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| Do you think that the Padres would be smart to pick up center fielder Mike Cameron for a few more years? I don't see their outfield play being as good without him. -- Mike M., El Cajon, Calif. Mike, you're right. Cameron has saved plenty of runs in his two seasons with the Padres. He's been the right guy to play center field in that big ballpark of PETCO Park. Cameron has more than just speed. He gets good jumps on balls and takes good angles when going after fly balls. He has great instincts. The problem is, Cameron, who is a free agent, will be 35 in January and there's a thought that he might want a three-year deal. I do not see the Padres giving him three years, even though he's remained productive (21 home runs, 78 RBIs, 18 stolen bases). His average dropped from .268 to .242, which is a concern. It will be interesting to see what happens with Cameron. There aren't a lot of viable options -- financial or tangible -- on the free agent market. I think Aaron Rowand is going to ask for (and get) the moon. Andruw Jones will also likely command a big paycheck, though the Padres could offer him a loaded one-year deal, something his agent (Scott Boras) did last year with Jeff Weaver, who wound up landing in Seattle, hoping that the returns are big enough to then land an even bigger, multi-year deal. What do you think the chances are the Padres will go after a starting catcher? Don't get me wrong, I love Josh Bard and what he brings to the team and the pitchers. He also has great at-bats but I think the Padres lost or got behind a lot of games because of are inability to stop people from running on us. What do you think? -- Brian N., San Diego It's been well-documented that the Padres had trouble stopping or even slowing opposing teams from running this season (189 stolen bases allowed, 20 caught stealing). Not very good numbers, but also a little misleading for a couple of reasons: For one thing, it was not Bard's fault (mostly) that these numbers are tilted so heavily in favor of the opposing baserunners. The Padres have several pitchers on their staff (Greg Maddux and Chris Young come to mind first) who have deliveries to the plate that are slower than normal and are generally easier to run on. This makes it very tough on catchers, who are handcuffed to a certain extent. And it's not like you can ask a pitcher to make a dramatic change to his delivery in midseason, as that throws off the entire process. Another thing about the stolen bases -- many of those potential runs never came around to score. The Padres were third in baseball in opposing batting average (.250), first in ERA (3.70) and second in runs allowed (666). So many of those players who stole bases were left standing on base. Hey, I'm a Houston Astros fan for life. With that said, I want to know what's going to happen to Jason Lane and Morgan Ensberg? I don't think Houston should have given up on them. They're great players when given the right chances and at-bats. -- Howie L., Houston Lane and Ensberg actually found themselves in similar predicaments with the Astros, as they were both very productive players in the past for Houston who both got off to slow starts in 2007 for a struggling team that, inevitably, opted to go in a different direction, choosing to go with younger players. Lane and Ensberg never got the regular at-bats to get a chance to find their groove again. Obviously, nearly all offensive players respond better to frequent playing time and/or at-bats. As for their future with the Padres, I think Lane has a better chance of sticking, because the Padres control his contract for the 2008 season and with the possibility that Cameron and/or Milton Bradley (both are free agents) not coming back, Lane could certainly add depth in that area. Ensberg, however, is in a tougher spot. Kevin Kouzmanoff is the team's third baseman and at-bats there will be few and far between. Ensberg told me in September that he enjoyed his time with the Padres and would like to return. He's even willing to give the outfield a go. He's also a great clubhouse guy. That counts for something, trust me. But as the Padres start to build their bench for 2008, Ensberg, as it stands today, would be on the bubble. Can you see a scenario where general manager Kevin Towers attempts to re-acquire Josh Barfield? He's lost his starting job in Cleveland, and second base is an obvious hole for the Padres, heading into 2008. -- Pete A., Louisville, Ky. Honestly, it's an intriguing question, albeit a little far-fetched. Even though Barfield has been supplanted by Asdrubal Cabrera, I don't know if the Indians are quite ready to give up on a young player like Barfield who struggled to make the adjustment from the NL to the AL this season. The Padres are also very high on a young second baseman of their own in Matt Antonelli, who may or may not be ready this season. I would say this much: Towers would certainly listen if the Indians were to offer Barfield back and if the price was right, then why not consider it. I just think Barfield, who will be 25 on Opening Day, is far too young to give up on at this point. With Arizona's surplus of young outfielders, any chance the Padres will try to pry Carlos Quentin away? He'd fit nicely in either left field or right field and Kevin Towers loves the hometown boys. Arizona might not want to see him in the division, but they have made deals in the past. What are your thoughts? -- Mike P., San Diego Mike, I think you've answered your own question to a certain extent. Let me throw out two words to you that will likely explain why this deal won't ever likely happen: Scott Hairston. The Padres essentially stole Hairston away from Arizona at midseason and it nearly came back to bite the Diamondbacks. I think if the Diamondbacks had it to do all over again, they wouldn't have traded Hairston to a team they were contending with for a playoff spot, or would have done so after the season. Plus, in Quentin's case, he's coming off of labrum and rotator cuff surgery and won't likely be ready until April. That will certainly hamper any efforts to move him this winter. |