The Curse of Petco?

Former Padres thrive once they leave downtown

July 2: So here’s the thing. You can’t hate on the San Diego Padres for the offseason transactions they made. Taking a chance on Mark Prior, a former All-Star pitcher with a troubling injury history, on the cheap, signing Randy Wolf to solidify the back end of the rotation, and trading for an aging, albeit productive, Jim Edmonds, to play a solid centerfield.

After the first month of the season, it was a disaster. Wolf had a higher batting average than Edmonds (.182 to .153). The veteran was soon released and picked up by the Cubs, where he’s become a revelation. He hit .319 with six home runs and 19 RBIs in June.

For the Padres, though, it was two non-moves that were most telling of the struggles that 2008 would bring. Outfielders Mike Cameron and Milton Bradley, both free agents, were not asked to return. There were reasons for each from the Padres’ perspective (Cameron’s looming 25-game suspension for using a banned supplement; Bradley’s return from an ACL tear and his past volatility).

But it’s sad to see what these guys are now doing with their new clubs and knowing that the Friars could have one of both of them sauntering the green of Petco Park. Bradley is smoking hot in Texas, hitting .321 with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs. He also leads the American League in on-base (.440) and slugging percentage (.605).

Meanwhile, Cameron, despite missing the first 25 games this season, has 12 home runs and 28 RBIs in 48 games.

Think the Friars couldn’t use some of that pop in their run-starved lineup? And its all speculation, but maybe these players wouldn’t be putting up those same numbers with the Padres. It’s been well documented that Petco is a pitchers’ haven. The team is and will always be strapped for cash because of its small market status and the fans fair-weather apathy, so resigning them didn’t make sense financially, I guess. But you have to wonder why the team seemingly gave up on that kind of potential. It will be an underlying storyline all year, and one that no one seems to be talking about.

 

Eric Yates, much like the rest of the city, isn’t a native San Diegan. He’s been here for the past eight years and has adopted the Padres and Chargers as his own. Serving as a full-time and freelance sportswriter while in San Diego, he’s covered the beat for both the Padres and Chargers. A sports fanatic, his crowning achievement as a fan was appearing on the ESPN game show Stump the Schwab and coming within one question of toppling the big guy.

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