This seems like a cruel April Fools’ joke that you play on your friends. Talking about the MLB trade deadline on the Burns and Gambo radio show in Arizona, Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart indicated that the San Diego Padres asked for Paul Goldschmidt in return for closer Craig Kimbrel.
Dave Stewart tells Burns and Gambo the Padres wanted Paul Goldschmidt from the Dbacks for closer Craig Kimbrell….WOW
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) July 31, 2015
This is real life, ladies and gentlemen. The Padres actually asked for a first baseman in Goldschmidt that’s leading the Majors with a .347 batting average and a .464 on-base percentage. The 27-year-old former National League MVP runner-up is under contract for three more seasons at about $8.5 million annually.
Meanwhile, Kimbrel, who hasn’t been the dominating closer he was with the Atlanta Braves prior to a preseason deal to San Diego, is due an average of $12.3 million over the next two years.
This also explains why San Diego was so quiet during the deadline:
One exec on what went wrong for the #Padres: Miscalculation of a market that turned on them. "Buyer's market. Didn't suit A.J."
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) July 31, 2015
“Miscalculation” might be the understatement of the century.
On a related note, I am prepared to trade my 1994 Honda Accord in for Sheldon Richardson’s Bentley. I wonder if he’s interested.
Photo: USA Today Sports