Today the Padres made some moves and the follow players were sent in various directions. Most are to be fully expected, however some of these moves shed light on how this roster could and likely will shape up in the very near future.For some it will be a small let down, but for most die hard Padre fans I think these moves are the type that wont send any shock waves throughout the Friar Faithful.
Padres reassigned
LHP Wade LeBlanc
RHP Paul Abraham
LHP Arturo Lopez
INF Edgar Gonzalez
INF Marshall McDougall
2B Matt Antonelli
OF Mike Baxter
OF Will Venable
OF Drew Macias
OF Vince Sinisi
C Nick Hundley
C Jose Lobaton to minor league camp
They also optioned
C Colt Morton
RHP Mauro Zarate to Portland
They optioned RHP Ernesto Frieri to San Antonio
Finally they optioned RHP Wilton Lopez to Lake Elsinore
Again most of these moves were fully expected, and some make it fairly clear how the team is positioning themselves with regards to other players still fighting for a roster spot. The demotion of Edgar Gonzalez seems to mean that Callix Crabbe has won his spot on the roster, as he's the last remaining super utility type of player left standing.
While the demotion of LeBlanc was pretty expected, he was the darkhorse to earn the #5 role. Since he was sent down to AAA, that can only mean the Padres brass is pleased with the way Germano has really come on, or Glendon Rusch has performed. Germano seems to have added a little to his velocity, which should make the rest of his pitches that much more difficult to hit. Rusch is coming off a scary season where he found himself fighting for his life after he felt a tug in chest and had to be rushed to the hospital. His season ended in Sept. when doctors discovered a blood clot in his lung. Now he's back, healthy and pitching with a purpose it seems. I think both these guys make the team, one as the #5 (until Prior is ready), while the other gets bullpen time and does long relief duty.
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