Padres News

Brewers' Macha contacts Hoffman
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January 6
MLB.com
 
"The Brewers have rekindled talks with free agent closer Trevor Hoffman, and manager Ken Macha has joined the pursuit. When Macha learned that general manager Doug Melvin was talking again with the agent for the all-time saves leader, he asked Melvin for permission to call Hoffman himself. Hoffman was vacationing with his family in Hawaii, but returned that call on Saturday. "I gave him a compliment on his career, and his professionalism," Macha said Tuesday, after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported that the Brewers had resumed talks with Hoffman. "A guy with Hoffman's experience and track record, what he's done over the years, would bring a lot of confidence to your team," Macha ..."
Moorad would boost strength in draft
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January 5
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"What quality of farm system would a Jeff Moorad-led group inherit if, as Moorad strongly implied Friday, his cadre soon buys control of the Padres from John and Becky Moores? Average or a tad less, somewhat on the rise yet still playing catch-up in the search for high-upside talent, say several scouts and other major league evaluators interviewed recently by the Union-Tribune. The Padres of Moores have mostly underachieved at producing homegrown players since Moores became majority owner in 1994. Under CEO Sandy Alderson, hired by Moores in 2005, the club has sharply increased its investments in the system. The expectation among a few prominent player-agents is that Moorad, a former ..."
Rating the farm system: Call it average at best
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January 4
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Of what quality is the Padres' farm system that a Jeff Moorad-led group would inherit if, as Moorad strongly implied Friday, his cadre soon buys control of the Padres from John and Becky Moores? Average or a tad less, somewhat on the rise yet still playing catch-up in the search for high-upside talent, say several scouts and other major league evaluators interviewed recently by The San Diego Union-Tribune. The Padres have mostly underachieved at producing home-grown players since Moores became majority owner in 1994. Under CEO Sandy Alderson, hired by Moores in 2005, the club has sharply increased its investments in the system. The expectation among a few prominent player-agents is that ..."
Ranking the Top 10 Padres prospects
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January 4
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"In compiling a list of top Padres prospects, The San Diego Union-Tribune surveyed 10 evaluators employed by major league clubs, several of them not with the Padres. The evaluators' views on a prospect's potential value as a major leaguer were valued more than his probability of reaching the majors. KYLE BLANKS, 1B At 21, Blanks was young for the Double-A Texas League yet ranked near the top in slugging percentage (.514), on-base percentage (.404) and batting average (.325) last season. He runs as well as Padres left fielder Chase Headley, but first base likely is the 6-foot-6, 270-pounder's long-term spot. With Adrian Gonzalez, 26, cheaply under contract through 2011, Blanks draws extra ..."
Many more questions than answers regarding possible Moorad ownership
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January 3
San Diego Union-Tribune
 columnist Tim Sullivan
"In his previous life as a player agent, Jeff Moorad represented Manny Ramirez. Baseball fans are advised to disregard that connection, however. Moorad, the departing chief executive of the Arizona Diamondbacks, has an agreement in principle to purchase the Padres. Ramirez, the mercurial slugger, is looking for a job. But the two men no longer tango as one. "I'm probably about six cell phones behind," Moorad said Friday afternoon. Artfully avoiding payroll projections, personnel promises or philosophical filibusters, Moorad provided a sneak preview of his Padres' stewardship that raised more questions than it resolved but was nonetheless reassuring. After a season of largely absentee ..."
Moorad near deal to buy Padres from Moores
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January 3
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Fifteen years after Texan software mogul John Moores bought the Padres, Moores and his wife Becky have reached "an agreement in principle" to sell the club to a group led by Jeff Moorad, an Orange County resident with wide-ranging experiences in the baseball business. Moorad was the general partner of the rival Arizona Diamondbacks the past 4 1/2 years and for 20 years prior was a powerful agent to baseball stars such as Manny Ramirez and Mo Vaughn. If the sale of the Padres goes through, the price will exceed $400 million, according to a major-league source. Moores put up about $80 million to buy the Padres in December 1994. "It's a jewel of a franchise," Moorad said. Moorad announced ..."
Padres' Giles: 'I categorically deny each and every allegation'
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December 24
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Saying "this is all about money," Padres right fielder Brian Giles made his first public comments Tuesday regarding the $10 million lawsuit filed against him by his former girlfriend, Cheri Olvera, who alleged a string of abuse, including batterings while she was pregnant. "There are two sides to every story and I am eager to tell mine," Giles said in a statement issued by his attorney, James D. Scott. "I ask that everyone withhold judgment until I have a chance to tell my side of the story. "I categorically deny each and every allegation of the complaint for palimony," Giles said in the statement. "This is all about money. The marriage never took place because the plaintiff changed her ..."
Talented teams of the '90s quite different than today
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December 21
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Should a sale go through, whoever buys the Padres from John Moores would be lucky to get a Padres club as talented as the one Moores bought in late 1994. True, when Moores took control, the Padres were coming off a 47-70 season. They also ranked last in major league attendance, averaging fewer than 17,000 at then-Jack Murphy Stadium. But the club was rich in emerging, inexpensive baseball talent. The treasures included a deep and young cast of accurate power pitchers, several position players who would become All-Stars - one of them a first-ballot Hall of Famer - a few valuable prospects and even future stars on the scouting staffs. Among the starting pitchers were Andy Ashby, Joey ..."
Gerut, Padres agree on one-year contract
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December 20
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Avoiding salary arbitration, the Padres and center fielder Jody Gerut reached terms on a one-year contract for $1.775 million, a deal announced Friday. Gerut batted .296 with 15 doubles, 14 home runs and 43 RBI last season and graded well in center field. In September, General Manager Kevin Towers said Gerut deserved strong consideration for the team's Most Valuable Player award. Manager Bud Black said recently that Gerut, 31, has the inside track to the center field job, with rookie Will Venable in the mix as well. Gerut missed the 2006 and 2007 seasons to recover from reconstructive knee surgery - his second - and was signed last offseason after impressing scout Van Smith in the ..."
Giles underwent anger management to resolve 2006 misdemeanor charge
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December 19
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Padres outfielder Brian Giles entered into a plea agreement for a misdemeanor domestic violence charge that stemmed from a video-recorded incident at a Phoenix bar on Aug. 27, 2006. Giles, 37, was required to complete anger-management counseling as part of the deal in exchange for the case being dropped, said John Tutelman of the Phoenix city attorney's office. After his counseling was completed, the case was dropped this past February. Giles' alleged domestic violence history has come to light after the former girlfriend, Cheri Olvera, recently sued him for more than $10 million, alleging a string of abuse, including batterings while she was pregnant. Giles and his agent have declined ..."
Towers is assessing potential options to shore up team's middle infield
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December 18
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Veteran middle infielders Omar Vizquel, David Eckstein and Mark Grudzielanek are on the Padres' radar to varying