Jed Hoyer’s first trade as Padres’ general manager is in the books, and Jeff Moorad should be pleased.
Kevin Kouzmanoff and Eric Sogard to the A’s for Scott Hairston and Aaron Cunningham is clean and simple. No gunslinging here. More like reorganizing the closet. A couple little changes, add a shelf, voila! A more balanced roster free of a growing salary concern.
Kouz was about to be valued more than he’s worth. Solid defense aside, Kouzmanoff managed just 88 RBI hitting behind Adrian Gonzalez. He’s one of those good-but-not-great players that can fit in on a winning team but can’t help rebuild a bad team.
His gaudy minor league OBP numbers never materialized in the big leagues, and as a .300 on-base occasional slugger, Kouz seemed better fit as a 7-9 hitter in an AL lineup than a 4-5 hitter in the NL. Now he’ll get that chance to find his niche.
Throw in arbitration, the natural desire for the Padres to return Chase Headley to his natural position, the growth of Kyle Blanks as an outfield prospect, and the need for a right-handed platoon partner for Tony Gwynn in center field…and then the chance comes to swap Kouzmanoff for Hairston. Perfect. Continue Reading →
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Philip Rivers Reacts To New Contract
by Craig on August 25, 2009
Philip Rivers has signed a 6-year, $92 million dollar contract to stay with the San Diego Chargers. After practice on Monday, the QB gave his thoughts on the deal, the negotiations, and how money won’t change him or make him turn in his minivan:
(due to NFL rules we had to take down the audio of Rivers’ comments. You will find the transcript of what he said below. Our latest Chargers audio can be heard here: http://619sports.net/2094/3-questions-for-legedu-naanee/)
Philip Rivers
On getting the contract extension done in the preseason:
“It feels good, it does…I’m very thankful and grateful to the Chargers and the Spanos family first, and to have many more opportunities to suit up, go out there and be the quarterback for the Chargers, and, short term, to do all I can to lead us to a championship, and with it behind us now here in the preseason, we’ll be able to do that.”
On negotiating the deal:
“You really understand why you need an agent when you get involved (in a negotiation),because you can truly stay out of it, and focus on training camp and football…I’m just thankful that it all got taken care of and I’m excited to continue to be a part of the Chargers for a long time.”
On any added pressure from the contract:
“I don’t think there can be any more pressure or added commitment or determination from my side or from anyone in that locker room to want to go win a championship…there’s no outside or monetary driving force that could make me want to win any worse than I do…I’ve always hated losing, I don’t know how I could hate it more, so there’s nothing that could give me any extra drive…”
If the $92 million dollar deal will change his family’s lifestyle:
“I’ll just keep the minivan…it’s the most efficient for the kids…they can get it and out…it’s hard to buckle in their car seats when you’ve got to climb back there in one of those SUVs…”
Will his kids get spoiled by their riches?
“We’ll still say no (to them)…they don’t quite understand it…they still get excited when there’s a quarter lying around in the kitchen (laughs)…”
How his teammates reacted to the new deal:
“You knew today was going to be interesting out there on the field…the first pass I threw was about as ugly as it gets, so you hear some of the defensive guys chirping….the one thing you really appreciate is that you sense that the guys are excited for you, and that means a lot…it’s the relationships with teammates and the days in the locker room, those are the things you really appreciate and even on days like this, you don’t lose sight of what it’s really all about.”
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