Cameron gets nabbed!

Mike Cameron has tested positive for a banned stimulant. The slap on the wrist is 25 games!

Not a good start for someone ready to "test" the Free Agent market!! Maybe this will make him a cheaper buy for the Padres as the market should be pricy for those who roam centerfield.

Padres Release Marcus Giles, Claim Zarate

The San Diego Padres released 2nd baseman, Marcus Giles, to make room for relief pitcher Mauro Zarate who was claimed off waivers from the Florida Marlins. Giles started the season as the Friars lead off man and had a strong April before his long swing and lack of plate patience led him to a dismal season before losing his job to utility man Geoff Blum.

Zarate, 24, debuted in the majors Aug. 7. In five innings and four outings, he allowed seven runs. In seven minor league seasons, Zarate has a 3.02 ERA with 75 strikeouts, 32 walks and a .205 batting average allowed in 85 2/3 innings.

The release of the hometown Giles leaves a starting infield spot available, at this point it would appear that Matt Antonelli will be given every opportunity to win the position. I would expect the Padres to bring in a veteran to push Antonelli (much like when the Pads brought Rey Ordonez in to compete with the highly touted Khallil Greene).

Southern California Fires

We wanted everyone in areas affected by the fires know that you are all in the thoughts of the people at FF. Stay safe and let the firefighting pros do their thing!

Moneyball Farm Transition Complete

The final hurdle to turning San Diego's farm system loose under full Moneyball direction has been jumped. Former minor league field coordinator Bill Bryk has been replaced with Tom Gamboa, the Union-Tribune reports. Byrk is to remain with the club assisting General Manager Kevin Towers. Grady Fuson will now have a number 2 guy in his own mold. FF is pleased with this development, as Fuson seems nothing short of a genius.

Bard Latest Friar To Go Under The Knife

Padres starting catcher Josh Bard underwent a procedure to correct an issue in his right wrist. Maybe Padres fans across the world have thier explanation as to why he couldn't throw runners out this season, including a game in the final series of the year where the stout Prince Fielder stole second base twice (SB's 1 & 2 on the year for Mr. Fielder).

This marks the 3rd Friar to have off season surgery. It sounds like Josh Bard's procedure is the most minor of the three (Hoffman, and Brian Giles).

Konichiwa Kosuke Fukudome?

Padres.com reports that Friars are anticipated to make a run at Japanese free agent Kosuke Fukudome, a 30 year old southpaw outfielder who is the reigning Central League MVP. Anyone that bats .351 with 31 jacks, 104 RBI and a 1.091 OPS over 130 games will get your attention. Interestingly, his 2007 campaign was stopped short due to bone chips in his elbow. Like Trevor Hoffman, he has undergone surgery to remove the chips, but the injury will play into the risk/reward analysis in determining his worth on the MLB market. That said, Padres GM Kevin Towers stated that free agent crop will be particularly poor this off season, making a Yankees-like overpayment of Fukudome likely (thereby decreasing his chances of landing in a Padres Sand uni).

The Padres have not employed a Japanese player since Akinori Otsuka, who was traded prior to 2006 season as part of the deal that brought Adrian Gonzalez, Chris Young and Terrmel Sledge to Petco Park.

Hoffy's Bone Chips-Stats Link?

Trevor Hoffman notes that he and the club only considered surgery to remove bone chips over the last 3 months of the season. During that specific time period, Hoffy posted a 5.14 ERA with a 2.5-1 K/BB ratio - not exactly numbers that evoke Trevor Time. That said, it seems unlikely that they were cause of this late season slide. In September, Hoffman posted an excellent 1.15 ERA with a 10-1 K/BB ratio. It would be interesting to know exactly how the injury was bothering him and when the symptoms started, thought he implies that he never pitched in pain over the course of the season.

Like all the injured Pads, FF hopes for a speedy recover on the way to a big 2008 season.

PS - Root for AL teams for the '07 Series!

Hoffman has Arthroscopic Surgery

Today, Trevor had some small bone chips removed from his pitching elbow. This is a small surgery, not anything like Tommy John. Hoffman should be ready to roll come spring.

2007 1st Round Pick Gets Tommy John Treatment

Batting .666 initially sounds like good news - but not when it denotes the average that first round picks require reconstructive elbow surgery. Unfortunately, such is the case for the Padres as the Union-Tribune reports that 2007 first rounder Nick Schmidt had Tommy John surgery on 10/3. Ceasar Carillo, a first rounder in 2005, was the other player to require the procedure. While much will likely be made of this event, it is hardly the problem of Grady Fuson, Padres Vice President of Scouting and Development. Predictions of arm trouble are sketchy at best. If we were to listen to the nay-sayers, Jake Peavy would have destroyed his arm many years ago and never made to presumptive Cy Young-status. The bottom line is that 99% of pitchers and position players have health problems; you can't help but have them in an impact sport like baseball. One can't predict how these health issues will go, we can just hope that the 18 month rehab schedule goes smoothly and you end up with a productive pitcher at some point.

Continuing our recent tradition, here's an overview of Tommy John Surgery from Wikipedia:

Tommy John surgery, known by doctors as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (or UCL), is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body (often from the forearm, hamstring, knee, or foot of the patient). The ulnar collateral ligament can become stretched, frayed or torn through the stress of the throwing motion. After the tendon from the forearm or below the knee is harvested it is then woven in a figure-eight pattern through tunnels that have been drilled in the ulna and humerus bones that are part of the elbow joint. The surgery is named after Tommy John, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers who was the first professional athlete to successfully undergo the operation in 1974. The procedure was performed by Dr. Frank Jobe.

Brian Giles Undergoes Microfracture Surgery

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports Padres right fielder underwent microfracture knee surgery on Thursday to repair an ailing knee that had been affecting him for the majority of the season. In 1991, Tony Gwynn tried microfracture surgery in an attempt to restore cartilage in his balky left knee.

According to Wikipedia:

Microfracture surgery is an orthopedic surgical technique that can help restore knee cartilage by creating tiny fractures in the adjacent bones, causing new cartilage to develop. It can be used to treat both degenerative knee problems as well as cartilage injuries, and has gained a high profile in the sports world in recent years; numerous professional athletes including members of the NBA, NFL and NHL (most notably Steve Yzerman and Amare Stoudemire) have undergone the procedure.
The surgery is quick (taking around 30 minutes), minimally invasive, and has significantly shorter recovery times than an arthroplasty (knee replacement). Combined with a high rate of success, these factors have caused orthopedic surgeons to use the procedure with increasing frequency.

Padres Begin Reshaping Roster

The Padres claimed a light hitting Luis Rodriguez off waivers from the Twins today, while they say adios to OF Brady Clark.

Brady Clark's last game as a Friar will take a while to forget as he misplayed 3 balls in center field that aided the Rockies in the one game playoff Monday night.

The Padres 40 man roster is now set at 40.

Rockies Get To Hoffman To Take Wild Card In 13

Trevor Hoffman blows 2 potential playoff clinching saves in the final four games to keep the Padres out of the post season tournament. FF will write more on this collapse when I am not so frustrated with the way the season ended. Its not that the Frairs lost, its how they lost that is disheartening. Bring on the Peoria and Spring Training.