Kevin Towers is pathetic. I guess it really isn't his fault, but this is so ridiculous. Latest news is that the Cubs still might be in the Peavy sweepstakes even though they signed Ryan Dempster. He has also reported that the Braves could be still in it too. Sigh. Is it Spring Training yet?

 

Things have slowed down over the weekend. On Friday, the Braves announced that they are out of the Peavy race. That's a relief. But now the talk is the Angels or Yankees. Now, Jake wants to stay in the NL, but he would probably approve a trade to the Angels because it isn't that far from San Diego. He would probably go to the Yankees because he wants a championship. Jake wants to go to a winning team, but he might not approve a trade if they give up essential players for him. This is just a ridiculous example, but if the Yankees traded A-Rod to the Padres for Jake, Jake wouldn't want to go because he feels that A-Rod is essential to the Yankees winning. He might not have approved the trade to the Braves anyway because he wanted a solid shortstop like Yunel Escobar behind him. Now, Jake does want to stay in the NL. My theory? He wants to keep his ABs. If he goes to the AL, he won't get to bat anymore. Last year, Jake was hoping to have a higher batting average than ERA. Unfortunately, it didn't work out (2.85 ERA to .265 batting average). Oh, well. But he had 13 hits on the season, including 2 doubles. He also hit a homer in Spring Training. He loves to hit, and he can be a threat at the plate. So, in the NL, the Cubs are interested. But they don't have good pieces to send us. It is most likely that Jake will get traded, but I so wish he would just stay here.

Things on the Trevor side are not good. Trev came out and actually spoke to the press on Friday. Here's another sad thing involving the front office: Trevor and a bunch of players were vacationing in Puerto Rico. The front office called him on vacation and told him over the phone that the deal was off the table. HOW PATHETIC IS THAT???? Trevor talked a lot about everything that's been going on. Everything he said, the front office said the exact opposite. Trevor thinks there's no possible way he could be coming back to San Diego. Sandy Alderson? Oh, sure, he could still be coming back. They are not on the same page. Trevor is going to walk out the door. And the front office won't even care.  

Man, I hate the offseason. Now it looks like the Jake deal isn't very close to getting done. OKKKK, I thought we just heard that he was really close to being traded. No? Oh, must have been an error there for some poor reporter. So strange. I guess I was feeling a little better because, hey, Jake might well be staying. But I had forgotten the other side of my distress: Trevor. Yeah, and it looks like he is definitely out the door. You know, it will hurt really badly to have Trevor gone and on another team. I'll be really upset for a while, like mourning a lost friend, but then I'll eventually be OK with it. Trevor is really like family to San Diego. I don't know him personally, but like I've said before, he IS San Diego. I will definitely miss him. But as long as he isn't on a rival team, I will still get to watch him pitch through the wonderful world of video. He will still be around. Plus, I will have to become that team's fan. I might want to become an Indians fan, at least until Trevor retires. Just watch, he's going to have a 40+ save season and win a World Series. So, I will get over it. I might even enjoy seeing him on another team. But the thing I will not tolerate is the front office. They have handled situations very poorly before, but I think this is the worst. They are the ones who get the blame for letting Trevor walk. They are the ones who will have to watch this team without him. I predict that sometime this season, after the closer for this team blows it big time, they will lie in their beds, restless, thinking about how they let the ALL-TIMES SAVES LEADER walk right out the door. How they offered the ALL-TIMES SAVES LEADER  $4 mil after he earned $7.5 mil the year before. They WILL regret this. They will look around the empty Petco Park one night, at the few season ticket holders snoring in their seats as the Padres are losing 45-0. They will say, we should have given Trevor the respect he deserves. We should have lowered tickets prices and maybe the budget, too, even lower. They WILL regret this. The fans are not happy. We don't like losing our best players. But we are, unfortunately, used to it. So, sometime in the next few weeks, Trevor will probably be picked up by another team. Jake still might get traded, though things have slowed considerably on that front. And we only have one place to blame: the front office.      

I think I understand the front office's problem: the lack of communication. I listened to a 25-minute interview with CEO Sandy Alderson yesterday. Utterly pathetic. I was glad that he came on. He even came in studio. But he was obviously hesitant, uncomfortable, and he dodged a lot of the questions. Gotta give credit to the XX 1090 guys, they were really going at him with all the questions the fans have been asking. One of the things that really stuck out to me was the lack of communication. On a lot of the questions, Sandy made excuses by saying, oh, I haven't talked to (owner) John Moores about that, I don't know if (GM) Kevin Towers was planning this, and worst of all, he hasn't even talked to Trevor during this whole thing!! Outrageous. But he did admit that he was the one who took the deal off the table. The other thing that I noticed was that he said they really do think about the fans. Contrary to what we all think, the Padres front office really does put a lot if consideration to the fans. Though he said it almost exactly like that, I find it extremely hard to believe. They don't care about us. They can't. Here's another strange thing that bugs me: Trevor asked for a meeting with Alderson, Moores, and KT. Trev's agent said they didn't get a response. As a result, Trevor is disappointed in the Padres. But KT said that he had left a message on Trev's phone saying they would be available. Sandy also said that they have been available. Someone is having major problems here, and it's not Trevor. The front office is losing the confidence of their fans. I wonder how many of us will be left when this is all over.

The news is out today. The Jake deal probably will be done by Thanksgiving. Trev will probably be on another team next year. The front office is ready to give away their two best players. It's tough. I think I will be OK, but only until it really hits me about what they're about to do. Oh man. WE'RE ABOUT TO GIVE AWAY JAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, maybe I'm more upset than I thought.     

What a lovely way to start the day. I got up my internet and watched my Padres toolbar in horror. The scrolling Padres news moved by: Padres withdraw offer to Hoffman. OUCH. I can't believe this. Is our front office so dumb as to think that this will help us in some way? Do they not realize that for many fans, this will be the last straw? I have been doubting the front office's sanity with all this Peavy trade talk, but this is going too far. When reporters talked to GM Kevin Towers, he was as shut up as a frightened turtle. Does this mean you don't want Trevor back? No comment. Do you still want to see Trevor finish his career as a Padre? No comment. This scares me. It seems as if Trev is definitely done as a Padre. I have stuck by the front office before, but now I'm getting fed up. The whole Moores situation is UGLY. He needs to sell his part of the team and get out of here. Towers has done good things before, but he's the owner's puppet. Maybe the problem isn't the men on the field. Maybe it's the insane people in the front office. Say we lose Trevor. Then they trade Jake. Then the front office wants to get rid of Greenie so bad that they sent him out for a few pathetic prospects. On my goodness I am FED UP. This is getting so ridiculous. We need new leadership. Poor Bud Black. He has the potential to guide a team deep into the postseason, but the front office isn't giving him the pieces. They give him guys like Jim Edmonds and Randy Wolf. PATHETIC!  This is soooo sick. Now that it seems like the Padres have dumped Trevor, what are we going to do?  What if he gets picked up by a team in the NL West? I really hope that the Padres will be better next year, but it looks very unlikely. We are not going to get better until we get new leadership. It's time for a rebuilding season, but not on the field. We need a new front office. I am so sick of this. 

Trevor Hoffman, baseball's all-time saves leader, is a free agent. He's been offered a contract by the Padres, $4 million for this year and a $4 million option for next year. But there's been no word from Trevor or his agent as of yet. I am very certain that he will stay, and here's the reasons why.

REASON #7: He has 554 saves, 552 with San Diego. He tied for the all-time record here in Petco Park. The next day, he became the all-time saves leader against the Pirates. He also got his 500th and 550th at Petco. I mean, he's already made history here. Every save breaks his own record. He became the leader here in San Diego, as a Padre. Why should he add to that record in another uniform?

REASON #6: He's been here for 15 years. That's a long time. His first team was the Flordia Marlins, who traded him to the Padres in 1993. It would be plain WRONG to go to another team for only one or two years. Why can't he be sort of like Tony Gywnn?

REASON #5: His family is very established here. Trevor's wife, Tracy, runs a children's gym. His three boys, Brody, Quinn and Wyatt have lived here their entire lives. If Trev is going retire in a few years anyway, why move on now?

REASON #4: Trevor Time and the fans. Ever since Hell's Bells first played in Qualcomm Stadium in 1998, every Padres fan heads to Petco with the hope of seeing Trevor Time. When the Padres are leading by a few going into the top of the 9th, we buzz in anticipation of our all-time saves leader making an appearance. I had the extreme privilege of seeing Trevor Time live for the first time this year. I will never forget it. Seeing him on the mound, Hell's Bells blaring through the stadium, all 30,000 or so fans standing and screaming, all of us confident in our legend. It's amazing. It's a San Diego tradition. We die-hards love him. There are some who will doubt him, but the faithful know. He may struggle, he may fail, but he always takes all blame, and he fights to win. You gotta cheer for a guy like Trevor.

REASON #3: He's been in this situation before. In 2005, Trev was a free agent. He got offered a really good contract by the Cleveland Indians. He turned it down to stay with the Padres, sacrificing about $11 million. He's not in it for the money, that's well known. He wants to stay in San Diego, and the front office seems to want him too. So this won't be about the money. It's going to be about Trevor pitching for his team.

REASON #2: He can still pitch. I know the excuses, the bashes: he's old, he's washed up, his time is over, he can't pitch. Well, the truth is, he may be 41, but he CAN still pitch. I mean, look at Greg Maddux. Look at Jamie Moyer. They are both really old guys, but they pitch well every fifth day. Trevor is a closer; he does not pitch that much. His save oppurtunities are usually very far apart. He gets a lot of time to rest, and he keeps himself in great shape. Though he does struggle at the beginning of the season, he always bounces back and finishes decently. He threw really, really well last year, better than he has in a few years. His stuff was great. The guy has one, if not two, years left in the tank.

AND NOW, THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR TREVOR TO STAY IN SAN DIEGO IS...

He IS San Diego. Ask any Padres fan. Besides Tony Gywnn, Trevor is the face of the Padres. He's been here for 15 years. He is our celebrity. He's going to the Hall of Fame in a Padres uniform. Besides his amazing performance on the field, he is generally a great guy. He always gives the press all the time it needs, especially after he blows a save. He also does a ton of charity work.

We love him here. This is where he belongs. We need our closer. We need Trevor Hoffman.          

Adrian Gonzalez won his first Gold Glove yesterday. It is well deserved. Adrian is super-solid over at first. On this horrible Padres team, he was still able to have a spectacular year. He participated in the All-Star game this year, and now he has his first of many Gold Gloves. In 161 games, he had 6 errors with a fielding percentage of .996. Now, Adrian is a huge part of San Diego. He participates in countless charity events for organizations all over the county. In this uncertain offseason for Padres fans, we finally got some good news yesterday. When we're getting nothing but trade rumors for our best player, we really need GOOD news once in a while. And here it is. It was amazing what Adrian was able to accomplish this year. He improved almost everywhere he could. He had a great year as an individual. He hit a lot better at Petco, driving a good number of homers to left field as well as right. Adrian is just a great guy, and this award is very deserved. CONGRATS, ADRIAN! Check out his website at http://agonzalez23.com/

In other news, it appears that Greg Maddux will retire. But he did get his 18th Gold Glove yesterday. Dude, he's amazing. It was so much fun to have him in San Diego, and it's too bad that he couldn't end his career in a Padres uniform.

Yesterday we found out that Khalil Greene is on the trade block with Jake. It's not that suprising. Khalil punched a storage chest after his 100th strikeout of the season and broke his hand. He was out for the rest of the season. The Padres filed a grievance against him for it. After an amazing year in 2007, he was slumping horribly at the plate. After every of his 10 homers, we always said, "Maybe this one will break him out of his slump!" We wanted him to suceed so badly. Relations between Khalil and the Padres have been a little conflicted lately.

 But we Padres fans love him. He is a very good shortstop. His defense was average this year, but he is a stunning defensive player. Some of his plays will stick forever in Padres history. In 2007, his bat was so good. He was a big part of getting us to game 163. But this year, he just never got going. We love him because of his missing emotions. All through the year, whenever he struck out, he would just walk away with no expression whatsoever. Whenever he made a stunning play, he would just get up, brush himself off, and show nothing on his face. As the year went on, though, he would grimace at himself a little. But all the stored-up emotions eventually resulted in the punching incident.

And now he might be out the door. It would be tough for a lot of  Padres fans. I mean, he has incredible talent. This year he could be really good again. He's had a chance to sit back and take a good long break. Plus, we don't have anyone to replace him. But the talk has been around that we could get a shortstop in a Peavy trade. But I mean, if we Padre fans lost both Jake and Greenie, I don't know how many of us would stick around. It might be the last straw for some Padres fans. Plus, I know there are a lot of girls who love Khalil. Like, LOVE Khalil. They would be devistated. We would have to get something really good in return to appease Padres fans. But no one can replace Khalil. NO ONE.

So, I think it is very likely that he will be traded. But it will be a huge loss for Padres fans.       

Trevor Hoffman filed for free agency today. I'm not panicking yet, but I might be close. I found out last night when my dad heard a report on the radio. I quickly searched the internet, but found nothing substantial. I've been checking all day, and now the dreaded report is on the Padres website. The first time I heard, I was pretty upset, but I think I've made my peace. It would hurt a lot to lose him, but I would be able to stand it. This is tough on me especially because he was my first favorite Padre. When I was first becoming a Padres fan, he was the player I recognized. I remember sitting in my room, listening to him get his 479th save. I was  so happy for him. Then, in September 2007, I saw him for the first time in person during batting practice. I was so excited to see him. I was actually able to get his autograph later that evening. This September I had the privilege to watch him get his 550th save. It was so incredible to actually see him doing what he's famous for. I've always though it was so cool to have Major League Baseball's ALL-TIME saves leader right here in San Diego. He IS San Diego. It would be ridiculous to lose him. But the good news is that we can still sign him. The Padres have offered him a contract. I don't see why he would want to go anywhere else. Well, for us die-hard Padres fans, this is tough news in the least. Let's just hope Trevor stays with the Padres.   

Our veteran catcher Josh Bard took the free agency route recently. The rookie catcher Luke Carlin was moved off the 40-man roster. That leaves the highly-regarded Nick Hundley. This year was a bad year for our catchers. Both Michael Barrett and Bard had minimal playing time, as they were injured the majority of the year. As a result, Nick and Luke got a lot of playing time. Luke was not-so-good. He had decent catching, but slumped badly at the plate. He was 14-for-94. Nick was definitely better. He was a great defensive catcher, and the pitchers were comfortable with him. He also faired pretty well at the plate, hitting 5 home runs with 24 batted in. He did have a lot more playing time than Luke, catching 60 games to Luke's 36. The most exciting part about Nick is his ability to snag baserunners. He has a good arm, and great release to second. I think he will definitely be on the Opening Day roster. 

But he needs an experienced veteran catcher at his side. While Bardo was on the DL, he took Nick under his wing. But now that Bardo is gone, we need another catcher. Yesterday, 65 players filed for free agency. Among them were catchers Jason Varitek, Paul Lo Duca, and Ivan Rodriguez. Now, I have no idea how much money the Padres are willing to sign a free agent to (probably not much). They might get a catcher through a trade. But I tell you what, there is a great crop of free agent catchers floating around out there. I hope the Padres take a look at these guys at least.

Other notable free agents are Manny Ramirez, Greg Maddux, Joe Beimel, Derek Lowe, Ben Sheets, Bob Abreu, and Milton Bradley. It will be a very interesting offseason...