Patience pays off for Padres' Towers

By:SHAUN O'NEILL - Staff Writer | Wednesday, November 26, 2003 9:53 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- On this Thanksgiving, Padres general manager Kevin Towers sees a cornucopia of pitching options as he attempts to build a contending team for 2004.

There are marquee starting pitchers on the free-agent market, and there are many more serviceable arms who might not sell tickets but can win a ballgame or two. There are teams such as Florida and Montreal with quality pitchers and a desire to shed salary. And there likely will be a second wave of talent to jump into the free-agent pool next month after the deadline to tender contracts.

But when it comes to catchers, the pickings are slim. There's a prize bird or two ---- Javy Lopez and Ivan Rodriguez ---- but they are for the banquet crowd. The Padres, even with their impending move into Petco Park, still shop with the common folk. And the menu at catcher consisted mostly of leftovers.

That's why Towers was willing to endure a week of frustration to complete his acquisition of catcher Ramon Hernandez. The trade, which sends center fielder Mark Kotsay to the Oakland Athletics for Hernandez and outfielder Terrence Long, was finalized and announced Wednesday, eight days after the clubs first agreed on the swap.

"I feel a lot better about our team today than I did yesterday," Towers said Wednesday.

Towers revealed the week of delays ---- the A's insisted on a physical exam of Kotsay, who had a bulging disc last season ---- was nothing compared with the time put in on the deal. A Kotsay-Hernandez swap first was discussed in July, before the nonwaiver trade deadline.

Oakland GM Billy Beane initiated those talks.

"Mark Kotsay is someone we've always admired from afar, going back to his college days," said Beane, a Mt. Carmel High graduate. "We believe he's one of the best center fielders in the game, and we like him as an offensive player."

Towers admires Kotsay's skills, too. But it speaks volumes about the Padres' needs at catcher that he was willing to deal a quality player, and sacrifice outfield defense as the team moves into a new park, to get Hernandez.

The 27-year-old Hernandez has caught at least 135 games each of the past four seasons, gets plaudits for his work with Oakland's talented young pitchers and is coming off his best offensive season (.273 batting average, 21 home runs, 78 RBIs).

"This guy's an All-Star, and he was voted in by the players, not the fans," Towers said. "To me, that is a tremendous honor. He's always been good at stopping the running game. He's coming off a career year. He's able to call a game.

"It's the most important position, and he really controls the game."

Said Hernandez: "I'm happy to come to the San Diego Padres. Sometimes in life, you just have to move on. I'm excited to be in a new organization, meet new people. It's like when you're a little kid, you're excited because everything is new."

Towers bypassed such free agents as Brad Ausmus and Benito Santiago to trade for Hernandez. He also halted trade talks with Minnesota about A.J. Pierzynski (since dealt to the Giants) when the Twins insisted on pitcher Jake Peavy.

Completing the deal was important because it solidifies the Padres' biggest weakness without taking a big chunk of available cash. The Padres add only about $1 million in salary for next year, and they actually could work the books in their favor if they turn around and trade Long.

The New York Mets, managed by former A's skipper Art Howe, have interest in Long, who is due $3.575,000 next year and $4,875,000 in 2005.

"As of right now, Terrence Long is very much a Padre," Towers said. "We look at him playing a lot of left field, right field and center field. We haven't had discussions with other clubs. I'm hoping he's going to be here, but in this business you never know."

Without taking on much salary to get Hernandez, Towers is free to pursue multiple pitchers. He hasn't made a whisper about the marquee names, such as Andy Pettitte and Bartolo Colon, but he isn't likely to make the likes of Chuck Finley or Sterling Hitchcock his only acquisition.

"I have dollars," Towers said. "What I don't know is what some of the big, marquee names will cost. Is the market going to be $10 million (a year) or will it be around $5 million. That's a difficult question. We might negotiate, but we're not going to be leading the chase.

"The difficult thing is explaining that the biggest names don't always assure a championship team. That's what the fans want, ultimately, a championship team. That's what my goal is.

"We might not land one marquee name, but if we land some good players who help us win games, the fans will be happy with that."

Contact staff writer Shaun O'Neill at (760) 740-3546 or soneill@nctimes.com.