I recently conducted and interview with Myron Logan of Another Padres Blog. We discussed the current series, injuries, and the Jake Peavy trade.
Mets 411: The Padres host the Mets tonight. With both teams being hurt, who do you think has the advantage going into the series?
Myron Logan: I give it to the Mets, simply because they are a better team. The Mets have an expected record, based on runs scored and runs allowed, of around 51-56. The Padres are at 40-69. The Padres do have home field advantage,which cuts into that gap a little bit, but I think the Mets still have an edge going into this series.
Mets 411: Speaking of injuries, who has it worse? The Mets or the Padres?
Myron Logan: I think I'll have to go with the Mets again here. Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Jose Reyes have played a total of 124 games out of a possible 321. Ouch. Beltran's a borderline MVP-type player, Reyes is an excellent all-around shortstop, and Delgado is still a solid bat at first.
You don't need me to tell you that, but again, ouch. The Padres have had their own injury problems, losing Jake Peavy (before he was traded) and Chris Young, clearly their two best starting pitchers, for long periods.
Mets 411: Heath Bell, a former Met, has been great this season. Do you see him in the Padres long term plans?
Myron Logan: He's been great since arriving in San Diego, with a 2.55 ERA and 224 strikeouts in 215 innings with the Padres. I don't think he fits into the long term plan, mostly because closers -- or any player, really -- have a lot more value on a contending team. Bell's under contract for the next two seasons, both of which may see the Padres continue to struggle. It probably makes sense for San Diego to deal him in the off-season, and try to stock pile prospects for their next extended run.
Mets 411: Adrian Gonzalez has been having a great year, and was mentioned in some possible trades. Are you happy they chose to hold on to him?
Myron Logan: I'm sort of in the middle on this one, actually. I can see where a trade makes sense (same reason as stated above) and I can see why one doesn't. People want to come out to the park, or watch the team on TV, and have something to be excited about. In these tough times for the Padres, Gonzalez provides just that. He has great power, he can hit for average, he fields his position well.
He's just about all you could ask for. Then again, everybody wants the Padres to win again, and the best path to that road may be trading Adrian in hopes of returning some impact players that could help the next good Padres team. It's a tough situation, but it's fun to watch Gonzalez while he's here.
Mets 411: The Padres scored big on the Jake Peavy trade. Which player that they got back are you most excited about?
Myron Logan: I guess I'd go with Aaron Poreda here, just because he's rated highest by most prospect guys. He's only 22, he's big (6-6, 245), and he has a chance to become a solid contributer.
Clayton Richard, the other big left-hander acquired in the trade, has looked good in his first couple of starts. He might fit in as a back-of-the-rotation type guy. Dexter Carter and Adam Russell are decent prospects as well, as both were ranked in the 20s in the White Sox system, according to the Baseball America 2009 Handbook.
Mets 411: Was the departure of Jake Peavy bittersweet though?
Myron Logan: Oh yeah. Peavy was great during his run with the Padres. He was also a competitor, and a fun guy to watch. It's definitely hard to see a guy leave who had spent his entire career in the organization. Rebuilding can be a long, tough process.
Mets 411: Which up and coming minor player in the Padres organization are you most excited about?
Myron Logan: This one is becoming tougher and tougher to answer, as the Padres have done a pretty nice job adding prospects to the organization. Can I go with 2009 first round pick Donavan Tate, even tough he hasn't signed yet? Tate's an athletic center fielder who, based on the scouting reports, sort of reminds me of an Adam Jones -- I hope that's how he turns out. Of course, he was drafted out of high school so it'll be a while before he gets anywhere close to the big leagues.
Mets 411: Thanks for you time. Lets hope this is a competitive series.
Myron Logan: Thanks for the questions. Enjoy the series!
Posts
