Padres Acquire Ludwick, Chargers Dissension?

I have no idea if Padres newcomers Miguel Tejada or Ryan Ludwick -- acquired Saturday from the Cardinals for two minor league pitchers -- will propel the Friars to the playoffs or not, but I congratulate GM Jed Hoyer for making the effort, for not standing pat while the offense struggles.

Tejada and Ludwick are similar in that their numbers have declined the past couple of years as we go into the hopefully clean era of baseball. There is a good chance that neither will produce much in pitcher-friendly Petco Park. But they might. Who at the end of July 1998 would have predicted Jim Leyritz and Sterling Hitchcock would have carried the Padres to the World Series? Ludwick has significant post-season experience. You make the best deals you can and turn the players lose. It's all a GM can do.

There is something about the deals I like and something about the Ludwick trade I'm not thrilled with. I like that for both Tejada and Ludwick, the Padres didn't give up any of the name minor leaguers they've been developing. Both come relatively cheaply.

I'm not so sure about allowing the Cardinals to be stronger. The Saturday deal included the Indians, who got one of the Padres young hurlers and sent P Jake Westbrook to St. Louis. I'd hate to be battling with them for a wildcard spot knowing you helped them out earlier.

The Padres players did not want team chemistry to be disturbed by a makeover, and I think Hoyer gave them plenty of chances for their good feelings for each other to pay dividends. The past couple of weeks have shown no improvement in the offense, however, and he needed to make moves. I'm glad he did.

Now go looking for your own starting pitcher in August. I noted in the newspaper that three potential targets for Hoyer were not my guesses in my previous post. Saturday's dealings took two of the three out of the picture -- Westbrook and Ted Lilly who went from the Cubs to the Dodgers.

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If you didn't hear the radio interview by Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith of Chargers TE Antonio Gates a few days ago, it's worth going to their Web site and downloading it. Gates has it totally together as a player and person, and he essentially agreed with the hosts that holdouts WR Vincent Jackson, T Marcus McNeill and LB Shawne Merriman were being selfish and didn't have their priorities straight.

Some of the reporting on their contract negotiations in recent months seems to give the players' stands some legitimacy, so it was an interesting take on his part. The interview left me wondering about past, current and particularly future locker room dissension among the players.