Stop the stopgaps and buy a hitter
By: STEVE SCHOLFIELD - Senior Sports Columnist | ∞
The Padres have been busy of late doing a makeover of their roster, which is a good sign.
It is not often you see a team near first place make as many deals as the Padres did on or near the July 31 trading deadline.
There is a reason for such activity: Without a semblance of an offensive attack, the Padres would be out of the pennant race before September.
Getting Morgan Ensberg, Scott Hairston and Rob Mackowiak is an improvement over Russell Branyan, Jose Cruz Jr., and Hiram Bocachica. Branyan and Cruz were released; Bocachica was designated for assignment and sent to Triple-A Portland. It remains to be seen if these new additions will generate enough offense to carry this team to a spot in the playoffs.
The Padres would not be in this position had they been more active in the free agent market during the offseason.
I know the company line is that the free agents they wanted were out of its price range. But that is something management says every year, and I'm tired of hearing it.
Here is the bottom line: The Padres need to spend more money to contend.
Just think what Carlos Lee, who signed with Houston in the offseason and had a National League-best 91 RBIs entering play Tuesday, would bring to the Padres. You don't think he would be worth five more wins, do you? Of course he would.
His price was $100 million for six years, an amount the Padres weren't willing to pay. But that is pretty much the going rate for superstars these days.
Lee hit at least 31 homers with at least 99 RBIs in each of the last four years, so he was worth it.
If you recall, the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series last year by having one legitimate superstar in their everyday lineup, Albert Pujols.
Why the Padres won't pay for such talent is a mystery.
Owner John Moores has the assets to pull off such a deal, but I believe team president Sandy Alderson wants to win as cheaply as possible. If you can do that, fine. But this is baseball, in which the richer spending teams usually wear World Series rings.
When I see the Padres try to piece together a contender on a short budget, I recall the words of the late Irv Grossman, the former sports editor of the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and publicity director for the Padres.
Wrote Grossman: "This is kinda melodramatic, but baseball is a game sung by countless troubadours and set to the tune of hope. Baseball is still a time for hope, and we have precious little of that. Even those who are well off are hoping their kids will make it, or their marriage will last. And even people who aren't so well off have more reason to seek hope.
"All they want out of baseball is a relief from some of their problems, a place to escape the realities of life and lose themselves in fantasy and a common goal. A baseball team is more than 25 players and a manager. It's a civic resource that must be run with trust, faith and responsibility."
Grossman was so passionate about baseball that he once bought interest in a minor league team, the Utica (N.Y.) Blue Sox, from his friend, noted author Roger Kahn.
The trust Grossman refers to lies with Moores, Alderson and general manager Kevin Towers.
They can give us hope. Between them, they have made the Padres competitive. But the franchise needs to take the next step and spend the money for a superstar hitter.
They will have that chance in the offseason when outfielders Andruw Jones, Aaron Rowand and, perhaps, Bobby Abreu come on the open market. The Yankees hold a $16 million option for 2008 on Abreu, who has 72 RBIs so far this season. That's seven more RBIs than Padres team leader Adrian Gonzalez.
If the Padres can secure the services of either Jones or Rowand, both outstanding center fielders, their chances for '08 will be much better than the false hope fans have for this season.
-- Steve Scholfield is senior sports columnist for the North County Times. He can be reached at (760) 740-3509 or stevescho@cox.net.
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