Josh Fields Wastes No Time Making Impression

Former major leaguer Josh Fields -- best remembered for hitting 23 homers in 373 at-bats as a surprise replacement for the 2007 White Sox -- wasted no time making an impression in his debut with Triple A Colorado Springs, going 1-3 with a walk, three RBI and a towering homer in an 18-14 loss to Tucson.

Heading a cast of 11 former major leaguers vieing for callups to the parent club -- Fields, 26, finds himself in a strong comeback position as he has been cast as a deep reserve for struggling Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart, 26, who has yet to play this year coming off knee and hamstring injuries. Fields is also backing up super utility man Ty Wigginton, 33, who is seeing reps at third, first and the outfield in Denver. Fields' homer came off former Padres major leaguer Wade LeBlanc, 26,, who gave up 10 hits and eight earned runs in 4.33 innings.

LeBlanc, who won eight games against 12 losses in 26 major league starts last year, is making a bid to return to San Diego. Another Colorado Springs standout was former major league speedster Willy Taveras, 27, master of the bunt single, who went 3-5 with a bag. Fields and Taveras could turn out to be useful spare parts at the major league level before the year is out.

Another interesting puzzle piece is former Mets first baseman Mike Jacobs, 30, who hit at a .300 clip with power when originally called up in New York six years ago, and cannot be ruled out as a potential backup to aging All Star first baseman Todd Helton, 36. Eric Young Jr., 25 -- son of original Colorado Rockies outfielder Eric Sr. -- has been up and down between Triple A and Denver over the past two years, and likely as not will supplant Jose Lopez, who is keeping second base open for him in Denver. Former Rockies infielder Chris Nelson is also with the Sky Sox.

Other ex-big leaguers at Colorado Springs include catcher Mike Pagnozzi formerly of the Cardinals and pitchers Billy Buckner formerly of the Diamondbacks, Clay Mortensen formerly of the Athletics and Sean White formerly of the Mariners.

Ex-Cubs Ace Mark Prior Refuses to Give Up

Former Cubs ace Mark Prior -- whose promising career has been nearly destroyed by a myriad of punishing injuries -- refuses to hang up his spikes and has been readying himself for a demonstration before major league scouts in Arizona.

"Mark Prior has not retired," a spokesperson for Prior's agent John Boggs said in terse statement with no details of the 29-year-old hurler's progress during an ongoing rehabilitation program resumed in November.

Neither was there word on any throwing sessions scheduled with observers from teams throughout the majors, though sources familiar with long-shot comeback attempts said such meetings often are held unofficially, one-on-one behind closed doors.

Prior seems to be keeping a low profile, but reportedly was seen in street clothes on New Year's Day in La Jolla, Calif., near his hometown of San Diego. He is recovering from shoulder damage that required multiple surgical repairs, and he also has sustained hamstring, achilles tendon, elbow and oblique injuries.

Prior signed a $1 million contract with the Padres in 2008 but was unable to appear in a single game. He then agreed to an additional $1 million contract with the Padres the following year, contingent upon his callup from the minor leagues.

Again Prior was unable to make even a single appearance, having last pitched in a major league game in 2006, when he went 1-6 with a 7.71 ERA for the Cubs.

Prior signed for a then-record $10.5 million bonus as the second overall pick in the 2001 draft. He notched his most successful season in 2003, when he went 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA while striking out 245 batters in 211.1 innings.

Durability Issues Linger for Cubs OF Milton Bradley

Questions continue to linger over the durability of newly acquired Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley, who despite All-Star caliber productivity last season may be forced to sit out occasionally as the result of an ugly onfield scuffle a year and a half ago.

Bradley -- set to bat fourth or fifth for manager Lou Piniella after signing a $10 million, annual, three-year contract -- missed some 200 plate appearances for the Rangers last year and frequently had to appear as a designated hitter when he could not take the field.

Refusing to answer questions about the strength of his injured right knee when questioned recently by The Chicago Tribune, Bradley claimed he would play in every single game without taking any time off.

"I wouldn't count him out" general manager Jim Hendry told the newspaper, but conceded the team will be satisfied if he appears in a projected 135 of the 162 regular season games.

Bradley, 30, who has not had a healthy season for five years, is thought to be battling residual effects of a 2007 knee injury that resulted from being tackled by Padres manager Bud Black as Black attempted to keep him from attacking umpire Mike Winters over a questionable call on the basepaths.

Having undergone anger management training -- Bradley has reported he has since begun to overcome his problems with authority figures. Associates have blamed his personality problems on the alleged difficulties between his father and mother when he was a boy.

Matt Bush Goes Blue Jay Way

The expected trade of Matt Bush went down today, with the Toronto Blue Jays announcing they have acquired the former No. 1 draft pick from the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Or maybe just a bag of balls.

Bush was the first overall selection in the 2004 draft. He was drafted as a shortstop, but after failing to progress switched to pitcher during the 2007 season. But he then underwent Tommy John surgery and did not pitch in 2008 - although he struck on 16 batters in the 7.2 innings he did manage to pitch in 2007 before the injury.

To clear space on their 40-man rosters, the Jays released pitcher Dirk Hayhurst.

Padres to Trade Jake Peavy to Cubs by July?

The stalled talks between the Padres and the Cubs over Jake Peavy may have yielded a secret subtext that might see the San Diego ace in Chicago at midseason

Noises from the two camps seem to hint that when the sale of the Cubs is complete, a sizable chunk of undesignated cash will be left on the balance sheets for the express purpose of acquiring a major free agent at midseason, more specifically before the end of July.

The prime candidate, of course, is Peavy, whose value will have reached his probable apex as various midseason contenders accelerate a rush for a playoff berth.

By holding onto Peavy for now, Padres front office executives in addition to collecting a significant midseason trade premium also are enabled to convince boxseat buyers, corporate sponsors, broadcasters, season-ticket holders, the general gate and others that the team is making a legitimate effort to compete out of spring camp, even if in their heart of hearts they know the effort may be perceived as something not entirely unlike a sham.

Whatever the outcome, the deal will likely hurt Peavy's stats if he leaves the friendly confines of San Diego.

Padres Trying to Trade Ex-Top Pick Matt Bush

Though the Padres always respected former No. 1 pick Matt Bush's ability to throw a strike from shortstop to first base, his conversion to pitcher so far had been a virtual failure, thus complicating the prospect of trading him.

Even if the team fails to find someone willing to take him, Bush is finished as as a Padre after yet another off-field incident that has made his status with the team untenable. Bush's roster spot has been given to free agent journeyman Cliff Floyd, who signed a $750,000 one-year contact to fill the roll of a left-handed bat off the bench.

The loss to the team is marginal, given recent reports that Bush's rigorous rehabilitation regimen so far had failed to bring back his arm more than a year after reconstructive elbow surgery. With Bush's fastball tangibly short of the 90-mph mark, one can speculate that pressure over the collapse of his career may have been a factor in Bush's most recent drinking binge.

It can be expected, however, that one or more organizations may give him consideration to resume his career in the minors if his recent legal difficulties are clarified.

Police in the Southern California casino venue of El Cajon are investigating potential public drunkenness and other charges against Bush stemming from his alleged participation in an assault involving high school athletes.

It's a familiar story for Bush, who after being drafted in the first round in 2004 was suspended by the Padres after being arrested in connection with a nightclub disturbance near Phoenix, where he was to have reported to camp. His recovery from surgery was again interrupted at mid-season last year after he allegedly participated in another disturbance at a Phoenix area nightspot.

Update: Bush dealt to Blue Jays.

Brad Penny - GIANT Mess

Dodgers porker Brad Penny, the guy who wears Hurley gear during post-game interviews (when he was good enough to warrant an interview) despite being from the number one hick state in the union (Oklahoma), made his much anticipated (by the Padres) return to the mound tonight.  

The at least 260 pound Penny met and surpassed all expectations.  He walked his first batter then gave up two singles, and was disqualified by Joe Torre before he could record an out.

The final batter to single off Penny, whose name matters not, is a September call-up despite hitting .215 in AAA.  Vin Scully found this curious and amusing.

Angel Berroa Hits Home Run, Wade LeBlanc Shoots Self

Dodgers shortstop Angel Berroa hit his first home run since 2006 tonight, raising his batting average to .238 and causing embarrassment to Padres mess Wade LeBlanc.

Dodgers Set to Acquire Greg Maddux

The Dodgers have reached a tentative deal to acquire Greg Maddux from the Padres for two players to be named later.  Maddux will replace the oft-injured and perpetually out of shape Brad Penny in the Dodgers rotation.

Dodgers Looking at Greg Maddux

The cheap-ass Padres want to trade Greg Maddux so they can dump the almost $3 million that they owe him the rest of the year.  The cheap-ass Dodgers (the same Dodgers who normally line up to throw hundreds of millions of Dodgers at injury risks) are interested in Maddux (and the Dodgers are the only team to which Maddux will approve a trade), but want the Padres to pay almost $2.5 million of his salary.  So basically the Dodgers want Maddux for free.  And why shouldn't they?  They got the Indians to pay all of Casey Blake's salary and the Red Sox to pay almost all of Manny Ramirez's (who by the way is awesome) salary, so it may surprise some that the Dodgers are willing to pay Maddux even $500,000.

The amusement of a potential Maddux deal does not end there.  August is usually the month for Ned Colletti to admit he screwed up at the trade deadline and didn't get what he needed (the Manny Ramirez defense fails miserably because he had nothing to do with that deal).  Last August, Colletti claimed Tijuana native Esteban Loaiza from the A's and assumed $8 million in guaranteed salary.  Loaiza rewarded Colletti's foresight by posting an 8.34 ERA.  That brilliant move came a mere 5 days after Colletti signed David Wells, who posted a 5.12 ERA the rest of the year.  Maddux is having a decent year in terms of  his 4.17 ERA (5-8 record), but it makes metaphysical sense that once he dons a Dodgers uniform, his ERA will balloon to above 6 . 

Also, Maddux is no fun unless Chipper Jones is there for him to call Larry.

Randy Wolf's Preference May Not Include New York

With pitchers CC Sabathia and Rich Hardin off the market, speculation has intensified that the Yankees and Mets will continue to press for the acquisition of lefty Randy Wolf from the Padres -- but Wolf may have a thing or two to say about that.


Though Wolf's 14-team no-trade clause is widely believed to leave both New York teams as a possibility, the Southern California native native has had diminished interest in pitching for an East Coast team since leaving the Phillies, having recently explained to MLB.com that he left guaranteed money on the table for the chance to pitch along the Pacific.

"I wanted to play here and I thought I would be a good fit here," Wolf was quoted as saying.

Wolf -- whose one-year $4.75 million contract expires at the end of this season -- was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, attended Pepperdine University in Malibu and owns a mansion in the Hollywood Hills not far from the home of former San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds.

Wolf indicated he would consider staying in San Diego, which is little more than a two-hour drive from his residence, depending on traffic.

Wolf currently owns a 6-8 record with a 4.38 ERA , and has notched 12 quality starts in 19 appearances. The Mets are also rumored to be interested in his services, but West Coast teams may discover they have an edge.

Yankees Trading Chip Dan McCutchen Adds Slider

Key Yankees trading chip Daniel McCutchen has added a slider to his multi-pitch repertoire, enabling him to lower his ERA to 3.32 after surrendering just three runs over his last 25 innings for Triple A Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound, 24-year-old righty's somewhat lopsided record now stands at 3-6 after it initially appeared as though he was overmatched when first promoted to Triple A. But his ability to find himself has marked a considerable improvement, with his most recent victory being a win over Columbus 7-3.

Most intriguing about the former 13th-round pick is his ability to consistently find the plate often without the wildness so common among hard throwers, as he can occasionally reach the high 90s with his fastball. His willingness to grove it potentially makes him vulnerable to gap balls and deep flies, but he has won praise at various stops in the infancy of his career by generally keeping runners off base.

General Manager Brian Cashman refused to deal him as part of recent, potentially costly trade packages, as McCutchen's name has been widely thought to have been been included in the failed attempt to land CC Sabathia from the Indians.

Along with prospects Alan Horne and Mark Melancon, McCutchen has also been seen as being included in talks for the acquisition of San Diego's Randy Wolf or Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo.

Jody Gerut Underscores Indians Coaching Failure

Former American League Rookie of the Year Jody Gerut -- now with the Padres -- returned to Cleveland for his first game there since being cast aside by the Indians in 2004, going 3-5 with a homer and two RBI to raise his average to .289 and help defeat his former team 8-3.

The re-emergence of the 28-year-old Gerut -- named top rookie by the Sporting News after hitting .279 with 22 homers and 75 RBI in 127 games with the Indians in 2003 -- continues to draw attention to seeming inadequacies in the Indians coaching and scouting staff, which willingly let Gerut get away three years ago.

Gerut's separation from the Tribe is slightly complicated, having been excellerated by his torn anterior cruciate ligament in 2004, and his struggles to recover while playing for Triple A Buffalo.

And yet the fact remains that while Gerut was on the comeback trail he was traded for Cubs outfielder Jason Dubois, the Indians having failed to recognize not only Gerut's remaining potential but his strength of character, tenacity and determination to revive his career.

Ironically, after acquiring Dubois for Gerut the Indians also failed to develop Dubois, who like Gerut had been regarded as a potential star.

If it had been only Gerut whom the Tribe let get away, or just Dubois, that would be one thing. But rightly or wrongly a peculiar pattern can be discerned when one considers that no sooner than the team had acquired top prospect Andy Marte last year -- for instance -- coaches began tinkering with his swing to the point that he hasn't been the same either, though he remains with the team.

Add the cases of Gerut, Dubois and Marte to the Indians handling of second baseman Brandon Phillips, now a star in Cincinnati, and second baseman Josh Barfield, who has spent most of this season in Buffalo, and one cannot help but wonder.

Not only has Barfield failed to succeed under Indians tutelge, but the player traded to acquire him -- third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff -- has done quite well for himself in San Diego, the Indians having nothing to show from that deal either.

'07 Rookie of Year Candidates Excel in Fall League

Two top candidates for 2007 Rookie of the Year, SS Troy Tulowitzki of Colorado and 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff of San Diego, have done nothing since the end of the season to make their respective managers question the confidence being placed in them as potential and likely big league starters in April.

Tulowitzki, likely to top SS Clint Barmes in spring competition, hit .329 in the recently concluded Arizona Fall League. Kouzmanoff, who already has been promised the 3B job for the Padres, hit .382.

San Francisco 2B prospect Kevin Frandsen, however, has not fared as well. Though Frandsen batted .387, the Giants re-signed 35-year-old veteran 2B Ray Durham, leaving Frandsen's playing opportunities limited.