Padres Get a Nice Return For Street

After looking over social media these past few days, it’s easy to see the level of frustration with some Padres’ fans about getting rid of maybe this team’s most reliable closer since Trevor Hoffman. Huston Street is off to Anaheim to be placed smack in the middle of a heated AL West race. The Padres did get some nice players in return. Let me see if I can ease the minds of those distraught Padres’ fans. San Diego received 4 notable players in the trade.

Taylor Lindsey, 2B

Though the Padres thought at one point they had a long-term solution at second base in Jedd Gyorko, perhaps having Lindsey in the system will light a fire under him. Lindsey was consistently rising in the Angels farm system. First, he is not yet 23 years old and is now in Triple-A El Paso. He had a good year in the Texas League in 2013, hitting 17 HRs and batting .274. He has been injured for parts of this season, but at Triple-A Salt Lake he has hit 8 HRs with 30 RBI and 7 stolen bases in 75 games. We may see him up in the big leagues before too long. However, the Padres have several middle infielders already on the MLB roster in Alexi Amarista, Chris Nelson, and Jace Peterson.

R.J. Alvarez, RHP

Alvarez has been an excellent reliever in the Angels’ system. This year in Double-A Arkansas, he has appeared in 21 games, pitching 27 innings and struck out 38 with an astounding 0.33 ERA. He has only allowed 1 earned run on 13 hits. He has been very efficient. The Padres should feel good about having his arm rising up their system. He will start off at Double-A San Antonio but do not be surprised if he doesn’t finish the year there.

Elliot Morris, RHP

Morris has spent the 2014 season in Class-A. This season he has appeared in 17 total games, starting 16 of them. He has a 3.27 ERA in 85.1 innings. He has a good strikeout-to-walk ratio, a little over 2-to-1. He has dealt with injuries and is a Tommy John surgery alum. He has much to improve on but he has impressed thus far. He looks to start his Padres career with the Class-A Lake Elsinore Storm.

Jose Rondon, SS

The Venezuelan shortstop was an All-Star for Rookie League Orem, hitting .293 with 22 doubles and 50 RBI while stealing 13 bases. He has bounced around a bit through Class-A ball this year. His 2014 numbers look like this: 75 games, .319 average, 17 doubles, 24 RBI, 44 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He may never reach double digits in home runs but he is a good hitter who can get on base and make things happen. He will also join the Class-A Storm.

Fear not Padres fans, the Padres did get some nice pieces for Street. These are 4 players that can be quality big leaguers in the not-so-distant future. I applaud the front office for the deal they got done. Yes we did lose a great closer but we did receive 4 young, talented players in return. Of course, only time will tell if this was all worth it. We may have to wait a few years to find out.