Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Welcome Back Burke

Today we re-acquired INF Chris Burke from the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations.

When we signed Chris over the winter, we thought he had a legitimate chance to contribute to the big league club, especially because we believed that he had been better than his numbers indicated in 2007 and 2008. Chris then came to camp and had a solid spring training, but we had signed David Eckstein in the interim and Everth Cabrera showed us what he was all about. Feeling that Chris might have a better opportunity elsewhere, we allowed him to pursue a chance to join the Mariners rather than staying on with us in AAA.

With Cabrera missing the next two months, Chris is back and will now assume a role closer to what we originally intended.

8 comments:

Zach Sanders said...

Paul,

What thoughts do you have (if any), on the choice of Demetri Martin to play you in the Moneyball movie?

WebSoulSurfer said...

Paul,

I was a bit surprised when Burke was traded to Seattle since he was on a minor league contract and could provide valuable middle infield depth.

With Cabrera's injury, I am glad to see him back and getting a shot to play in the majors.

A question about Cabrera. Given that he is on the 60 day DL and can take as much as 20 days on a minor league rehab assignment, do you see him being activated from the DL before the All Star Break?

John Hutt said...

Glad to see Burke back in the majors. He's got a lot of natural talent and didn't really get a fair shake in Houston.

After the spring he had with the D-backs, I thought last year was going to be his break through season, but it didn't carry over to the regular season.

Even if he never finds his bat, he's a slick fielder that can play just about every position (ever try him behind the plate?) and should be a useful addition while Cabrera's on the DL.

field39 said...

Paul,

This is way off topic...

I read an article today regarding Brian McCann and his Lasik surgery, which leads to this question.

Do the Padres have a policy regarding Lasik surgery?

Unknown said...

Websoulsurfer,

I think that the Padres did the right thing for the ballplayer when they traded Burke, and like in life, what goes around comes around.

I really like the versatility and quality at bats from him, but for some reason he was horrible in 2008. didn't we all?

Unknown said...

I can't help but wonder if there was some understanding between the Padres and Mariners when the first transaction took place this spring.

Not that I have a problem with that, if true.

Koch said...

Paul,

Is your blog title an indirect insult on the way I have lived my entire life? Living life very conservatively has allowed me to observe others being successful, or, more commonly, failing. Using this valuable chunk of data will lead me, more times than not, to better conclusions. Sure, "fortune favors the bold," but the old adage should really be, "fortune favors the bold (if you are bold and also smart)

Are you mocking a conservative path, or condoning it, straightforwardly?

Scott D. Upham said...

Paul,

"Organizational depth" is a term that MLB executives often use to describe players that are no longer true prospects but are productive AAA players that can step in for an injured major league player or possibly put some pressure on underperforming players on the big league roster. When you are assembling your AAA roster, what percentage consists of true prospects and organizational depth players? Some have said that AA is where you really find the true prospects these days and that AAA is a just for organizational players. Please let me know your opinion.