Right-handed setup man Scott Linebrink ? a staple of the Padres bullpen for more than four years ? had been traded to Milwaukee for three minor league pitchers.

 

?Incomprehensible,? was Trevor Hoffman's reaction. ?Four other teams in the National League West are awfully excited. I probably need to take a day before I say something about this because I'm going to say something stupid.?

 

?You have to trust your front office when you are in the middle of a playoff run,? Jake Peavy said. ?But, man, to trade away your setup man . . . what kind of a message are we sending here??

 

Said David Wells: ?I know Scott has had some rough times recently. But he's one of the premier guys in the league. Scott Linebrink is a pitcher of magnitude. He's also one of the best people you'd ever want to know . . . a great friend and a teammate.

 

?To take a hit like this . . . they must have different reasons we can't see.?

 

The Padres received 25-year-old left-handed reliever Joe Thatcher and 20-year-old starters Steve Garrison and Will Inman for Linebrink, who would have been eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

 

Thatcher, who was signed by Milwaukee out of the independent Frontier League in 2005, will report to the Padres today in Houston.

Apparently the Padres don't realize they're contenders... :blink:

Or they realize they have emence bullpen depth and they're getting a king's ransom for a peon.

Holy Crap!

 

They got Inman?!

 

This could be a nice looking trade for the Padres soon enough.

the brewers can now finish games after the 4th inning