Blaine neal to San Diego for Ben Howard

Just said by Len Casper.....Marlins trade Blaine Neal for Ben Howard of the Pads

Ben Howard

Wow...he looks like hes real good...definitely breaking news

I've heard he's good, but why would the Pads do this trade is Howard out of options?

bullpen?

HOward had just been sent down I believe.

He's nice insurance for either the pen or as a starter, if needed. I like this trade a lot.

as do i.

 

 

 

howard is a great talent and to acquire him for only neal is a steal.

Looks like a good trade...Anyone know how fast this guys throws...BTW, i wonder why didnt SD just claim Blaine of waivers yesterday and they would've paid nothing.

Looks like a good trade...Anyone know how fast this guys throws...BTW, i wonder why didnt SD just claim Blaine of waivers yesterday and they would've paid nothing.

Yeah that was the first thing I thought of too.....took alot of balls to pull this one off

http://minorleaguebaseball.com/players/avi...028&season=2002

 

Here are his minor league stats. They worry me a bit - I would have rather kept Neal. Also, it looks like he's had a few injuries - the number of games appeared in is a bit low. His 2003 stats, not included above, include a 7-9 record with a 4.55 ERA.

He's shown alot of improvement recently though

rotoworld says by letting neal clear waivers and go to AAA, the Padres have more options regarding where and how to use him. If they picked him up yesterday they would have had to keep him on their ML roster.

Looks like a good trade...Anyone know how fast this guys throws...

He has been clocked over 100 MPH, as per a commercial for the RoadRunner High-Speed Internet serivce.

Well, its good the marlins made a move...hopefully this can end up working fairly well. Seems from his stats that he has the stuff to be in the major leagues, but can be very inconsistent. Anyways this works because Blaine Neal I doubt was ever going to be a big part of this team so its not like lost a big factor to the team.

The Expos and Padres had been talking about a deal for Howard for a couple of weeks. I'm surprised that he's here right now. Good pickup though.

His spring stats for this year dont look too good though

 

6.2 IP 13 ER 16.20 ERA

 

I still think its a good trade b/c he proved he can pitch at the big league level recently last year and as every picther needs to work out his kinks for the season. What i really like is that he gives us flexibility since he has been used as a starter.

I think we ripped the Padres off here. I personally thought Neal sucked and won't miss him. I still believe Beinfest should get another arm for our bullpen cause right now we only have Fox and Benitez who are dependable.

The only reason we win this trade is because Howard can start...otherwise its mediocre at best for mediocre at best. Why is everyone so high on Howard? Does 30 something innings prove anything?

I just wanna see him pitch it a 100 mph.

Good pickup

Something had to be done. I seem to recall that Howard was out of options. It boils down to a change of scenery for a couple of underachievers. Hopefully Rosey can straighten Howard out and tap some of that potential.

yawn ... whoohoo im so exited ... yippy, yippy ... yawn.

 

 

im going back to sleep :sleeping

 

 

blah trade.

Found this

 

The Padres hope Ben Howard, who will start tonight for Portland, soon will become a mainstay in their rotation. Howard throws hard but has struggled with his control. He is 3-3 with a 4.22 ERA and 26 walks in 53 1/3 innings.

 

"Ben was in the car with (former Las Vegas Stars outfielder) Mike Darr when he was killed, and (Howard) had to have some psychological scars from that," Towers said. "But he's still a young guy, and he throws the ball well. He's a guy we like to think might be able to come up by the end of the year and be a candidate to be in our rotation next year."

 

 

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/200...s/21385534.html

 

So we know that he throws hard