Luvofthegame
09-02-2006, 09:56 PM
By Nick Canepa
San Diego Union-Tribune
9/2/06
Often not agreeing on where to rest the blame, disgruntled Padres fans – that's plural – pick and choose their poison. It's manager Bruce Bochy's fault. Or GM Kevin Towers' fault. Or the Curse of Petco Park. Maybe it lies at the feet of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Kim Jong-il. Next, frustrated e-mailers will demand a DNA sample from John Mark Karr.
But, often the perpetrator is owner John Moores, who many of the disgruntled believe lured them into a bait-and-switch, promising he would spend oodles on players once Petco was constructed and hasn't owned up to his bargain.
Well, for starters, the Padres' payroll, just over $70 million this season, is about $30 million more than it was in 2003, the team's final year in Qualcomm Stadium. Problem is, the extra money wasn't always spent wisely. The Padres have become competitive, but in an extraordinarily bad National League.
That Moores doesn't believe in insane payrolls, that he believes in a strong minor league system, that he kept baseball alive in San Diego for nearly a decade by subsidizing it, doesn't seem to matter. Fans want action.
Petco isn't a cheap proposition and customers want more yeast for their dough. Can't say I blame them. Sometimes the Padres are hard on the eyes. Last year's team, despite winning the NL West, was better watched on radio. This club is improved, but not every Padre has earned his keep.
Yet those who care about the team could have some wishes granted this upcoming offseason. Going by CEO Sandy Alderson's accounting, the Padres will have around $30 million come free this winter. And they plan to spend it – hopefully wisely.
Gone will be the salaries of soon-to-be free agents Ryan Klesko – out injured all season – pitchers Chan Ho Park and Woody Williams, catcher Mike Piazza and left fielder/leadoff man Dave Roberts, although Towers sounds as though he may try to keep Piazza and Roberts around. Good idea.
Those paychecks add up to right around the figure Alderson mentioned. Towers says he doesn't like looking into the crystal ball when his team is in a division and wild-card race, but it's hard for him not to peek.
“I haven't focused on the season's end,” the GM says. “I'd like to see this team win first, and if it does win, we have a chance to have a lot of guys back. I want to win this thing.”
He showed some of that by acquiring homegrown starter David Wells, always known as a money pitcher, in Thursday's trade with the Red Sox. But it doesn't mean Towers won't talk about the future, because he's obviously excited about having so much house money with which to work. Nor does he plan on dismantling the team he has in front of him.
“Much of this club is signed and we'll have more money to spend than we've had in a long, long time to use in the free-agent market and the trade market,” he says. “We have contracts going away, so we can be more aggressive than we've ever been.”
When Towers thinks it out, he realizes there's much more to it than “a long, long time.” He's never had that much cash in the offseason.
“Not even close,” he says. “I can't even remember a year when we've had $10 million. If Sandy threw that out there, yep, it's $30 million. That's triple – or quadruple – what we've had to spend before. I don't think we'll be carrying a bad contract anymore.”
There has been talk about the possible movement of shortstop Khalil Greene, who has suffered through another round of injuries. But Towers says no, although few players on this team are untouchable.
“Greene is arbitration-eligible, but we're definitely keeping him here,” Towers says. “We always try to avoid arbitration, but we control him three more years before he becomes a free agent.”
The team's needs are obvious – a third baseman with pop, and you know Towers automatically will be going after more arms.
“Starting pitching – and we'll always try to build up the bullpen,” he says. “And we need a big bat in the middle of the order, a third baseman or corner outfielder, although (outfielder) Terrmel Sledge is tearing it up in Triple-A, and we'll have (outfielder) Ben Johnson.”
There are going to be some holes in the rotation, but it's hard to win games when your team doesn't score.
“We can go after someone like (Oakland's) Barry Zito, a big starter to go with (Jake) Peavy and (Chris) Young,” Towers says. “It's going to be nice to go out there and be players with big-name free agents. We haven't had this kind of opportunity.
“I enjoy watching this team much more than last year's. There's hope beyond this year. We have some significant pieces in place now, a strong foundation. Our last few drafts have been good. We have some good young players coming up. Hold on to your hats. You never know who's going to show up.”
The disgruntled probably aren't holding their hats – or breaths – but it may be worth it this time.
San Diego Union-Tribune
9/2/06
Often not agreeing on where to rest the blame, disgruntled Padres fans – that's plural – pick and choose their poison. It's manager Bruce Bochy's fault. Or GM Kevin Towers' fault. Or the Curse of Petco Park. Maybe it lies at the feet of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Kim Jong-il. Next, frustrated e-mailers will demand a DNA sample from John Mark Karr.
But, often the perpetrator is owner John Moores, who many of the disgruntled believe lured them into a bait-and-switch, promising he would spend oodles on players once Petco was constructed and hasn't owned up to his bargain.
Well, for starters, the Padres' payroll, just over $70 million this season, is about $30 million more than it was in 2003, the team's final year in Qualcomm Stadium. Problem is, the extra money wasn't always spent wisely. The Padres have become competitive, but in an extraordinarily bad National League.
That Moores doesn't believe in insane payrolls, that he believes in a strong minor league system, that he kept baseball alive in San Diego for nearly a decade by subsidizing it, doesn't seem to matter. Fans want action.
Petco isn't a cheap proposition and customers want more yeast for their dough. Can't say I blame them. Sometimes the Padres are hard on the eyes. Last year's team, despite winning the NL West, was better watched on radio. This club is improved, but not every Padre has earned his keep.
Yet those who care about the team could have some wishes granted this upcoming offseason. Going by CEO Sandy Alderson's accounting, the Padres will have around $30 million come free this winter. And they plan to spend it – hopefully wisely.
Gone will be the salaries of soon-to-be free agents Ryan Klesko – out injured all season – pitchers Chan Ho Park and Woody Williams, catcher Mike Piazza and left fielder/leadoff man Dave Roberts, although Towers sounds as though he may try to keep Piazza and Roberts around. Good idea.
Those paychecks add up to right around the figure Alderson mentioned. Towers says he doesn't like looking into the crystal ball when his team is in a division and wild-card race, but it's hard for him not to peek.
“I haven't focused on the season's end,” the GM says. “I'd like to see this team win first, and if it does win, we have a chance to have a lot of guys back. I want to win this thing.”
He showed some of that by acquiring homegrown starter David Wells, always known as a money pitcher, in Thursday's trade with the Red Sox. But it doesn't mean Towers won't talk about the future, because he's obviously excited about having so much house money with which to work. Nor does he plan on dismantling the team he has in front of him.
“Much of this club is signed and we'll have more money to spend than we've had in a long, long time to use in the free-agent market and the trade market,” he says. “We have contracts going away, so we can be more aggressive than we've ever been.”
When Towers thinks it out, he realizes there's much more to it than “a long, long time.” He's never had that much cash in the offseason.
“Not even close,” he says. “I can't even remember a year when we've had $10 million. If Sandy threw that out there, yep, it's $30 million. That's triple – or quadruple – what we've had to spend before. I don't think we'll be carrying a bad contract anymore.”
There has been talk about the possible movement of shortstop Khalil Greene, who has suffered through another round of injuries. But Towers says no, although few players on this team are untouchable.
“Greene is arbitration-eligible, but we're definitely keeping him here,” Towers says. “We always try to avoid arbitration, but we control him three more years before he becomes a free agent.”
The team's needs are obvious – a third baseman with pop, and you know Towers automatically will be going after more arms.
“Starting pitching – and we'll always try to build up the bullpen,” he says. “And we need a big bat in the middle of the order, a third baseman or corner outfielder, although (outfielder) Terrmel Sledge is tearing it up in Triple-A, and we'll have (outfielder) Ben Johnson.”
There are going to be some holes in the rotation, but it's hard to win games when your team doesn't score.
“We can go after someone like (Oakland's) Barry Zito, a big starter to go with (Jake) Peavy and (Chris) Young,” Towers says. “It's going to be nice to go out there and be players with big-name free agents. We haven't had this kind of opportunity.
“I enjoy watching this team much more than last year's. There's hope beyond this year. We have some significant pieces in place now, a strong foundation. Our last few drafts have been good. We have some good young players coming up. Hold on to your hats. You never know who's going to show up.”
The disgruntled probably aren't holding their hats – or breaths – but it may be worth it this time.