November 8, 200619 yr The Padres have ignited the hot-stove season Wednesday, trading second baseman Josh Barfield to the Indians for highly regarded Triple-A third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and Triple-A pitcher Andrew Brown. Barfield, 23, gave the Padres a strong rookie season this year, batting .280 with 32 doubles, 13 home runs, 72 runs scored and 21 stolen bases in 26 attempts. He also earned solid marks for his athletic defense. The right-handed bat of Kouzmanoff, however, has strong appeal. In 244 at-bats in Double-A last season, Kouzmanoff batted .389 with 19 doubles, 15 home runs and 55 RBI. Triple-A pitching wasn't much of a problem for Kouzmanoff, 25, who went on to bat .353 with nine doubles and seven home runs in 102 at-bats for Buffalo. Kouzmanoff continued his hot hitting in his major league debut with the Indians in September, hitting a grand slam off the first pitch he saw. With Cleveland he batted .214 with three home runs in 56 at-bats. Kouzmanoff's defense raises more questions than his bat. Brown went 5-4 with a 2.60 ERA in 62 innnings. He had 53 strikeouts against 36 walks. The right-hander has above-average speed on his fastball. To replace Barfield, the Padres might pursue Braves second baseman Marcus Giles, a Granite Hills High alum who wants to join brother Brian in the Padres lineup. Another possibility is Japanese third baseman Akinori Iwamura, who has good speed and could move to second. The Padres are among the teams interested in acquiring Iwamura's rights from the Yakult Swallows. I presume that Kouzmanoff will be projected as the Padres' starting thirdbaseman, who can play in the bigs this coming year for sure. Brown could be used as a reliever or starter next year as well. Still, giving up Barfield, who is a very good talent, is a big loss for SD. Good move for Cleveland, as they fill their hole at second, and get rid of two prospects that were stuck in AAA.
November 8, 200619 yr didnt the padres acquire a certain second baseman and have him play third down the stretch.....
November 8, 200619 yr Padres trade Barfield for Cleveland prospects The Padres have ignited the hot-stove season Wednesday, trading second baseman Josh Barfield to the Indians for highly regarded Triple-A third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and Triple-A pitcher Andrew Brown. Barfield, 23, gave the Padres a strong rookie season this year, batting .280 with 32 doubles, 13 home runs, 72 runs scored and 21 stolen bases in 26 attempts. He also earned solid marks for his athletic defense. The right-handed bat of Kouzmanoff, however, has strong appeal. In 244 at-bats in Double-A last season, Kouzmanoff batted .389 with 19 doubles, 15 home runs and 55 RBI. Triple-A pitching wasn't much of a problem for Kouzmanoff, 25, who went on to bat .353 with nine doubles and seven home runs in 102 at-bats for Buffalo. Continued.... http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padre...n9padtrade.html :o
November 8, 200619 yr I can't tell if that's a great trade for the Padres or a head-scratcher. It's definitely a love it or hate it trade. It's a great move, though, if they think they can land Marcus Giles.
November 9, 200619 yr Barfield is the bigger name prospect but I really believe Kousmanoff will be the better player, Cleveland does have Marte waiting to get his chance while 2nd base is a bigger need to fill long term. Good trade for both, but I feel San Diego may end up a little bit happier in the end
November 9, 200619 yr Interesting... Barfield is the bigger name prospect but I really believe Kousmanoff will be the better player, Cleveland does have Marte waiting to get his chance while 2nd base is a bigger need to fill long term. Good trade for both, but I feel San Diego may end up a little bit happier in the end I agree with you totally :thumbup
November 9, 200619 yr Barfield is the bigger name prospect but I really believe Kousmanoff will be the better player, Cleveland does have Marte waiting to get his chance while 2nd base is a bigger need to fill long term. Good trade for both, but I feel San Diego may end up a little bit happier in the end It's a trade that helps both teams. Kousmanoff was completely blocked at third by Marte, so both teams address their needs with the trade.
November 9, 200619 yr Cleveland is assembling something special DH Hafner C Martinez 1B Garko 2B Barfield SS Peralta 3B Marte CF Sizemore RF Choo Now that is young talent across the board
November 10, 200619 yr Kind of reminds you of another Indians team They're not quite there yet. I don't know if there was a team in the 90's that had as incredible a lineup as the mid-90's Indians, its too bad they lost to us cause they should have won it all a few times. The pitching still isn't on the same level yet either.
November 10, 200619 yr Reports are that Barfield was dealt because the Padres are trying to go after Free Agent Marcus Giles of the Braves....
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