Padres Continue to Make Moves: Hot Stove 12/30

Free Agent Signings

Giants resigned Jake Peavy (7-13, 3.73 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 2015 age: 34) to a two year, $24 million deal.

Nationals signed Dan Uggla (2 HR, 10 RBI, .149 AVG, 2015 age: 35) to a minor league deal.

Pirates signed Corey Hart (6 HR, 21 RBI, .203 AVG, 2 SB, 2015 age: 33) to a one year, $2.5 million deal.

Twins signed Tim Stauffer (6-2, 3.50 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 2015 age: 33) to a one year, $2.2 million deal.

Nationals signed Heath Bell (1-1, 7.27 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, 2015 age: 37) to a minor league deal.

Indians signed Scott Downs (0-4, 4.97 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 1 SV, 2015 age: 39) to a minor league deal.

Cubs signed David Ross (7 HR, 15 RBI, .184 AVG, 2015 age: 38) to a two year, $5 million deal.

Nationals signed Ian Stewart (2 HR, 7 RBI, .176 AVG, 1 SB, 2015 age: 30) to a minor league deal.

Cubs resigned Ryan Kalish (0 HR, 5 RBI, .248 AVG, 3 SB, 2015 age: 27) to a minor league deal.

The Nationals picked up a trio of former stars, all on minor league deals. The most notable is Dan Uggla, a former power hitting star with the Marlins who saw his production drop off almost as quickly as it appeared. He likely cannot regain the bat that made him an All Star in 2006, 2008, and 2012, but for the low pricetag he was signed for, it is worth a shot to see if he can bounce back and become the Nationals starting second baseman in 2015 or at least a bench bat. Back in 2006, he surprised everyone by batting .282 with 27 home runs and 90 RBI as a 26 year old rookie with the Marlins. He had his best season in 2010, when he hit 33 home runs, drove in 105, and batted .287 with 31 doubles and 100 runs scored. However, his batting average dropped every year after that, going from .287 in 2010 to .233 in 2011 to .220, then .179, then finally .149 in 2014. After hitting 36 home runs in 2011, he finished with 19 in 2012, then 22, then two in 2014. Hopefully, he can bounce back from that atrocious 2014 season. For his career, he has 233 home runs and a .243 average. The Nationals also picked up Heath Bell, who was one of the best closers in baseball as recently as 2011. Hopefully, the 37 year old Bell can rebound and be at least a decent middle innings reliever for Washington. Like Uggla, Bell had his best season in 2010, when he was 6-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 47 saves for the Padres. In 2011, he went 3-4 with a 2.44 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 43 saves. However, he struggled with the Marlins in 2012, the Diamondbacks in 2013, and the Rays in 2014. Bell has 168 career saves to go along with a 3.49 ERA. Ian Stewart was never really a star, but he did provide the Rockies with a productive bat from 2008-2010. In 2009, he hit 25 home runs, drove in 70, and batted .228 with seven stolen bases in 147 games. In 2010, he hit .256 with 18 home runs and 61 RBI in 121 games. However, he’s hit just seven home runs in the past three seasons with the Rockies, Cubs, and Angels, never batting above .201. Washington his hoping he can rebound and serve as a back up infielder this year.

Trades

Braves traded Justin Upton (29 HR, 102 RBI, .270 AVG, 8 SB, 2015 age: 27) and minor leaguer Aaron Northcraft (7-10, 4.70 ERA, 1.52 WHIP at AA and AAA, 2015 age: 25) to the Padres for Jace Peterson (0 HR, 0 RBI, .113 AVG, 2 SB, 2015 age: 25) and minor leaguers Max Fried (0-1, 5.06 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, Rookie and A, 2015 age: 21) and Dustin Peterson (10 HR, 79 RBI, .233 AVG, 1 SB at A, 2015 age: 20).

Yankees traded Martin Prado (12 HR, 58 RBI, .282 AVG, 3 SB, 2015 age: 31) and David Phelps (5-5, 4.38 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 1 SV, 2015 age: 28) to the Marlins for Nathan Eovaldi (6-14, 4.37 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 2015 age: 25), Garrett Jones (15 HR, 53 RBI, .246 AVG, 2015 age: 33-34), and minor leaguer Domingo German (9-3, 2.48 ERA, 1.14 WHIP at A, 2015 age: 22).

A’s traded Derek Norris (10 HR, 55 RBI, .270 AVG, 2 SB, 2015 age: 26) to the Padres for Jesse Hahn (7-4, 3.07 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 2015 age: 25-26) and R.J. Alvarez (0-0, 1.13 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 2015 age: 24).

Marlins traded Casey McGehee (4 HR, 76 RBI, .287 AVG, 4 SB, 2015 age: 32) to the Giants for minor leaguers Kendry Flores (4-6, 4.09 ERA, 1.26 WHIP at High A, 2015 age: 23) and Luis Castillo (2-2, 3.07 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 10 SV at A, 2015 age: 22).

Red Sox traded Will Middlebrooks (2 HR, 19 RBI, .191 AVG, 1 SB, 2015 age: 26) to the Padres for Ryan Hanigan (5 HR, 34 RBI, .218 AVG, 1 SB, 2015 age: 34).

Yankees traded Shawn Kelley (3-6, 4.53 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 4 SV, 2015 age: 31) to the Padres for minor leaguer Johnny Barbato (2-2, 2.87 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 16 SV at AA, 2015 age: 22-23).

The Padres continued to revamp their outfield, adding the biggest piece with Justin Upton. An outfield that featured Will Venable, Cameron Maybin, and Seth Smith a year ago now has Upton, Matt Kemp, and Wil Myers. It will be interesting to see how that goes, considering there are now ten major league caliber outfielders on the Padres roster. Upton’s contract runs out after the 2015 season, but he will provide some big time power for the Padres this year. He hits for power, hits for average, and has a big arm in the outfield. His two best seasons were 2009 and 2011 with the Diamondbacks. In 2009, he hit .300 with 26 home runs, 86 RBI, and 20 stolen bases at the age of 21. In 2011, he hit .289 with 31 home runs, 88 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. He doesn’t steal as many bases now, but he still hit .270 with 29 home runs and a career high 102 RBI in 2014, not turning 27 until late August. At just 27 years old, he already has 164 home runs, 535 RBI, and a .274 average with 96 stolen bases. Also going to San Diego is minor leaguer Aaron Northcraft, a 24 year old right handed starter who reached AAA in 2014. He was dominant in 13 games (12 starts) for AA Mississippi last year, going 7-3 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP, but he struggled in AAA. With Gwinnett, he was just 0-7 with a 6.54 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP over 13 games (12 starts), likely necessitating more time at AAA before a call-up to the majors.

The Braves received three prospects in the deal for Upton, most notably Max Fried. Fried, who was taken seventh overall in the 2012 draft, has ace potential but is coming off a season filled with injury. In 2013, at just 19 years old, he went 6-7 with a 3.49 ERA in 23 starts at Class A Fort Wayne, but forearm issues caused him to miss the first half of 2014. He returned in July, but after making just five starts, he went on the DL with elbow soreness. It was later revealed that Fried needed Tommy John surgery, and he will miss the entire 2015 season. When he returns in 2016, he’ll still be only 22, with plenty of time to develop into an ace. Jace Peterson is the only member of the trio with major league experience. The 24 year old made his debut in April, ultimately struggling in 27 games. He had been buoyed by a strong minor league season, as he hit .307 with 24 doubles and six triples, stealing 16 bases for AA San Antonio and AAA El Paso. His best tool is his speed, as he stole 39, 51, and 42 bases in the minors in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. Atlanta is hoping his bat can catch up with his speed so that he can stick as a back-up infielder in 2015 and possibly as a starter later on down the road. Lastly, 20 year old outfielder Dustin Peterson will be joining the Braves organization. Peterson struggled to get on base at Class A Fort Wayne in 2014, but at 20 years old, his contact rate should have time to catch up with his power. Over 126 games, he hit .233 but knocked ten home runs, 31 doubles, and three triples with Fort Wayne. Oftentimes, doubles in the minors can translate into home runs as players mature.

With Chase Headley on board for four years, Martin Prado became the odd man out in the Yankees infield. Though he could have potentially filled the hole at second base for New York, the Yankees opted to send him down south to Miami to replace the recently traded Casey McGehee. Prado is no stranger to the NL East, having played for the Braves from 2006-2012. 30 year old’s bat seem to catch fire after he was traded from Arizona to the Bronx, as he hit .316 with seven home runs in 37 games in pinstripes. His best season came in 2010, when he hit 15 home runs, batted .307, and scored 100 times while making the NL All Star team. He also had a big season in 2012, when he hit .301 with 10 home runs, 70 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. Between Arizona and New York last season, he batted .282 with 12 home runs and 58 RBI, a fairly typical season for the consistent hitter. Pitcher David Phelps will join Prado down south. The Notre Dame alumnus is 28 and has pitched in three seasons for the Yankees, going 15-14 with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP over 87 games (40 starts). His best year was his rookie 2012, when he was 4-4 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP over 33 games (11 starts). Last year, he went 5-5 with a 4.38 ERA over 32 games (17 starts). He can be rotation insurance in case Dan Haren elects to retire.

The Yankees are receiving a prized arm in Nathan Eovaldi. The 24 year old already has four years of major league experience under his belt, and though he hasn’t quite established himself as the ace he can be, he’s proven to be a valuable starter. He’s had the misfortune of almost zero run support, so his 15-35 career record doesn’t quite match his solid 4.07 ERA. He has his command down, but he’s just a little too hittable, and if he can miss a few more bats, the sky is the limit. The Yankees also got a power bat in Garrett Jones to help offset the loss of Prado. Jones likely won’t start, but he could see time backing up Mark Teixeira at first base, Carlos Beltran in right field, Brett Gardner in left, or Alex Rodriguez at DH. He became dispensable after Miami signed Michael Morse. Jones had his best season in 2012, when he batted .274 with 27 home runs and 86 RBI in 145 games for the Pirates. His power/fly ball bat should be a great match for Yankee Stadium. Lastly, prospect Domingo German will try to work his way through the Yankees minor league system. He had a breakout season at Class A Greensboro in 2014, going 9-3 with a 2.48 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP over 25 starts, and he could start 2015 at High Class A Tampa at just 22 years old.

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Zack Silverman