Josh Byrnes On the Mat Latos Trade

Josh Byrnes took some time to do an interview with Hacksaw on XX1090 in San Diego.  He shared how the Mat Latos trade developed, how he thinks it will affect the Padres, and whether any additional moves can be expected.  Be sure to check out the interview here, but we’ll summarize it below.

Yonder Alonso:

Byrnes said he watched Alonso as a sophomore at the University of Miami, and he feels he’s a solid hitter.  He sees Alonso as a first baseman not a left fielder regardless of the log jam.  Byrnes indicated he spoke to Anthony Rizzo after the deal and explained the Padres position and Rizzo’s new spot behind Alonso on the depth chart.  Alonso’s addition makes moving Rizzo very possible.  He is not sure when, but a trade involving Rizzo could definitely happen.

Yasmani Grandal:

Byrnes made it clear that Nick Hundley is still their number one guy at catcher, and Grandal is not ready to play at the Major League level just yet.  He felt that teams with really good catching have a better chance of playing in October, and the Padres are doing everything they can to put themselves in that position.

Brad Boxberger:

Boxberger is a traditional power pitcher and Cory Burns is deceptive.  Byrnes feels having their differing styles can help the Padres bullpen on the Major League level.  Boxberger is a little further along and we should expect to see him soon.

The Rest of the Off-Season:

Any additional moves the team makes will all depend on availability and opportunity.  Byrnes indicated he wasn’t out to force any moves, but if something presents itself and it works for the team, the Padres will make the move.

The outfield will consist of Cameron Maybin, Chris Denorfia, Kyle Blanks, Will Venable, and Mark Kotsay.  Byrnes sees Kotsay as a clubhouse leader type and hopes it will help Chase Headley build himself up as a leader.

Signing players to contract extensions is still an off-season priority for the Padres, but they are focusing on numerous different areas right now. With the new Padres GM making a huge splash in his first few months, we can certainly expect many more interviews to come and possibly more trades to discuss.