San Diego Padres agree to terms with Brad Hawpe on a 1-year deal
San Diego Padres are looking to capitalize on the closing markets at the moment. When the team was heading into the winter break, there was no doubt that the side was going to be inactive, given their shortage in spending power. Their financial woes are
not equivalent to those of the New York Mets and they could not arrange for extra resources to cater to the top free agents in the market. When the top teams traded in their premier stars and spilled cash on the market, the Padres were quiet.
Nevertheless, they did make small trade deals come through at the end of the day. They were able to sign up good players and it was a considerable move, given their league form. They were 1st in the National League West standings for the most
part of the 2010 season. Unfortunately, they fell short of making a difference at the end when the San Francisco Giants sprung through in the last month to make it to the playoffs.
In 2010, Major League Baseball’s table of hitting averages showed the Padres on number 28 (out of 40). They ranked low for a good team and that was a scar that the management had to deal with in the coming days. However, quick signings have come to the fort
and one man in particular considers the new signings to serve the greater interest to the side. Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson are two new entrants. General Manager Jed Hoyer was the orchestrator for the deal and now it’s believed that Hawpe will come in
to fill the void left by Adrian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez who played as the team’s first baseman moved out to the Boston Red Sox on a trade deal. The veteran, however, drew in prospects that Padres will look to use in the coming days. With a void on the first baseman position, the team had the option to
plug in Kyle Banks or Anthony Rizzo (Former Red Sox prospect).
However, with Hawpe in the side, the situation looks decent. The left hand hitter has played for both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies. His career batting average peaks at .279 and in his last season, he bagged a figure of .245. In addition to
that, he smashed 9 home runs and drove in 44 runs. He played for both, Rays and the Rockies, last season, totalling an appearance cover of 103 games.
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