Weekend Coffee with James Krueger: Trade Andrew Cashner

May 2, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner (34) throws during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t get me wrong. I love Andrew Cashner. He’s one of our most electrifying pitchers because of his arsenal and ability to use it well. I’m pretty sure when I first started writing here it took all the self-control I could muster to write about a different topic than Cash. He’s just that kind of pitcher.

Yet we should still trade him. As much as it pains me to think about losing one of our best players and faces of our franchise, there’s a pretty big problem with Cashner; he can’t stay healthy. He’s a pitcher with health issues, although you could make the point every pitcher’s arm is a ticking time bomb. But he’s actually shown his problems with consistent innings by continually getting hurt. The thing about a player on the DL is he can’t help us. It may seem counterintuitive, but it makes sense!

Thanks to a tremendous hot streak by the Rays that has them streaking (up the standings), the top trade target for playoff teams in David Price has been taken off the market. There are still good options left available, but putting a guy like Cash up could bring a home run back. Sure, he’s hurt, but he’s showing good signs that he will be back before the end of the season. And never underestimate the prospects that a desperate GM is willing to give up. If you don’t believe me, just ask one of our current front office members in Omar Minaya, who shipped off Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Grady Sizemore in one trade, in a last ditch effort to make playoffs.

There’s a saying about teams with pitching depth. Once you finally have enough, you go get more. There are no teams that would be out of the market for Cashner, and he would draw the king’s ransom. It’s a tough move to make, but it’s one that benefits the future of our team. I’ve been very vocal about wanting to sell everything that isn’t nailed down, and do what we can to pry apart the attached pieces as well. This team has a great farm system but it needs a complete overhaul at the major league level and inside the front office. But a great start is shopping around our ace.

Everyone wants to win. It’s what makes sports fun, really. There’s nothing better than going to the ballpark with a few great friends and watching our Padres drop the hammer on some poor team. Thing is, one of the biggest mistakes a team can make is not recognizing when the time to win is. We aren’t ready to win a lot of games, unfortunately. We need to persevere, hoard prospects, and develop our players until we are ready to win. Our time is coming. But it’s not here yet. The moves made have been good so far, but let’s keep going. Let’s trade Andrew Cashner.