Poreda To Start Year in AA, Carter in Low-A…Peavy Trade Looking Bad in Hindsight

I was perusing the nearly-finalized rosters of the Padres’ minor league affiliates. I’ll probably look at some of the more questionable decisions later this week. For now, I thought it would be a good idea to let the world (yeah, like the world reads this site, haha) know that Aaron Poreda, who split much of last year between Triple-A and the majors, will be returning to Double-A to open the season.

Poreda’s mechanics and command fell apart late last year after being traded from Chicago to San Diego, and he walked over a batter per inning in Triple-A. He didn’t look very good in the spring either, although he threw a disproportionate number of breaking pitches in his worst outing.

This registers as a lack of confidence in the young lefty fireballer. Poreda’s now 23, so he’s at the point where he needs to adjust soon or risk being lost in the shuffle. It looks like he’s now likely to be moved permanently to relief as well, further denting his stock.

As Clayton Richard becomes more and more exposed as a guy better suited to a LOOGY role than a mid-rotation one, and Poreda struggles to throw strikes, the Jake Peavy trade seems to look worse and worse. The best hope to salvage the trade is probably Dexter Carter, who also immediately struggled after the trade and is starting 2010 back in Low-A at age 23.

Not to get overly pessimistic or sound the alarm bells, but Poreda and Carter seem to be really falling out of favor. There’s nothing the Padres can do–they’ve fired the staff that brought them in, and replaced them with a staff that seems to value them much lower.

Here’s hoping that either a) they rebound and make the trade look good or b) the new front office doesn’t make similar bad moves in the future. A small-market team can’t afford to trade an ace pitcher and get little in return. I almost always take the side of the team getting the big prospect haul, but just a few months after the deal, it’s looking like a huge question mark already.