Mike Piazza signs with Padres.

[sdjase]

I know this guy is kind of tired, but I really think this would make things more exciting at Petco if this guy put on a Padres uni.

I hope it happens.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/printedition/ny-sppiazza274603065jan27,0,3604614.story?coll=ny-sports-print

[guimcharger]

I would rather have molina. Piazza is the catcher verson of Klesko. I think the padres will either do really good or really suck. No in between.

[SDBolts21]

I think we need to do something at catcher regarless of who it is but im not comfortable with Miribelli right now...Piazza would be a nice upgrade and he would catch about 100 games with Miribelli about 60 or so Thatd be good for me. Is Molina still available? cuz i would love to have him too.

[Dago81Sd]

I'd rather have Molina also, but he is seeking a multi year deal and the Padres currently lack the money to commit to Molina. IMHO, we should of let Hoffy go and place Linebrink in the closer role, which would have allowed us to resign Ramon and in the process could have kep Loretta instead of trading for a backup like Mirabelli.

Anyhow, for 2 million, you gotta sign Piazza. He still has some pop and can play 1st and catch a little..better then just having Mirabelli and the other guy.

[SDBolts21]

I agree, Molina is asking for too much and being stubborn about it. Piazza would be a good fit. Lets get him!

[Podium]

Piazza is a HORRIBLE defensive catcher. Doesn't call a great game, and I can't remember the last time he threw a runner out. I thought they should've hung onto Olivo, and going further back... HOLD ON TO BEN DAVIS!

[LTfan4life]

I think the Pizza Boy is done. He'll probably go to an AL team so he can DH and catch every other day or so. I haven't been following baseball's off-season, so I'm not too sure on the FAs there are out there. All I know, is that we need some pitching now that Eaton's gone.

[Dago81Sd]

I think the Pizza Boy is done. He'll probably go to an AL team so he can DH and catch every other day or so. I haven't been following baseball's off-season, so I'm not too sure on the FAs there are out there. All I know, is that we need some pitching now that Eaton's gone.

Catch every other day? For who? The Angels already have Molinas brother.

[guimcharger]

I'd rather have Molina also, but he is seeking a multi year deal and the Padres currently lack the money to commit to Molina. IMHO, we should of let Hoffy go and place Linebrink in the closer role, which would have allowed us to resign Ramon and in the process could have kep Loretta instead of trading for a backup like Mirabelli.

Anyhow, for 2 million, you gotta sign Piazza. He still has some pop and can play 1st and catch a little..better then just having Mirabelli and the other guy.

I think you have struck the problem. John Moores is cheap. The padres have more then enough money to keep guys here but Moores is cheap. It seems like every trade we make, we have to get rid of a extra player because of the trade. I am not asking Moores to spend more then 90 million to keep players. I think a pay role anywhere between 75-90 million is exceptable. 60 million just isn't enough to stay competitive. SD fans are not going to put up with mediocrity anymore since the padres got a new stadium.

[LTfan4life]

I think you have struck the problem. John Moores is cheap. The padres have more then enough money to keep guys here but Moores is cheap. It seems like every trade we make, we have to get rid of a extra player because of the trade. I am not asking Moores to spend more then 90 million to keep players. I think a pay role anywhere between 75-90 million is exceptable. 60 million just isn't enough to stay competitive. SD fans are not going to put up with mediocrity anymore since the padres got a new stadium.

They need a GM ala AJ :rolleyes:

[Dago81Sd]

Well...what do you expect? Sandy is the moneyball type, not that there is anything wrong with it. Anyhow, I agree, spending a extra 3-4 million tops could greatly improve this team through the catcher postion.

[guimcharger]

They need a GM ala AJ :rolleyes:

They have a terrific GM in Kevin Towers, they just need a owner who isn't cheap. In baseball the owner sets the bar for how the payroll is going to be.

[SDBolts21]

They have a terrific GM in Kevin Towers, they just need a owner who isn't cheap. In baseball the owner sets the bar for how the payroll is going to be.

I agree, Moores has Towers locked up we're sitting at 60 mil payroll and we could be at 80 million if Moores would give it! We could be a powerhouse with that extra 20 million.

[Podium]

ESPNEWS is reporting Piazza agrees to 1-yr/$2M deal w/SD

[dfields77]

One year deal for $2,000,000

[Ikeman83]

One year deal for $2,000,000


that's nice, but I was under the impression that this was the Chargers forum.

[Currimos]

While I think this should be moved to "offtopic" , I would wager a guess that most people that read these boards are San Diego sports fans, not just Charger's fans.

[Rivers2Gates]

One year deal for $2,000,000
COOL so this is a padres forum now!! This is an OFF topic

[dfields77]

COOL so this is a padres forum now!! This is an OFF topic

rookie and ikyman...."NCR" means Not Chargers Related - Once it has been read it can be moved to Off Topic, BUT since there are many Padres fans on this board AND it is offseason for the Chargers it might be nice to hear something that actually is news related to the sports community in San Diego.....

[LTfan4life]

Bummer...is that the best that was left in FA? Piazza is up there and he's a one or two year solution at most. I think it's more of a Public Relations move, bringing in a name that's well known.

[SDBolts21]

I would like him as a Padre but the question is whether he can be consistant enough to win us games...he would make our lineup harder to pitch to.

[sdjase]

I'm stoked.

This will make Padres season more interesting and put us on the map with a marquee name.

Good move Kevin. Just let him get a few ABs a year and it will make all of the difference in the world to fan morale.

Not the greatest catcher, not in the prime of his career but a nice score for the Pads IMO.

[Dan40]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2311295

He'll at least give you an offensive threat somewhere in the lineup.

That, and hair gel sales in the San Diego area will soar.

(oh, and make that restaurant at Petco Oggi's Piazza.)

[T.O. Bolt]

Good signing for the Pads. He will provide some quality veteran leadership to the dressing room.

[boltskickass21]

Good pick up. Think would you rather have Piazza or Mirabelli, Ross, Laforest and co? Thats what i thought. At least now we have a guy who has pop in his bat still (he would have led the team in HR last year if he played for us). Power is what we need, and that is what we got (sort of). If you have 5 or 6 guys capable of hitting around 20, that is just as good or better than 1 guy who can hit 50. Balanced power is better than having that one guy.

[SDBolts21]

I like it! Piazza will add a nice compliment to the middle of the order to free up Giles and Klesko to be better than the past when they depended oh Nevin, our lineup could be very pretty rediculous with consistancy, and defensively we will be one of the best. I think the pitching staff will surprise a lot of people to with Chan Ho Woody and CYoung working with Balsley, we could be a top force in the NL. side note: I believe if Khalil Greene stays away from the little limb injuries he will be a great offensive player this year, much more than years past.

[LTfan4life]

They have a terrific GM in Kevin Towers, they just need a owner who isn't cheap. In baseball the owner sets the bar for how the payroll is going to be.

Ahhh....ok...new Ownership! :) we don't need to be a big market team, but don't be a cheap team.

[Alibell1]

I'd rather have Molina also, but he is seeking a multi year deal and the Padres currently lack the money to commit to Molina. IMHO, we should of let Hoffy go and place Linebrink in the closer role, which would have allowed us to resign Ramon and in the process could have kep Loretta instead of trading for a backup like Mirabelli.

Anyhow, for 2 million, you gotta sign Piazza. He still has some pop and can play 1st and catch a little..better then just having Mirabelli and the other guy.

The Paders don't want to commit any long term money to a catcher becuase they have a few young guy that will be getting a shot in the bigs in the next couple years. Ramon way overvalued himself and lucky for him he found a team that was stupid enough to throw the money at him.

Would you rather have Hoffman for 2 years or Loretta for 1 year? I'll take the former, because Loretta was not going to be a Padre after 2006. Why not at the very least get something for him and let a potential stud like Barfield get a chance to show what he can do?

Last I checked, Hoffman is still one of the top 3 or 4 closers in the game.

[Dan40]

Hey, another thing for you bachelors out there...

Piazza will bring the chicks to the park.

Start saving up for those season tickets.

[sdjase]

The Paders don't want to commit any long term money to a catcher becuase they have a few young guy that will be getting a shot in the bigs in the next couple years. Ramon way overvalued himself and lucky for him he found a team that was stupid enough to throw the money at him.

Would you rather have Hoffman for 2 years or Loretta for 1 year? I'll take the former, because Loretta was not going to be a Padre after 2006. Why not at the very least get something for him and let a potential stud like Barfield get a chance to show what he can do?

Last I checked, Hoffman is still one of the top 3 or 4 closers in the game.

Hoffey's also got the second most saves of all-time.

They're obviously just killing time until the farm-team comes to fruition and they've admitted as much before. But, in the meantime, I think they're doing a great job of bringing in/keeping marquee players that give us a shot at another title.

[Alibell1]

Hoffey's also got the second most saves of all-time.

They're obviously just killing time until the farm-team comes to fruition and they've admitted as much before. But, in the meantime, I think they're doing a grea job of bringing in/keeping marquee players that give us a shot at another title.

The whole "they should have let Hoffman walk instead" thing is kind of laughable. I wonder how the BIG Charger fans on here would feel if the Chargers let LT walk after slipping to a 1200 yard a year runner? Hoffman is still an elite closer in the game, so with the way the game is played today it would not be in the team's best interest to let such a valuable player go.

[sdjase]

The whole "they should have let Hoffman walk instead" thing is kind of laughable. I wonder how the BIG Charger fans on here would feel if the Chargers let LT walk after slipping to a 1200 yard a year runner? Hoffman is still an elite closer in the game, so with the way the game is played today it would not be in the team's best interest to let such a valuable player go.

Yep.

And his production hasn't dropped off much at all. The way that guy trains and practices, I wouldn't be surprised if he was still a Top 5 closer for another 5 years. He's unique in his postion because he's so physically fit and a true competitor.

Even when his production does taper off in a few years, you keep a guy like that around for a little bit in the twilight of his career because of what he's done for the team and what he means to the fans. He'll know when to hang it up and I don't really want to see him in another uniform before he does.

[theiceweasel]

Hey, another thing for you bachelors out there...

Piazza will bring the chicks to the park.

Start saving up for those season tickets.

Great call, buying them now! :Beer:

[Dago81Sd]

Well, lets face it, he still just a closer. We have much greater needs at starting pitching, middle of the lineup, and now the bullpen somewhat. IMHO, Linebrink is fully capable of taking on the closer role.

If you ask me, we would have been much better off resigning Ramon and Loretta instead of Mirabelli/Piazza and Barfield/Hill. Barfield is still young and Kottaras is a few years off and just another prospect. We can go on and on about future prospects, but the fact is, we already had a top rated catcher in Ramon that wanted to stay and when healthy is more then capable of hitting over 20 bombs and all around solid 2nd baseman in Loretta. Why we would let these guys go for prospects years away is beyond me.

All i'm saying is we had much greater needs instead of the closer role, where we had linebrink. Comparing Hoffman to L.T is like comparing apples and oranges, L.T brings much more to the game which he is in on almost every drive, while Hoffman just pitches what? 50 innings a season?

Are you telling me that Linebrink wasn't capable of performing the closer role? While in the process keeping us intact at catcher and 2nd base instead of platooning with Mirabelli/Piazza and Barfield/Hill.

[LTfan4life]

One thing I've always wondered is why does it take so long for prospects to develop in baseball? A lot of em don't see the MLB field until their 25ish. That's equivelent to most 3 year NFL vets. I mean, I'm in high school, and pitchers throw a good 85 mph fastball, and that's a sophmore. Shouldn't they be pretty much ready by the end of college to hit the MLB field?

[boltskickass21]

The transition of College to Professional football is far different from the college to professional baseball. It is such a drastic jump that most of the drafted players never get a chance to live up to their full potential, hence why there are so many rounds in the draft and so many minor league teams. Honestly, to be in the MLB, you have to be a stud in every aspect of what you are doing. You have to be able to hit anything thrown at you, catch anything hit to you, and be smart when it comes to your desicions on the field. That is what takes the longest part. Becoming mentally prepared for the MLB takes a long time and young players need that. Because of college football being so much more like the NFL, it is easier for players to make the transition and become impact players. Take Merriman for example, you could tell he was ready for the NFL because he was an animal and did not need to work on too many things as in baseball, you must work on learnning the strike zone to perfection and how to scout out pitchers/hitters. That is my view on it, but i am no expert.

[Alibell1]

Well, lets face it, he still just a closer. We have much greater needs at starting pitching, middle of the lineup, and now the bullpen somewhat. IMHO, Linebrink is fully capable of taking on the closer role.

If you ask me, we would have been much better off resigning Ramon and Loretta instead of Mirabelli/Piazza and Barfield/Hill. Barfield is still young and Kottaras is a few years off and just another prospect. We can go on and on about future prospects, but the fact is, we already had a top rated catcher in Ramon that wanted to stay and when healthy is more then capable of hitting over 20 bombs and all around solid 2nd baseman in Loretta. Why we would let these guys go for prospects years away is beyond me.

All i'm saying is we had much greater needs instead of the closer role, where we had linebrink. Comparing Hoffman to L.T is like comparing apples and oranges, L.T brings much more to the game which he is in on almost every drive, while Hoffman just pitches what? 50 innings a season?

Are you telling me that Linebrink wasn't capable of performing the closer role? While in the process keeping us intact at catcher and 2nd base instead of platooning with Mirabelli/Piazza and Barfield/Hill.

If Ramon had so much value, then why did only one team take him up at his asking price? What would one more year of Loretta done for the Padres? Other than hinder the developement of Barfield. The guy will get a legit shot at 2nd this spring.

How many World Series would the Yankees have won without Mariano? Afterall, he's just a closer.

[Dago81Sd]

If Ramon had so much value, then why did only one team take him up at his asking price? What would one more year of Loretta done for the Padres? Other than hinder the developement of Barfield. The guy will get a legit shot at 2nd this spring.

How many World Series would the Yankees have won without Mariano? Afterall, he's just a closer.
What good is Mariano without starting pitching? Not to mention you first have to get above .500 to make the playoffs, which is hard to belive due to all deficiencies we currently have at pitching, catching, and lineup.

Really, it's simple math, we had much depth at relief which would have allowed us to be sufficient with linebrink at the closer role, as opposed to platooning at catcher and lack of attention paid to starting pitching.

Look, all i'm saying is, we could have got by without Hoffman since we have Linebrink at 1/5th the cost. We can't get by with the lack of starting pitching.

[POOpooMAGOO]

its kinda hard to get any free agents and spend when you have chan ho park and klesko which takes up almost 1/4 of the payroll so once those two contracts expire then they can spend. and kleskos contract ends this year and i think parks too

[guimcharger]

its kinda hard to get any free agents and spend when you have chan ho park and klesko which takes up almost 1/4 of the payroll so once those two contracts expire then they can spend. and kleskos contract ends this year and i think parks too

I think it is more of John Moores being cheap. The padres said money would not be a issue if they got a new stadium. Moores you got a new stadium now deliever on your promise.

[Alibell1]

I think it is more of John Moores being cheap. The padres said money would not be a issue if they got a new stadium. Moores you got a new stadium now deliever on your promise.

Do you realize that Park and Klesko are being paid $22-25 million combined this year? When they come off the books, we'll see if Moores will put his money where his mouth is. That will be $22-25 million to spend on a quality player or 4. This year is pretty much a throw away year and I think it's clear the organization has admited as much with what they've done thus far. It's not like this team was a player away from the World Series.

[BoltPrideSD]

As long as the guy can still hit and put up numbers, I'm all good with this signing. :) The lineup is looking quite interesting already with the addition of Piazza. Lineup looks good on paper and seems powerfull, good veteran depth through out. Only thing I'm a bit worried about now is the starting pitching rotation & depth at bullpen.

[guimcharger]

Do you realize that Park and Klesko are being paid $22-25 million combined this year? When they come off the books, we'll see if Moores will put his money where his mouth is. That will be $22-25 million to spend on a quality player or 4. This year is pretty much a throw away year and I think it's clear the organization has admited as much with what they've done thus far. It's not like this team was a player away from the World Series.

Yeah I know that Klesko and Park are severly over paid, but his payroll should not just be 60 million. It should be more like 70-90 million. He makes a lot of money. Moores is going to be sorry when he realizes no one in SD likes his cheapness and attendence falls if they aren't winning. That is the worst case though. I am still hopefull we will do good this season.

[Alibell1]

Yeah I know that Klesko and Park are severly over paid, but his payroll should not just be 60 million. It should be more like 70-90 million. He makes a lot of money. Moores is going to be sorry when he realizes no one in SD likes his cheapness and attendence falls if they aren't winning. That is the worst case though. I am still hopefull we will do good this season.

Maybe Padre fan would be happy if the Padres spent money like the Dodgers or the Mets the past couple of years. Where has all that spending got them?

[sdjase]

Maybe Padre fan would be happy if the Padres spent money like the Dodgers or the Mets the past couple of years. Where has all that spending got them?

I think we're spending smartly right now.

The payroll has consistenly increased since the new park was built, but there is a limit to how much you can spend in TV market #17 (San Diego).

I believe 100%, based on the rest of the division and their upgrades this off-season, that we will be competitive at least within the division this year.

Trying to compete with giant TV markets like NY and Boston ain't gonna happen in the near future.

The real problem here is a lack of a REAL salary cap and REAL revenue sharing in MLB. They could take a lesson from the NFL on how to make the game interesting again.

[guimcharger]

Maybe Padre fan would be happy if the Padres spent money like the Dodgers or the Mets the past couple of years. Where has all that spending got them?

Wow, did you ever miss what I wrote. I said we should be around 70-90 million max. I didn't say 180-200+ million. Their is no getting around the fact that that is dumb spending but trading your players away because you can't go 2 million of your 60 million pay roll is cheap no matter which way you cut it. Especially with all the money Moores has.

[Alibell1]

Wow, did you ever miss what I wrote. I said we should be around 70-90 million max. I didn't say 180-200+ million. Their is no getting around the fact that that is dumb spending but trading your players away because you can't go 2 million of your 60 million pay roll is cheap no matter which way you cut it. Especially with all the money Moores has.

Wow, I didn't miss what you wrote. I'm just tired of fans thinking they know better than the guys that are supposed to know. I know why they got rid of Loretta and I think it was the right move. Why pay for a guy that won't be here after 2006 and then let him walk with nothing in return? I don't know how many more ways to say Loretta was not going to be a Padre in 2007. Maybe, just maybe the Padres know how ready Barfield is.

Did you ever once think that maybe this year is setting up the next few years? Keeping Loretta and Hernandez would not have made things any better this year and would not have gotten them any close to the World Series. Letting Hoffman go would have been a PR nightmare and would have turned fans off much quicker and for a longer period of time.

[Mr. Heisman]

Here we go Dodgers, Here We Go!

[guimcharger]

Wow, I didn't miss what you wrote. I'm just tired of fans thinking they know better than the guys that are supposed to know. I know why they got rid of Loretta and I think it was the right move. Why pay for a guy that won't be here after 2006 and then let him walk with nothing in return? I don't know how many more ways to say Loretta was not going to be a Padre in 2007. Maybe, just maybe the Padres know how ready Barfield is.

Did you ever once think that maybe this year is setting up the next few years? Keeping Loretta and Hernandez would not have made things any better this year and would not have gotten them any close to the World Series. Letting Hoffman go would have been a PR nightmare and would have turned fans off much quicker and for a longer period of time.

The Loretta trade for Mirabelli was to cut salary. I think Loretta was 4 million and Mirabelli is 1.5 million. Now if Loretta was traded for Wells it obviously wouldn't be a saving money trade and it wouldn't be such a hated trade. No matter which way you cut it though the Loretta trade was to put money back in Mores pocket. Just wait until Peavy and Greene's contract are up and Moores doesn't sign them. As far as Hernandez I never said I wanted him back. The guy is selfish. He showed that last year down the stretch not to mention he doesn't block the plate. The padres signed Hoffman because he still has something left in the tank. 43 saves this year, I don't think he is slowing down. Next October we will see where the padres are.

[guimcharger]

Here we go Dodgers, Here We Go!

No way.

Here we go Padres, Here We Go!