June 13, 2011

Transaction Analysis Blog

Padres Designate Poreda For Assignment

by R.J. Anderson

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SAN DIEGO PADRES Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

San Diego Padres
Designated RP Aaron Poreda for assignment. [6/13]
Placed SP Aaron Harang on the 15-day disabled list. [6/13]
Purchased the contract of SP Anthony Bass from Triple-A Tucson. [6/13]

Poreda gets the axe in order for the Padres to place Bass on the 40-man roster. A giant of a man, at 6-foot-6, Poreda came over in the 2009 Jake Peavy trade, along with Adam Russell, Dexter Carter, and Clayton Richard. As it stands, only Richard and Poreda remain within the organization, as Carter is back in the White Sox system and Russell is cleaning up messes out of the Rays bullpen.

Even so, it is difficult to pan the trade as a poor one on San Diego’s part. Peavy, for all his pros, is prone to missing time with various ailments. Sometimes a pitcher can recover and remain an asset, but it’s not out of the question for a pitcher to just lose it after an injury—just look at Scott Kazmir. Given the Padres economic situation then (and even now) they could not stand to be responsible for Peavy’s increasing salary (more than $15 million a season from here on out), therefore getting rid of the contract was as important as getting quality prospects in return.

If another team does desire Poreda, it will be because of his stuff, size, and strikeout rates. Poreda’s value rises if the person viewing his statistics covers the walk column with tape, as his control is well below average. The White Sox promoted Poreda to Triple-A just before trading him, and he has spent most of his time with the Padres Triple-A affiliates (first Portland, now Tucson) since, while managing more than eight strikeouts per nine innings pitched, and yet, somehow he has managed a strikeout-to-walk ratio under 1.

Bass is replacing Poreda on the 40-man roster, but stylistically the pair clash. He features a garden-variety arsenal and relies heavily on his good control, however there are some question marks about his command. With only two Triple-A appearances under Bass’ belt, Double-A is the highest rung of the ladder he has spent considerable time at, and he exited the level with 11 starts and a 3.53 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Bass will make his big league debut on Monday night.

R.J. Anderson is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @r_j_anderson
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