In the news
The view in San Diego of the trade of relief ace Craig Kimbrel to the Padres was, as one would expect, overwhelmingly positive.
First, the view from the club: “There’s very few guys you look back on that had the shelf life of Trevor Hoffman or Mariano Rivera,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller said. “I think we took that into account as we looked at the deal. With Craig, he’s a guy who takes care of his body, a quality makeup guy. … He’s a competitor. He told me he’s going to be the last guy in the locker room every night.”
And then the view from Matt Calkins, columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“Admit it, you’re still not sure about this one.
“The Padres’ final offseason splash has you scratching your head as much as it does pumping your fist.
“Yes, they added the well-compensated Craig Kimbrel from the Braves, who may very well be the best closer in baseball. However, by also taking on Melvin Upton’s three-year, $46.3 million contract, does it not look as though this club is getting a bit careless with its finances? …
“Yeah, this is the best problem fans could ask for — the Padres may be getting a little too loose with their money. …
“Padres general manager A.J. Preller has been the front man for this historic offseason, and every morsel of credit he’s received is deserved. But ownership’s financial support has been every bit as praiseworthy, if not more so.”
Twitterati
Not every Braves fan was unhappy:
"It should be the attitude of all Braves fans to embrace the rebuild. Go to the park and watch these kids learn and get better, all the while, keeping an eye on the future! Cheer them on. It's only gonna help them play harder for you in the long run!" — Chipper Jones @RealCJ10
Behind the stat
Thanks to ESPN for this nugget: The Padres, already owners of the second-best bullpen ERA last year at 2.73, just added the reliever with the lowest ERA in major-league history among pitchers with at least 250 innings.
Kimbrel, 1.43; Mellie Wolfgang, 2.18; Greg Holland, 2.19; Mariano Rivera, 2.21. (Wolfgang pitched for the Chicago White Sox a century ago).
Keeping track
Jason Heyward, who left in the first big trade of the offseason by the Braves’ John Hart, had the majors’ first hit of the season, a double, and was 3-for-5 in the Cardinals’ opening victory against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night. And it seems like another lifetime ago, but the winning pitcher for St. Louis was former Braves farmhand Adam Wainwright, who had six scoreless innings and even today would look good at the top of the Atlanta rotation.
In the minors
The Gwinnett Braves, Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate, begin their 2015 season at Coolray Field at 7:05 p.m. Thursday against the Durham Bulls.
About the Author
