Journalism won’t die if you donate. Support Voice of San Diego today!
Remember when I said that the Padres were likely done making changes to the roster this offseason? Well, I was sort of right and sort of wrong. This week, Padres GM Josh Byrnes, affectionately known as “Trader Josh,” completed yet another trade. This time, he sent four players to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a left-handed reliever and a young pitching prospect.
This is one of those deals that looks better and better the more you research it.
Logan Forsythe was the biggest chip traded away, and he became redundant as soon as the season ended and Everth Cabrera returned from suspension. Forsythe is a former third baseman who was turned into a second baseman before becoming a utility player. That puts him somewhere between star rookie Jedd Gyorko, who is a former another third baseman-turned-second baseman, and Alexi Amarista, who can seemingly play every position except pitcher and catcher. The Padres were shopping Forsythe because, quite frankly, there is no reason to have two utility players if you already have a second baseman who can play third base in a pinch.
Alex Torres comes in off of an incredible rookie year for the Rays, where he collected a 1.71 ERA in 39 relief appearances. A deeper look says that Torres has even more potential. Last year, in AAA, Torres started nine games and finished with a 2-2 record and an ERA of 3.52. More important: his strikeout numbers (11.93 per nine innings, which is quite high) and walk numbers (4.11 per nine innings, which is impressive when held next to the strikeout numbers). The guy should be very effective with the Padres for years to come, whether it’s out of the bullpen or as a starter.
One thing is for sure: Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley will get every last ounce of potential out of Torres’ left arm.
You’re reading the Sports Report, our weekly compilation of news and information for the San Diego sports fan.
All Super Bowl, All the Time
• The Seahawks and Broncos will meet in northern New Jersey for this year’s Super Bowl. It’s an exciting match-up between the two best teams in the NFL. There are no miracle playoff runs here. This was the game that everyone wanted to see, and now it’s here … and yet, all anyone can talk about is Richard Sherman and the weather.
• First things first, it snows in the northeast in January. There’s about a 50 percent chance that the Super Bowl will be played in cold, snowy conditions. There’s a smaller chance that, if a blizzard is on its way, the game could get moved up a day to Saturday. How the weather turns out a week from now could determine how many cold-weather cities get to host Super Bowl events in the future, if any. No pressure, though.
• Now, onto Sherman. The Seahawks cornerback made the best play of the weekend to beat the San Francisco 49ers at the end of the NFC Championship Game, and then walked into one of the most talked-about post-game interviews ever. The former Stanford receiver was loud and arrogant, and the response from fans was not good.
The word “thug” was thrown around after Sherman’s interview, and in a delightful way of shining a spotlight on the angry mob, Sherman shot back that “thug” is simply a coded, more acceptable version of the N-word. I couldn’t agree more, and I couldn’t be happier that an intelligent player who wears his heart on his sleeve is heading to the big game.
Local Sports Roundup
• Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel, who is likely to be one of the top 10 players selected in the NFL Draft in a few months, worked out at Mission Beach with the kids from St. Augustine High School. Many have taken note of how small the future NFL player is compared with the teens. As a former Saintsman myself, I’d like to point out the school’s long history of admitting monster-sized teenagers to help them dominate in football and basketball.
• San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter is rolling out a test prior to the start of baseball season, to see what happens if parking meters operate between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., rather than the current system of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Many Padres fans who use the meters to avoid paying $20 to park in a garage are quite upset about it.
• Do you want to know who the San Diego Chargers will pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft? So do the experts. As of right now, they’re very torn.
Stories You May Have Missed
• Last week, I linked you to Derrick Coleman’s inspirational Duracell commercial that explained his journey as the only deaf player in the NFL. This week, I bring you a letter that a young deaf girl wrote to Coleman, and the letter he wrote her back.
• Long-time Padres fan and Gaslamp Baller “London balling” will get his chance to try out for the NFL at this year’s Scouting Combine. That’s a truly amazing story. Is there any chance we can convince the Chargers to use a pick on him?
• Sometimes bad weather weeds out the bandwagon fans from the true die-hards, and sometimes the sports franchises take notice. The story of the New Jersey Devils’ “334 Club” is a special one. Also, that guy’s commemorative T-shirt is pretty sweet.
• GIF of the Week: Russell Wilson will be in the Super Bowl. I repeat: RUSSELL WILSON WILL BE IN THE SUPER BOWL. This is going to be so much fun.
(Want to recommend this sports newsletter to someone? Share this sign-up link.)
I’m John Gennaro, contributor to Active Voice and managing editor of Bolts from the Blue. You can tweet me @john_gennaro or e-mail me directly at boltsfromtheblue@gmail.com.
Voice of San Diego is a nonprofit that depends on you, our readers. Please donate to keep the service strong. Click here to find out more about our supporters and how we operate independently.