Nobody’s going to send out Peter Gammons for a special report on the Padres’ trade of Kevin Kouzmanoff and signing of Jerry Hairston Jr., but Chris and Craig have taken notice! The 619 Sports guys talk about the small moves Jed Hoyer has made so far as Padres’ GM, and the potential positive impact of putting the Happy Hairstons in the lineup and moving Chase Headley to third base:
UPDATE with Matt Stairs reaction after the jump:
A couple of hours after we recorded this podcast, the Padres agreed to a minor-league contract with Matt Stairs. Stairs is 42 and hit .194 last year in arguably as good of a ballpark as a major league lefty swinger could ask for, so the first suggestion is to temper any excitement over the move. At Petco Park, where his lefty gap power will result in a flyball out most of the time, Stairs’ biggest strength may be erased.
This is Cliff Floyd/Tony Clark redux, with the slim advantage that Stairs could possibly run out there into left or right field if he had to. On a NL team, he will be a pinch-hitter all the time, and as such, at least carries the specter of being a veteran who’s had some huge knocks in the past.
There’s no downside to the move, unless you really, really think Aaron Cunningham deserves a spot on the 25-man roster out of Peoria. If Stairs is over the hill, he won’t make it out of Spring Training. If he’s on the big league team, he might get a couple of pinch hits. If he performs well, expect him to be the first one traded to a contender come July/August.
