The Fat Lady Sings for Brian Giles

Brian Giles was trying to keep his career going with the Dodgers. He was invited as a non-roster player. He played in two games, and got no hits and a walk (sound familiar). So, after a week with the team, Giles decided his knee just wasn't up to par. He wasn't able to do the things he felt he needed to do to compete, and he called it quits.

I think we need to look at his career as a success, considering some of the years he had, and the money he made. His time as a Padre was pretty disappointing as a whole, but one thing he also brought was effort. He was never one of the more athletic guys on the team, but he made up for his inadequacies in the field and on the bases with that effort. As a Padre fan, I am happy to not have him on our payroll this year, but he always seemed like a quality guy, so I hope what he does in the future works out.

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100311&content_id=8759444&vkey=news_sd&fext=.jsp&c_id=sd

Padres Acquire Tony Gwynn Jr.

In a trade that probably looks like nothing to most everyone in the country, the Padres sent Jody Gerut (a platooning center fielder) to the Milwaukee Brewers for a AAA prospect. The reason it means anything to the Padres is that he happens to be the son of the most famous athlete in San Diego sports history. The moved loved for sure.

Tony Gwynn Jr. (preferably Anthony Gwynn) hopes to continuing following in Dad's footsteps following his career at SDSU into a succesfull major league career in SD. He is a solid prospect, a bit younger than Gerut, and a guy that will be instantly loved.

In his first at bat as a Padre, on a day he found out he was traded and flew from Portland to San Diego, he drew a walk, and a big one at that. He arrived in San Diego just in time to dress and make it out to the field for game time, but found himself as the pinch hitter with one out and a runner on second in the bottom of the ninth of a 2-1 game. A lot of young guys coming into a situation like this would be very anxious. The crowd went nuts for Mr. Padre's son, and I wouldnt have blamed him for swinging at some bad pitches and showing little patience, but he did the opposite, drawing a walk and eventually crossing home plate as the winning run.

Great start to hopefully a long stay. The problem could be the platoon. It doesn't make sense to have him split time with Scott Hairston in center, especially when Giles is hitting .160 over in right field. I saw Hairston splits time with Giles more than Anthony, and we get the two of them more at bats than our second highest paid player. Just because we are paying him a lot doesnt mean we have to keep playing him through mediocrity.

I'll tell you something else, it will be nice to have some speed on this team too.

Boston Red Sox Claim Brian Giles Off Of Waivers?

Last night, following Brian Giles' 6th home run of the year in a Paders victory, Giles was claimed off of waivers by an unknown team. In a situation like this, the league and teams keep it a secret on who made the claim so that the teams and players can try to work out a deal behind the scenes.

Rumor has it that the Red Sox are the team that made the claim, which is interesting because they are one of the teams Giles has the right to refuse. I can't imagine him wanting to play for the Padres over the Red Sox, but you never know.

Brian is hitting .296 with 6 home runs, 37 RBI and 49 runs scored. Most importantly he has walked 61 times, giving him an on base percentage of .391. He is Mr Reliable for getting on base, but he doesn't pack the power he used to. He isn't fast, but he is a smart outfielder and makes up for his speed and arm strength by getting in the right position and busting his ass every day. He also provides a left handed bat which can become valuable in September and October.

I can't say I would exactly be sad to see him go, as getting on base doesn't help when no one can knock you in, and $9 million is a bit much to pay for a guy known for walking.