The deadline trades made by the San Diego Padres were unusual. Not only were the Padres in the unfamiliar role of buyers, they also showcased the newfound strength of a farm system once written off for dead.
The easiest and most accurate indicator of the depth of a minor league system is how well the big league club is doing, and if some parts of the farm can be used to make the big league club better.
As of August 5th the Padres were a game ahead of the San Francisco Giants for first place in the NL West, receiving significant contributions from players who were either drafted or acquired before they reached the majors. The recent acquisitions of Ryan Ludwick and Miguel Tejada demonstrated that what former farm director Grady Fuson left behind last winter is a much better minor league system than what he inherited in 2005.
San Diego was able to acquire veteran talent without subtracting from the major league team or losing players whom the organization believes will play a significant role in their future.
Trade #1: RHP Wynn Pelzer for SS/3B Miguel Tejada
Pelzer's power arm projects better as a reliever than a starter
Baltimore, with the worst record in the American League, wanted to free up third base for top prospect Josh Bell, so a Tejada trade was imminent. By moving Tejada the Orioles are off the hook for the majority of his remaining salary, they open up a spot for Bell, and gain a quality arm for their weak bullpen.
The Padres were looking for an offensive upgrade at shortstop, as well as a player who could spell Chase Headley at third base against left-handed pitching.
While Tejada is obviously not the player he once was, especially defensively at short, his .681 OPS in the AL is a much better option than either Everth Cabrera or Jerry Hairston Jr, and as a platoon mate for Headley he is a major upgrade over Chase’s .190/.259/.238 slash line against lefties. While Tejada is a downgrade defensively, the organization is gambling on a pitching staff ranked 2nd in the NL in strikeouts to keep the ball away from him.
Pelzer was a preseason Top-10 prospect for both Baseball America and MadFriars.com. However, it is important to remember that Top-10 lists are based on projections for the future as much as past performance. This is why organizational Top-10 lists change so drastically from year to year.
With the exception of a strong May, Pelzer had not produced as a starting pitcher for AA San Antonio this year, so his value decreased. Pelzer was unable to master the three pitch sequence he needed to be a successful starter, and he struggled with an 83/56 K/BB ratio against superior AA hitting, even while working in one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the minors.
A move to the bullpen in July didn’t help, as Pelzer walked ten batters in 6.2 innings, with only three strikeouts.
Pelzer remains a good pitcher with a valuable arm, but good bullpen arms in the minors are much easier to find than future mid-level rotation starters, which is what his ranking was based upon. If he’s not a starter, Pelzer probably doesn’t crack the top three in the Missions’ bullpen of Craig Italiano, Evan Scribner and Brandon Gomes, never mind trying to make the big league bullpen next year. This made him an expendable piece when Tejada became available.
Trade #2: RHP Corey Kluber and LHP Nick Greenwood for OF Ryan Ludwick
In a three-team deal with the Cardinals and Indians, the Padres sent low-A Fort Wayne pitcher Nick Greenwood to St. Louis, and AA pitcher Corey Kluber to Cleveland in exchange for the power-hitting Ludwick.
Ludwick is the type of outfielder the Padres want: a plus defender with a strong arm capable of playing all three outfield spots. He is arbitration eligible in 2011 but remains under club control. Ludwick’s overall numbers dwarf anything the Padres have been able to generate offensively from the outfield corners, and he provides legitimate protection for Adrian Gonzalez in the cleanup slot.
St. Louis was willing to move Ludwick in order to acquire starting pitcher Jake Westbrook from Cleveland and reduce salary. They are gambling that rookie John Jay will become a younger, cheaper version of Ludwick.
Corey Kluber, who was sent to Cleveland, was the best player given up by San Diego in either trade, given the success he was having this season with the Missions. After two up-and-down years, Kluber was having his best season in San Antonio despite a 5-6 record.
He was leading the Texas League in strikeouts with a K/BB ratio of 130/40 in 122.2 innings, along with a 3.35 ERA.
So why was he traded?
Obviously for a talented player such as Ludwick, someone of quality would have to be moved. However, as well as he has performed, the organization believed Kluber would not be better than RHP Simon Castro or LHP Cory Luebke in the future.
Additionally, RHP Jeremy Hefner, despite not having Kluber’s gaudy strikeout rate, was having as good or better of a year with a 2.78 ERA.
Luebke began the year on the disabled list but pitched very well in San Antonio, allowing less than two runs an outing over eight starts and holding Texas League batters to a .200 average. He has since been promoted to Portland, where Luebke continues to pitch well.
Finally, there are only so many young arms a major league team wants to have in its rotation at the same time, and the Padres’ need for an impact batter dwarfed their desire to keep a projected mid-rotation starter.
Nick Greenwood
Nick Greenwood was the best pitcher at Eugene last year, but probably the fourth-best pitcher on the TinCaps’ staff this season. LHP Michael Watt, RHP Jerry Sullivan and LHP Jose De Paula had passed him on the organizational depth chart. Greenwood is the quintessential crafty left-hander, a sinker-change specialist who profiles more as a fringe middle reliever than a starting prospect.
This year Greenwood was 4-4 with a 4.15 ERA in the pitcher-friendly Midwest League.
John Conniff is a senior writer for MadFriars.com and a freelance contributor to Baseball America and 619Sports.Net.
Craig Elsten -
Chainsaw -
