperately needed at Petco Park. Put him at the top of the lineup, move Jody Gerut to LF and then maybe you have something that might work. It's at least worth trying.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee's staff ERA is in the bottom quarter of all major league baseball teams and they haven't collected a win from a starter other than Ben Sheets since the first week of the season. Eric Gagne, who we'll address in a second, has blown several save opportunities. The Padres can give up Justin Germano or Randy Wolf without too much pain, or Shawn Estes or Wilfredo Ledezma.
The timing is also good for two other reasons:
1. The Padres plan to send Callix Crabbe to the minors early this week. As a Rule V guy, he has to be offered back to Milwaukee first, so the Padres plan to work out a deal. Padres get Gwynn and keep Crabbe, Brewers get a pitcher or two.
2. Weekday attendance is way down and fans are either sniping at the Padres or laughing at them. Neither one is good. Bringing Gwynn home would be a feel-good move as well as a smart baseball play.
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Luke Carlin. The Padres call him up from the minors and stick him behind the plate. They win twice. Keep him there. The guy knows how to play.
I like Gerut, too. Seems more comfortable after his AAA stint.
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Roger Clemens is the poster boy for the baseball steroids controversy and that's fine. I have no idea whom to believe so I'll wait for the evidence to come out.
The issue that affected us more directly as Padres fans is Eric Gagne, who if he's not the poster child, should have a small insert of his bespectacled face on a lower corner of Clemens' leg or something. In 2002, Gagne went from average starter to spectacular closer, saving 52, 55, and 45 games in consecutive seasons as the Dodgers placed third, second and first in the National League West. The Dodgers collapsed into fourth place in 2005 when he was injured.
I think it's safe to say that since LA won the division in 2004 by only two games over San Francisco, that a fueled-up Gagne was the reason why, so their division title and all records thereof should be stripped. With Barry Bonds in San Francisco, the 2004 NL West title should either be vacated entirely or handed to the third-place Padres, who were six games back in the standings.
Major League Baseball doesn't do such things, though, as the NCAA and college conferences do. College teams have their titles stripped all the time for rules violations. MLB shrugs, which is why things build up to a point where they get out of hand, like in the steroids controversy.
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OF Carlos Quentin, the University of San Diego High School graduate now with the Chicago White Sox, is leading the American League with 9 HR and that new on-base percentage plus slugging percentage statistic, and is among the league leaders in runs scored, total bases and RBIs. He also leads in being beaned.
Good news, bad news for Padres fans:
Quentin could have been doing this for the Diamondbacks, but they sent him packing to give Justin Upton his shot. But between the D-backs outfield castoffs, the Padres ended up with Scott Hairston instead of the local kid. Quentin would be doing none of this at Petco, but he's playing better than Hairston.
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There you go, a San Diego County outfield for the Padres: Quentin-Gwynn-Giles, San Diego-Poway-El Cajon. Oh, well.
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