Well, this is awfully rude. Maicer (aka Telemundo Superstar, as my uncle calls him) Izturis is out for the season! The season! He's always been a fragile li'l fella, but this is just bad. I've got nothing against Aybar, but I've thought that Maicer was a more solid defender and a better pure hitter. I could spout that all day long, though, and it wouldn't mean a darn thing. So let's look at some numbers, shall we?

For 2008:

Maicer Izturis (290 AB): .269 AVG, .362 SLG, .329 OBP, 19 XBH, 27 RBI, 44 R

Erick Aybar (265 AB): .283 AVG, .392 SLG, .320 OBP, 19 XBH, 30 RBI, 40 R

Well, kids, looks like I was not that far off. According to the numbers, though, Aybar hits for better AVG and SLG. Really, though, it looks like a wash. Playing time is roughly equal, so it may not even be a problem going forward. It's a good opportunity for Aybar to step up, that's for sure. One thing is certain, though, this team isn't missing Orlando Cabrera at all. I had nothing against the guy, but there were times when he'd hit a home run, and then swing for the fences for about a week. That's not his job! How dare he!

But wait, there's more!

As we all know, Shortstop is a defensively minded position, so let's take a look at some fielding numbers, shall we?

For 2008:

Maicer Izturis (52 games): 2 errors in 218 total chances for a fielding percentage of .991

Erick Aybar (74 games): 12 errors in 337 total chances for a fielding percentage of .964

Well THERE'S a bigger discrepancy. Aybar has a tendency to hot dog it at times. Whether this is an after effect of him watching Orlando Cabrera last year, or just the way he was brought up, I don't know. I always felt confident with Maicer's defense at short and 3rd. He's nothing flashy, but he gets the job done. I realize that Aybar has had more chances, and Maicer missed 5 weeks earlier in the season, but we're talking 10 more errors in only a little over 100 more chances. So, 10% of the times a ball is hit to him, he's going to drop it? That's a problem that could be magnified greatly in the playoffs if he doesn't tighten things up.

So let's take a look back at that Red Sox trade and glory in the majesty of small sample sizes:

For August:

David "Big Papi" Ortiz: .107 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .349 OPS (28 AB)

Jeff "Clinging to My Guns and Religion" Kent: .333 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .856 OPS (33 AB)

Again... small sample size. Ortiz is hurt. But Kent's July line reads thusly:

.247 AVG, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .729 OPS (81 AB)

So... in less than half the AB's, you have 1 less HR and only 3 less RBI already this month for Kent. Is Bay really filling in for Manny that well? There's no July line for Ortiz to compare to, but look at his May, before this fiasco even started.

.318 AVG, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 1.026 OPS (107 AB)

Big Papi's got some work to do if he wants to match his May. His wrist may still be tweaked, though, according to recent news, so it's still hard to compare. The numbers so far seem pretty telling, though.

According to Tom Krasovic, there are rumblings that the Padres plan to cut payroll from approximately $76 million to around $40 million next year. This may be part of the motivation by the attempt to trade Brian Giles to the Red Sox earlier this month. Another big factor may be John Moores' impending divorce. This is interesting, but not surprising, news to me. I can't say that I agree with the Padres' methods in this particular instance.

There were hints of a full on fire sale earlier this year, but come trade deadline time, the Padres failed to move any of their higher priced pieces. And, of course, when a team doesn't trade anything, they don't get anything back. If the plan all along had been to cut salary, one would think the Padres would at least attempt to build (I'd say rebuild, but you can't rebuild what was never there) up their farm system. Now, Jake Peavy was raised by the Padres to become a Cy Young winner. That speaks for itself. But can we really count Khalil Greene since he went from college to the majors? His streaky hitting and high strikeout rate have caused consternation for management and fans alike. But what prospects other than those do the Padres currently have on their roster? I believe that the sample size for Headley and Hundley is too small at the moment. I see flashes of promise, but Hundley looks like he may be a serviceable catcher at best.

The trend now, even for the free spending New York Yankees, seems to be a youth movement in baseball. Teams are looking for cheaper, younger players from within their own systems to fill roster slots. The Tampa Bay Rays have built a serious contender through the draft and the minor leagues, and some key trades. The Angels have plenty of homegrown talent, who inhabit a good deal of their starting positions. They were able to parlay first baseman Casey Kotchman and a AA pitcher Stephen Marek (Not the elephant man) for uber-first baseman Mark Teixeira. They lost their starting first baseman if Teixeira signs elsewhere, but they have hard-hitting Cuban import Kendry Morales (.936 OPS in the minors in 08) just in case.

All of the prospects in the world are no guarantee, but getting them through trades would certainly help speed the process along. Pittsburgh may not have gotten what people consider to be "can't miss" prospects in dealing Nady and Bay recently, but you have to like their odds of at least getting one bright spot. What did the Padres get? They got "the future Dan Wheeler" for Randy Wolf. Great.

There are some lean years ahead for Padres fans. I wouldn't be surprised to see Kevin Towers depart for greener pastures, what with openings like the Mariners and their higher payroll. I'll give the man credit. He's definitely found some diamonds in the rough in his tenure as the Padres GM. With a guy like Alderson at the wheel, though, I don't see him getting many more chances like that. It's sad to see a franchise take a turn like this. They've been competitive the last several years against all odds. What was supposed to be a big revenue stream in Petco Park turns out to be a big sham. Where are all these big time players they were supposed to be able to sign with all of this extra money? Joe Randa? Mark Sweeney? Uh huh. Good luck, Padres fans. I hope some new owners that actually care about the team take over soon.

You know, I've always suspected this, Bill, but thanks for confirming.