Help Wanted

FF is officially disgusted by the way that the Padres are swinging the bat. It has been over 90 innings and more than a week since the Friars have hit a homer, and extra base hits are so rare that when they do occur the base runner gets confused and keeps running (sorry, PMac). The fact is that when this team hits, they are moving 90 feet at a time. If you are going to play small ball, please acquire some speed to go first to third on the back end of two singles.

Something needs to happen with this team, and fast. Rumor has it that the Padres have some sort of offensive stud playing in Portland. The time has come for Chase Headley to be up with the big boys. Though Scott Hairston maybe more comfortable in left field, his one handed haymaker swings seem to be the reason that he has never been an everyday player in this league.

Kevin Towers should have a ridiculously high phone bill right now, and a move for the Matt Murton's of the world is not going to cut it. I know the franchise philosophy is to build around young players and fill the gaps with average and declining veterans, but something has to be done to reduce this drowning offense. With the outstanding pitching the Padres possess, it would be a shame not to field a quality lineup behind them to make a mark this season. The farm system is built up a bit ~ put some chips in play in hopes to push some runs across the plate.

Murton Out, Gross In?

FoxSports.com's KenRosenthal reports that those persistent rumors about the Cubs' Matt Murton have come to rest, with Padre GM Kevin Towers now possibly looking to the Brewers' Gabe Gross for help in the outfield. This rumor is apparently fueled by the crowded outfield situation in Milwaukee, to great extent helped by former Friar Mike Cameron's 25 game suspension for a second positive test for banned stimulants. Gross is also out of options, forcing the Brew Crew's hand. Gross is a former 1st round pick, selected 15th overall by the Blue Jays in 2001. He posted a respectiable .857 OPS for the Brewers in part time duty in 2006. His left handed bat doesn't seem idea for Petco Park, but that hasn't stopped KT in the past.

Murton Rumors Still Alive

Matt Murton to the Padres rumors remain persistent, as reported by mlbtraderumors.com. FF doesn't expect any trades to go down soon, as Kevin Towers will likely see how Scott Hairston and Chase Headley look in Peoria. Even so, Murton isn't exactly the right handed power hitter the Padres covet. Nonetheless, The Bill James Handbook 2008 projects Murton to post a respectable .841 OPS in 2008. In comparison, James predicts a .932 clip from Headley with a .839 showing from Hairston (see OBP graph below). With these numbers, its hard to see a ton of upside in executing this trade, outside of a bench depth to offset an aging outfield.

Graph from FanGraphs.com